19,000 Cows Produce 700 Tons of Manure Daily... What Is Happening in the Port City Filled with Odor?

Foul Odor Pervades South African Port City Cape Town
700 Tons of Excrement Daily... Two Oceans Moved Alive

A foul odor is permeating the port city of Cape Town in the southern part of the Republic of South Africa. This is because a large ship carrying 19,000 live cattle has docked there. On the 21st (local time), the Associated Press reported, “Cape Town environmental and health officials received complaints about the stench and inspected the sewage facilities, revealing that the source was a ship carrying 19,000 cattle docked at the port.” Zahid Badrudin, Cape Town’s water sanitation officer, also posted on his X (formerly Twitter), “The cause of the city-wide stench has been confirmed as a livestock carrier.”

Cape Town is located at the southernmost tip of the African continent, where the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. The ship in question is the 190-meter-long large livestock carrier 'Al Kuwait,' which was en route from Brazil to Iraq and docked at Cape Town port on the 18th to supply feed. Although the Al Kuwait departed Cape Town on the 20th, the lingering stench has sparked controversy over animal welfare.

Animal rights activists hold signs protesting the transportation method of a livestock carrier carrying 19,000 live cattle.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The South African Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) stated, “The stench enveloping Cape Town reveals the horrific conditions endured by cattle that have been on the ship, filled with manure and ammonia, for over two weeks.” According to the animal welfare organization Farm and Animals, considering that a 600 kg cow produces an average of 37 kg of excrement per day, the 19,000 cattle are estimated to have produced about 700 tons of manure daily.

According to the international animal rights organization Compassion in World Farming, due to the perception that “live meat tastes better and is healthier than frozen meat,” animals are transported alive in several countries. Animal rights activists protested with placards around the Al Kuwait, opposing the method of transporting live cattle by ship. They told the AP, “The long-distance voyage across two oceans, mixed with manure emitting a foul odor, is also painful for the cattle,” adding, “In overcrowded spaces, they can be crushed to death by each other or suffer from dehydration, disease, and starvation.”