Pakistan said today a ship carrying 57,000 Australian sheep rejected by Saudi Arabia was in Dubai and that Canberra had offered the animals to Islamabad as a gift.
Pakistan's Agriculture Minister Mr Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind said Islamabad would send experts to Dubai before deciding whether to accept the sheep.
Mr Rind said the vessel carrying the sheep, whose location had been a mystery, was diverted to Dubai after Saudi Arabia rejected the consignment three weeks ago.
"They have brought the ship to Dubai after diverting it, and it is now present there," he told reporters shortly after meeting the Australian acting High Commissioner in Islamabad.
"If these sheep are beneficial for us then we would accept this assistance from the Australian government with thanks. If these are not beneficial, then we will return this offer also with thanks," Mr Rind said.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of the sheep are dying after almost six weeks at sea in heat of up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and, as the concern of animal welfare groups mounts, Canberra has been trying hard to find an alternative destination for the animals.
Australia has offered Pakistan the sheep as a "gift" after Saudi Arabia rejected them last month on the grounds that six percent had scabby mouth disease, more than an agreed five percent maximum.
The United Arab Emirates has also rejected the sheep, although the Australian government has said only 0.35 percent of the animals were infected with the low-grade disease.