Energy storage material of donkey skin

How can we protect donkeys from Skin Trade?

Ongoing efforts to raise the profile of animal welfare holistically should form a core pillar of any strategy to protect donkeys and livelihoods from the trade. On the African continent, where the skin trade impact is significant, the policy environment on bans vary.

Is the Donkey Skin Trade ethical?

As with all domesticated species bred for human consumption/use there are always animal welfare and ethical concerns; however it seems that the slaughter rate, lack of regulation and treatment that donkeys receive at each stage of the skin trade is particularly alarming. The donkey skin trade is driven largely by Chinese consumers.

Are donkey skins a health hazard?

The use of animal derivatives in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) dates back more than 5000 years. Donkey skins are one such animal derivative, the skins are used to produce ejiao, which is a luxury product and believed by some to have a variety of health benefits. The increasing demand for ejiao is putting the global donkey population at risk.

Do donkeys suffer from Skin Trade?

The Donkey Sanctuary ( 2019) report that donkeys suffer at every stage of the skin trade from sourcing to slaughter. Investigations have reported that sick, injured and pregnant donkeys are being transported to slaughter; this is against the World Organisation for Animal Heath (OIE) guidelines (Donkey Sanctuary, 2019 ).

Are donkey skins causing the decline of donkeys in China?

The growing demand for donkey skins has also likely contributed to the decline of donkeys in China (Bennett & Pfuderer, 2020) and is now putting the global population at risk (Donkey Sanctuary, 2017; McLean & Gonzalez, 2018; Skippen et al. 2021 ).

Why are ejiao & donkey skins so expensive?

Through a combination of increased demand and a shortage of donkeys, the price of ejiao, donkey skins and donkeys have increased significantly (Bennett & Pfuderer, 2020, Donkey Sanctuary, 2019 ).