Over 14,000 Sheep Die After The Cargo Ship They Were On Capsized

This time around, it involves sheep and at a magnitude that’ll break your heart.

According to AFP, the Queen Hind cargo ship carrying 14,600 sheep bound for Saudi Arabia overturned in the Black Sea off the coast of Romania after leaving its port.

20 Syrian and Lebanese crew members were rescued while authorities struggled to rescue all 14,600 sheep.

Unfortunately, only 33 sheep survived after being rescued while the rest were feared dead after drowning in the ocean.

Romania's main livestock breeder and exporter association, ACEBOP, called for an urgent investigation.

"Our association is shocked by the disaster," Mary Pana, ACEBOP president, said in a statement. "If we cannot protect livestock during long-distance transports, we should outright ban them."

Gabriel Paun of NGO Animals International alleged the ship had been overloaded. He added that the Queen Hind was known to have engine problems as early as last December.

"An investigation must be opened without delay," he told AFP news agency.

Romania is home to over 10 million sheep and the livestock is one of the backbones of the country’s economy.

This incident has triggered a major backlash from animal activists which labeled the accident as a form of animal abuse.