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Video: Fishermen Scramble to Save Sheep as Dhow Tilts Off Yemen

sheep rescue
Fishermen rushed to save the crew and sheep from the ocean (screen grab)

Published Apr 28, 2025 5:08 PM by The Maritime Executive


Video is making the rounds online showing the efforts by local fishermen in Yemen attempting to pluck sheep from the ocean after the vessel they were on began listing. According to some reports, the vessel which was traveling between Somalia and Djibouti ran aground off Aden while other reports place the vessel in the Bab al-Mandeb strait.

The pictures appear to show a typical dhow laden with the animals. Some reports are saying there were several thousand aboard and the vessel was badly overloaded. The weight may be the cause or contributed to the incident.

Fishermen reportedly from Ras Al-Arah in western Yemen rushed to the scene and were shown plucking the animals that were swimming around the vessel. Others can be seen falling or jumping from the vessel. The fishermen saved the crew of the vessel who are reported to be from Somalia.

 

 

At least 160 of the animals are reported to have drowned while others remained trapped aboard the boat. Media reports are saying the vessel capsized.

Animal rights activists are citing this as another example of why live export must be eliminated. Middle Eastern countries maintain the trade due to dietary laws and ritual slaughter. Countries such as Australia and New Zealand have moved to end live export in the face of pressure from activists. The shipping company Wellard, which was once the largest operator for live export vessels, reported at the start of 2025 that it had sold its last ship and closed its shipping operations. However, Argentina in February 2025 repealed a more than 50-year old ban saying it was to support free trade and to grow Argentina’s export industry and role in world trade.