NAIROBI, Kenya, June 26 – The rise in international demand for donkey pores and skin used to fabricate ejiao, a conventional Chinese drugs constituted of donkey pores and skin, has led to widespread donkey theft and sharp drops in family earnings throughout the African continent, a brand new report by The Donkey Sanctuary has revealed.
Titled ‘Stolen Donkeys, Stolen Futures’, the research signifies the devastating impression of this booming commerce, particularly on girls and youngsters in rural areas, who rely closely on donkeys for livelihoods and every day survival.
Unveiled on the Pan-African Donkey Conference (PADCo) 2025, the report hyperlinks the surging urge for food for ejiao to the slaughter of an estimated 5.9 million donkeys yearly, with Africa now bearing the brunt of this demand as China’s home donkey inhabitants dwindles.
The analysis revealed that the rise in donkey theft and unlawful slaughter is driving households into monetary misery.
According to the report, the lack of a donkey can slash family incomes by as much as 73 p.c, disrupting each the native economic system and the steadiness of whole communities.
Marianne Steele, CEO of The Donkey Sanctuary, famous that the donkey pores and skin commerce poses far-reaching dangers, not solely endangering the animals themselves but in addition undermining crucial features of neighborhood well-being, together with meals safety, and the financial stability of rural populations.
“The commerce in donkey skins is not only a risk to animals. It is a risk to gender equality, meals safety, and rural livelihoods,” stated Steele.
According to Anne Odari Onditi, treasurer of the Association of Donkey Owners in Kenya, donkeys in lots of African communities are way over simply working animals; they’re central to family economies.
She defined that households depend upon them for important every day duties reminiscent of transporting items, fetching water, and accessing markets.
“When donkeys are stolen, households are thrown into hardship. Women are compelled to hold firewood, water, and produce themselves. It’s painful to look at our communities undergo like this,” she added.
In February 2024, the African Union member states agreed to a continent-wide moratorium on the slaughter of donkeys for his or her skins and dedicated to a technique to guard the animals and the communities that depend upon them.
As the demand for ejiao continues to gas a black-market economic system, the report locations a pointy highlight on the necessity for sustainable coverage interventions with a view to defend Africa’s donkey inhabitants.
