Erlangen (dpa/lby) – No water, cooped up for too long: When checking an animal transporter on the A3, 164 pigs were discovered, some of which were injured and also had no water. The van was checked on the Autobahn near Erlangen on Sunday on its way to a slaughterhouse, the police said on Monday.
The officials found that the transporter had not only exceeded the transport time of eight hours, but also that the animals’ water tank had not been filled before the start of the journey. In addition, the van was overcrowded. Some of the animals suffered injuries due to the lack of space and fighting for rankings.
According to the police, the transporter was allowed to continue its journey “taking into account the overall circumstances”, because “otherwise the animal welfare would have been further endangered by the delay”. Both the driver and the company can expect to be reported and fined, among other things, for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
