CANBERRA, Sept 22: More than 50,000 Australian sheep rejected on health grounds by Saudi Arabia remained stranded at sea on Monday after Pakistan also turned down an offer to take them even free of cost.

Australian Agriculture Minister Warren Truss said the government was pursuing negotiations to find a new port to unload the sheep, which have been stranded for weeks and are being offered free of charge by their Saudi importer.

But on Monday Agriculture Minister Sardar Yar Muhammad said the government had turned down the offer.

“We are grateful that they considered giving as a gift that huge quantity to Pakistan, but we cannot accept unhealthy sheep,” Mr Rind said by telephone from Islamabad.

A spokesman for Mr Truss asserted the sheep were healthy and that negotiations were continuing with several unidentified countries.

On August 5, 57,000 animals left Australia but were rejected by Saudi Arabia on the grounds that six per cent had scabby mouth — above an agreed level of five per cent.

Australia says only 0.35 per cent had the low grade disease.

“We still remain hopeful of finding a country that will take the sheep,” the spokesman told Reuters.

Animal rights groups have called for the immediate humane slaughter of the sheep and want livestock exports banned after the ship’s Dutch owner Vroon B.V. said 3,777 of the animals had died in 40 degree Celsius heat.

French actress and now animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot waded into the debate with an open letter to Mr Truss, calling for a quick resolution to the problem.

Australia has not said where the sheep are now, but a Pakistan minister has said they were at the United Arab Emirates port of Dubai.

As the largest livestock exporter in the world, Australia sends around six million sheep to the ME each year .—Reuters