Australia earns about US$125m a year from live sheep exports

The original destination, Saudi Arabia, rejected the cargo on health grounds and since then it is believed several thousand animals have died in the searing temperatures on board the vessel.

Pakistan's farm minister, Yar Mohammad Rind, said they would decide whether to accept the shipment after consulting with Saudi officials.

There has been growing concern about the sheep in the Australian parliament and among animal welfare groups who have been calling for them to be humanely destroyed.

Starving and stressed

One group, called Animal Liberation, has offered a A$10,000 (US$6,600) reward to anyone who can give the exact location of the vessel, which has been dubbed "the ship of death" by the Australian media.

The campaigners said one they knew the exact location of the MV Como Express they would put pressure on Australia's agriculture minister, Warren Truss, to have the sheep put down before they "begin to starve and many more die from heat stress".

Anything short of (killing them) will take Australians' opinion of government inaction beyond anger and shame to utter disgust Animal Liberation

A statement from Animal Liberation said: "It will require adequate experienced stockmen, guns and charges to be sent to the ship to ensure the deed be done as swiftly as possible."

On Wednesday, the Australian Senate passed a motion demanding the government provide updated details of how many of the sheep have died.

Mr Truss has said it is the responsibility of the sheep's owner to find an alternative port for them.

Australia says only 0.35% of the sheep are infected with the "scabby mouth" illness, but a Saudi vet says that his tests carried out when the sheep arrived off Jeddah in August found an infection rate of 6%.

Solution sought

Australia's acting ambassador in Islamabad Brett Hackett told the French news agency AFP that they had proposed giving the sheep to the Pakistanis free of charge.

"In the interests of the sheep's welfare and in the absence of a buyer, it seems to be the best solution which was focused on minimum continued distress to the sheep," he said.

Mr Rind said they would be giving the offer careful consideration.

"Saudi Arabia has already rejected the consignment and we will have to consider this aspect as well before acceptance of the offer. If sheep die here we will have to face embarrassment in the world."

Australia is the world's largest animal exporter. Every year six million sheep and one million cattle are shipped to markets in Asia and the Middle East.