On the wharves of Port Adelaide, an animal welfare crisis has been unfolding.

A run down live export ship (actually a 28 year old converted car carrier) hit mechanical trouble when it set out for the Middle East with 67,000 sheep on board and was forced to return to Adelaide after just one day at sea. Trapped on the ship and crammed into tiny pens for over a week, 300 sheep died on board.

After a last-minute protest last Wednesday by Animals Australia, Unleashed members and around 70 locals, the sheep were finally offloaded and sent to a feedlot north of Adelaide.

Then on Saturday, as sheep were still being offloaded, more than 300 people gathered again at the docks to demand these sheep be shown some mercy. They've been through so much already! It's unthinkable that the live exporters still want to ship them back to the Middle East where they will have their throats cut while fully conscious!

Adelaide really stepped up on ultra short notice and I'm pretty proud of my hometown right now. But we still don't know yet what the fate of these poor confused sheep will be. We will be keeping our voices loud for them and I hope you will too.

Make sure you keep an eye on our Facebook page for any new protests that will be coming up, and sign up to the Action Team here so we can alert you to any last minute rallies quick as a flash!

Were you one of the thousands who came out to voice their opposition to live exports at the Ban Live Export National Rally on Sunday? What an amazing turn out and what an amazing atmosphere!

Thank you to everyone who helped send a strong message to politicians that Australians want this cruel trade stopped. If you made it along to the rally, leave a comment below. We'd love to hear about your experience of the day!

I'm so excited for the Ban Live Export National Rally I could burst!
Sunday 14th August is the day that legendary people all over the country can rally together to Ban Live Export.

The rallies in each state are shaping up to be huge, with stacks of people clicking "Attending" on the Facebook events – and if you're in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra or Hobart – you can help us make this even bigger!

And I know there's heaps of people everywhere that were horrified by the footage out of Indonesia that might not be able to make it to a rally but still want to get involved, and you can help too! Here's how:

Oh! And just to get you in the mood (or maybe this is just my excuse to rock out) check out this clip by The Black Spurs. All about the live export trade, I reckon "It Ain't Right" will be #1 before we know it. First person to learn all the words gets …um, massive Unleashed cred!

See you on Sunday August 14! Don't be late!

On the weekend, thousands of people attended rallies in cities nationwide with one very clear message for Prime Minister Julia Gillard -- Ban Live Export!

If you missed the rally (or even if you did make it!), the animals still need you to make voice heard: Take part in the Virtual Protest to ban live export. Check it out!

Head here to upload your own protest video now and tell Julia Gillard "If you can't hear the animals, hear us!"

Tonight the campaign train visits the Australian Parliament with Independents Andrew Wilkie and Nick Xenophon and Greens' Adam Bandt introducing bills that, if passed, would finally see an end to live export.

We'll keep you posted on that news. In the meantime – Lights. Camera. Action to ban live export! We can't wait to see your video :)