Animal welfare groups say smell from the build-up of faeces and ammonia on the ship are indicative of the conditions animals endure

Authorities in Cape Town have launched an investigation after a foul stench swept over the South African city.

Officials inspected sewage facilities for leaks and an environmental health team was activated before the source of the smell was discovered: a ship docked in the harbour carrying 19,000 live cattle from Brazil to Iraq.

Zahid Badroodien, the official in the mayor’s office in charge of water and sanitation, wrote on social media that investigators had confirmed the source of the “sewage smell blanketing parts of the city” was the cattle ship.

Animal welfare groups said the “unimaginable” stench indicated the conditions the animals faced on the vessel, and criticised the practice of live exports.