The Spiridon II livestock ship, held for 24 days at the Bandırma straits, is on its return journey: Experts' "imminent threat" warning

The livestock carrier ship Spiridon II, which has been prevented from docking since October 22 on the grounds of "contrary to control regulations" in the waters of Bandırma, has turned its route back to Uruguay after a 24-day wait. The ship, which crossed the Çanakkale Strait to enter the Mediterranean, is sailing near Bozcaada, while experts point out that the return journey poses serious risks. The court ruling stated that the import was not deemed appropriate due to 146 animals on board whose microchips could not be read or had no ear tags, 58 cattle that died during the journey, and 469 animals that did not match the records. Due to these conditions, thousands of animals were not allowed into Turkey, and it was decided to send the ship back to its country of origin. Claims state that approximately 140 pregnant cows gave birth while the ship was anchored. It is assessed that the newborn calves were in extremely poor conditions, and most of them lost their struggle for life. ...