Donkey populations are in a sharp decline and are actually in danger of becoming extinct in the country of Kenya due to mass commercial slaughter.
The demand for donkey meat and skins is on the rise globally and is mostly driven by Chinese markets.
Ejiao is a gelatin that’s extracted from boiled donkey hides and is highly sought after for traditional Chinese medicinal purposes. Chinese people believe ejiao strengthens the blood, improves the libido, and fights aging.
In the past, ejiao was reserved for society’s elite because it was expensive. Over the past 30 years, a much larger Chinese population has been able to afford it … driving the demand sky high.
To meet the demand, Chinese businesses have looked to other countries for supply — including Kenya, where slaughterhouses have the capacity to kill 1,260 donkeys per day. Donkeys were being stolen to meet this capacity and even being smuggled in illegally.
From 2009 to 2019, the donkey population went from 1.8 million to 600,000. If the pace doesn’t change, it’s projected that there will be no donkeys left in Kenya by 2023.
It may take increased public outcry for these innocent animals in order for that change to happen like it did in Ethiopia.
Kenya has temporarily banned the commercial slaughter of donkeys, but if they don’t make more lasting change, donkeys in Kenya could be a thing of the past.
At Karmagawa, we think it’s horrific that a whole species has to disappear because of greed and money. Why should an animal be wiped out because humans want to use their body parts?
We’re working hard to show our audience what’s really happening in the world of animals so that we can all do something about it. If we work together, we can make big changes.
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How do you feel about the donkeys possibly being wiped out from Kenya … all for money? Leave a comment below.
(Cover image: Bernard Hardman/Shutterstock)