Swiss offers home to sheep

2003-10-16 21:35

Geneva - A Swiss environmentalist has offered to take 52 000 Australian sheep, which have been shipped around the high seas for the past two months in a vain attempt to sell them, to a former cattle station he owns in the Australian outback.

Franz Weber, who runs an environmental and animal rights foundation, wrote to Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Wednesday to suggest that the sheep on board the Cormo Express could be taken to his 50 000ha plot known as Bonrook Station, south of Darwin.

"We would like to express our willingness to receive the sheep on this fenced property which at present is carrying 700 wild horses, until such a time as a definite solution is found," he wrote in a copy of the letter faxed to media.

About 30 countries have rejected pleas to accept the livestock cargo shipped from Australia since Saudi Arabia refused to take them in August, claiming unacceptable levels of the disease scabby mouth.

Since then the Dutch-owned ship has steamed around the Gulf for almost two months, creating a public relations nightmare as thousands of sheep died from heat stress.

Australian authorities are trying to bring the sheep back home, but members of Howard's government have broken rank and opposed their return, fearing their long exposure overseas means they could have picked up diseases such as foot-and-mouth.

Weber, who was not immediately available for comment on his offer, acknowledged in his letter that there were "practical problems", but said they could count on the help of the international community.

"There can be no doubt that a solution of this kind could but enhance the image, credibility and prestige of Australia throughout the world and would be welcomed with relief and gratitude by the general public, which is of the opinion that these animals have suffered enough," he wrote. - Sapa-AFP

- SAPA