You urge your body to move but you are bound. You strain to break free but you are contained. You scream for help but you are ignored. You watch your friends murder and all you can do is wait. You shake with fear as the brutal end nears closer for you. You shake and you wait..you wait for the blade to take the pain away but it doesn't. You wait and you lie waiting to be set free. But it doesn't come.
The live export of Australian beef cattle is the dirty little secret of the Australian industry and who is to blame. LiveCorp. Meat & Livestock Australia. The Federal Government.
Australian beef - live cows - that are exported to Indonesia are destined for a horrifying exit to life. Over 6.5 million Australia cows have been shipped to Indonesia for brutal torture for the stake of a $300 million a year industry.
The Australian tax payer is helping fund this brutal industry. Are you ok with that? Can you live knowing that part of your money is going into the funding of a gruesome, slow death for our prized animals?
While many of us look to place the blame on these countries that commit the act - Indonesia slaughterhouses are trained by the Australian industry and use Australian equipment. We did this. All of it. We might not take the blade to the neck but we steal their final horrific breathe.
Lyn White from Animals Australia conducted an investigation into the live export to Indonesia, witnessing kills and the sinking ship of Australia's humanity.
"It slid off the concrete slab onto the ground, got onto its knees, regained its feet with its throat gaping and blood pouring from its throat. And then it ended up charging towards me with its throat cut. It was just appalling."
Animals are in such distress they purposely bash there heads against the ground in an attempt to knock themselves out...to escape the immense pain and fear.
"I remember at the time so clearly saying each time oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. These animals were just about knocking themselves out. And to think that we had designed, that Australian industry had designed that. It couldn't have placed the animals at greater risk," said White.
Blunt knives are used to kill the animal - a death that should take just one cut takes on average 10 to 33 cuts. Many cows are still conscience while their head hangs on by flicks of flesh.
Animals are not just killed, they are beaten, tortured, placed under immense stress and disgusting conditions.
"I remember thinking so clearly at the time that this animal just didn't understand why he was being beaten, and it was almost like he was calling out why? And there were no answers to that question."
Below is a transcript extract from Four Corners describing a condition for one Australian cow, one that will sadden you and make your heart howl, but this is not a one off story.
"SARAH FERGUSON: This white steer has been roped. He slips on the wet faeces-covered floor and breaks his leg. He slumps over a stone pylon.
Over 25 minutes the handler goads him to move despite the broken leg.
LYN WHITE: At that point he was in a state of collapse and he should've been slaughtered on the spot. Instead, the worker decided that he would do everything to try and get him to his feet, to drag him in for slaughter.
SARAH FERGUSON: He breaks his tail, gouges deep into his nose and eye socket.
LYN WHITE: He would try and get his head away when his eyes were being gouged. He just couldn't get to his feet because his leg was broken.
SARAH FERGUSON: The stricken animal is kicked - altogether nine times.
LYN WHITE: When all else failed they tried to put water up his nostrils until they finally realised that he wasn't going to get to his feet and then he suffered the most horrendous death."
Animals involved in Live Export are at many times sliced and diced before they are even given a chance to die - simply because time is money.
While these facts trouble us, spare a thought for the fellow cows awaiting their own fate. Cows and most animals feel fear, they sense what we sense, as White learnt at one abboiture where one cow was left trembling in fear as he awaited his imminent death and watched his friends scream in pain as they were sliced and skinned.
"The animals were tied up and forced to watch as others were killed and cut up.
TEMPLE GRANDIN: Fear circuits in the brains of mammals have been completely mapped. Animals definitely experience fear.
SARAH FERGUSON: Until there was only one left.
LYN WHITE: It was heartbreaking. A steer stand there trembling violently as it watched its mates cut up around it. They were clearly cognisant of what was going on and it was causing them extreme fear"
This has been happening - The Australian Government has know and allowed this to happen - for the past decade. As the industry scrambles to execute some kind of crisis control Animals Austral and the RSPCA are asking for you to help.
People power can create changes. Thanks to the voices of Australians, live export was banned to Egypt in 2006.
The change of one creates the change of many. Stand up for the voiceless.
Stand up for the poor cow who trembled in fear as he watched his friends suffer at the hands of a quick dollar and a beef burger.
What you can do:
Click here to watch the 4 Corners episode.
Click here to visit the Ban Live Export campaign website.
Email Agriculture Minister: Joe.Ludwig@maff.gov.au
On Twitter, tweet @JuliaGillard demanding the ban to live export and hash tag #banliveexport
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