The driver transporting the 12 sheep has now been slapped with a final warning after inspectors previously caught him abusing livestock.
Inspector Mark Levendal of Animal Welfare Society Philippi says he was driving along Old Lansdowne Road, near Philippi Police Station, on Saturday when he saw the trailer.
He was shocked to find the animals “stressed out” and their hooves tightly bound with string.
He pulled over the driver and saw it was the same man he had previously issued with a warning for the “improper transportation of livestock”.
He says the sheep were to be slaughtered by buyers who would sell the meat to the public in areas like Nyanga and Crossroads.
Inspector Levendal explains: “I stopped the vehicle because of the manner in which the sheep were being transported.
“Under the Animal Protection Act, livestock cannot be transported like that.
“I served him with a warning, which is his final warning.
“I cut off the string (from their hooves) and you could see the animals were stressed.
“I asked that he arrange another means of transport.”
Levendal says the farmer who sold the sheep to the buyer provided a proper vehicle for transportation.
“The farmer often does not raise concerns how these animals are being transported once they are sold.
“We want to educate the public,” he says.
“The trailer needs to have a height so that the livestock doesn’t fall out and there needs to be a mat or pallets so the animal doesn’t slip.
“The animals need to be in a standing position.”