Millions of donkeys are stolen and killed every year for traditional medicine

several crores Donkeys (Equus asinus) are stolen and murdered every year in Africa And in other parts of the world with a sinister purpose: to use their remains as a form of traditional medicine for certain communities in these countries. This is an animal tragedy ignored by the population as revealed by the BBC.

Theft of these animals is a practice that is increasing rapidly in many parts of Africa and Asia, as well as other areas of the planet where there are large populations of these working animals.

For example, China has one Gelatin made from donkey skin, known as ajiao, is in high demand in traditional medicine, Properties, not always supported by science, are attributed to improving health and preserving youth.

Animal skin is boiled to extract gelatin, which is then made into powder, pills or liquid, or added to some foods.

workers protest donkey skin trade He condemned that the rural population who depend on these animals for their daily activities are victims of the unsustainable demand for ajiao.

about 6 million donkeys per year

The Donkey Sanctuary organization has released a report estimating that at least 5.9 million donkeys are slaughtered worldwide each year to meet demand for this purported healing product. And he also saysDemand is increasing, although there are no figures Facts that support this aspect are how many animals are actually killed to supply the ajiao industry.

In Africa, where about two-thirds of the world’s 53 million donkeys live, there are a variety of regulations, as the export of their skins is legal in some countries and illegal in others. But that doesn’t matter: According to the report, high demand and high prices for the hides fuel donkey theft, and the Donkey Sanctuary says it has seen the animals being transported across international borders to reach the destinations they need. Where trading is legal. According to BBC report.

However, a tipping point may soon be reached The governments of all African states have decided a few days ago to ban the slaughter and export of donkeys., Brazil may also do the same soon.

Women start stealing animals

Apart from the cruelty of this industry, these are the animals that transport people, goods, water and food, which is why they are the backbone of many rural communities in less developed countries. Thousands of families are deprived of their livelihood if donkeys are stolen. Of which they are the owner.

Faith Burden, head veterinarian at the Donkey Sanctuary, explains that women and girls are most affected when an animal is stolen. “Once it disappears, Women basically become the new donkey”, he explains. And there’s a bitter irony in this, because ajiao is marketed primarily to wealthy Chinese women.

The proposal to definitively ban this trade throughout Africa was approved within the framework of the African Union summit, where all state leaders met on 17 and 18 February.

From China to other countries

However, this problem may now spread to other parts of the world as well. In fact, ajiao makers used donkey hide from China. However, according to that country’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, andThe number of donkeys has declined from 11 million in 1990 to less than 2 million in 2021. At the same time, ajiao moved from being a luxury for a few people to becoming a popular and widely used product.

For this reason, Chinese companies looked for leather suppliers abroad and thus Donkey slaughterhouses were established in Africa, South America and Asia.

This situation led to all kinds of internal turmoil in those countries. For example, in Ethiopia, where the consumption of donkey meat is prohibited, one of two slaughterhouses in the country was closed after protests and street riots.

Countries like Tanzania and Ivory Coast banned donkey slaughter and export of hides in 2022, but China’s neighbor Pakistan legalized the trade. At the end of last year, the media announced the construction of the first “official donkey breeding farm”. To produce “some of the best breeds” in the country.

this is the main problem There is a big business behind this whole situation, According to Professor Lauren Johnston, an expert on China-Africa relations at the University of Sydney, the value of the ajiao market in China has grown from about $3.2 billion in 2013 to about $7.8 billion in 2020.

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Contact of the Environment Section: Crisisclimatica@prensaiberica.es