Major Stink From a Ship Carrying 19,000 Cattle at Cape Town, South Africa.

An offensive odor spread around the South African metropolis of Cape Town on Monday, prompting the authorities to open an investigation.

A ship moored in the harbor carrying 19,000 live cattle from Brazil to Iraq was the source of the smell, which prompted city officials to check sewage facilities for breaches and to call in an environmental health team.

On the social media platform X, which was formerly Twitter, Zahid Badroodien, the mayor’s office official in charge of water and sanitation, stated that investigators had verified that the livestock ship was the cause of the “sewage smell blanketing parts of the city.”

He reported that the ship was scheduled to sail shortly, perhaps to the occupants’ relief after a difficult start to the workweek.

Animal welfare organizations have started to seriously criticize the ship as well.

According to a statement from the National Council of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a veterinary consultant was sent on board the ship to evaluate the animals’ welfare. The council of the SPCA said that live animal exports via sea were firmly opposed.

The SPCA released a statement saying, “This smell is indicative of the awful conditions the animals endure, having already spent 2½ weeks onboard, with a build-up of feces and ammonia.” “The animals have to deal with the unbearable stench on board every single day.”

The Marine Traffic website states that the 190-meter (623-foot) Al Kuwait is a cattle vessel flying the Kuwaiti flag. According to the SPCA, it stopped in Cape Town to carry fodder for the animals.

The Democratic Alliance political party, which controls Cape Town in South Africa, has also denounced the movement of live cattle.

The party released a statement saying, “This situation demonstrates that live export exposes animals to dangerous conditions like dangerous levels of ammonia, rough seas, extreme heat stress, injuries, dirty environments, exhaustion, and even death.”

A ship that was transporting more than 16,000 sheep and cattle to the Middle East earlier this month made its way back to Australia after being forced to beach at sea for almost a month as a result of Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea. Veterinarians investigated the ship for cruelty as well, but they discovered no serious problems with the health or wellbeing of the animals.