Last month, Mercy For Animals released a second investigation into the live export industry. Our drones flew above a Brazilian port where workers forced frightened steers onto ships the size of skyscrapers. The ships travel 8,000 miles, moving animals from farms in Brazil—the world’s second-largest live exporter by sea—to slaughterhouses in faraway countries, where they draw their last breaths.
Animals endure crowded, filthy conditions for up to two weeks on these massive ships, only to meet a traumatic and grisly end. At the slaughterhouse, terrified steers are chased, hit, stabbed, and kicked. They are held down and have their throats cut while fully conscious and able to feel pain. In the video, animals struggle and writhe in agony as blood gushes from their necks. Eventually they succumb to death, lying on floors wet with the blood of many animals.
Every year, millions of animals are crammed onto ships, exported, and brutally killed. In the previous investigation, footage shows sick and injured steers craned off transport ships by their legs, dangling in the air in terror. And as in the latest investigation, fully conscious animals have their throats slashed open and are left to bleed out on the floor.
While these animals are born and raised in Brazil, where they have some legal protections, the live export industry sends them to places all over the world without such regulations. This needs to stop. Our petition asking the Brazilian government to ban live export has already gathered more than 398,000 signatures! Take action HERE.
Of course, the best way to help animals is through our daily food choices. Get delicious plant-based meal ideas by ordering a FREE Vegetarian Starter Guide today, and check out our Pinterest page for thousands of recipes.
