Devastating impacts

The cruel and unsustainable global trade in donkey skins is having a devastating impact on donkeys, who face a terrifying and existential threat, and the millions of people around the world who rely on them.

Donkeys suffer at every point of the skin trade. From source to slaughter, brutal and inhumane conditions are a hallmark of this industry.

Even the most vulnerable donkeys, including pregnant mares, young foals, and the sick and injured, are taken and traded without consideration for their welfare or suffering.

Across Africa, Asia and Latin America, donkey populations are being wiped out, and communities that depend on their donkeys for support are losing valued animals.

The loss of cherished donkeys disproportionately impacts women and girls who are left to pick up the ‘donkey work’, reducing their economic independence and denying them the opportunity to continue their education.

Donkeys are facing catastrophic cruelty from source to slaughter

Donkeys are highly intelligent, charismatic and sentient animals who form lifelong bonds.

The appalling treatment and the intense suffering they endure at every stage of the donkey skin trade is unethical, unacceptable and often illegal.

Donkeys may be transported or marched long distances to slaughterhouses without food, water or rest. Held for days without shelter or care, the trade in donkey skins is a gruesome and brutal business.

Donkey populations are being decimated

Ongoing high demand from the ejiao industry drives the cruel and unsustainable slaughter of millions of donkeys every year.

We estimate that nearly one in ten of the world’s donkeys are killed for the skin trade every year.

That’s 4.8 million donkeys slaughtered, with 3 million skins shipped from Africa, Asia and Latin America to China for processing into ejiao. The donkey is now one of the world’s most trafficked animals.

Donkey populations in some countries have been decimated. Where donkeys were once plentiful, local sources now describe them as scarce.

Livelihoods are destroyed

When a donkey is stolen or sold for their skin, it is not just an animal that is lost; it can be a family’s future, and the impact hits women and children the hardest.

In many households, women and children look after the donkeys and rely on them most. In these low-income communities, donkeys are often their main or only source of income. Our latest report Stolen Donkeys, Stolen Futures: The impacts of ejiao on Africa’s women and children exposes the immediate and catastrophic impact on women and girls when their donkeys are taken.

Children, in particular girls, are forced to leave school, hindering their educational opportunities, independence and gender equality. Women suffer both physically and emotionally as they struggle to perform the work the donkeys once shouldered.

There are biosecurity risks to animal and human health

The slaughter of donkeys for the skin trade is often illegal or unregulated, carried out in dirty conditions with complete disregard for donkey welfare.

The skins undergo minimal treatment before shipping, and the risk of contamination is high at every stage of the process.

The movement of millions of untreated skins worldwide risks spreading infectious diseases harmful to both animals and humans.

Local ecosystems are suffering from pollution

The skin is the most valuable part of any donkey slaughtered. The unregulated nature of the trade means there are few incentives to use the remainder of the body.

Donkey carcasses are often discarded, piled up and left to rot. Runoff from these improperly disposed of corpses pollutes the surrounding air, water and land.

The tide is turning 

The world is waking up to this human and animal welfare disaster. Last year the African Union made a continent-wide commitment to end the slaughter of donkeys for their skin. Once implemented at the national level, this will provide significant protection for 33 million donkeys and the people who rely on them.  

There have also been significant announcements from major airlines and shipping companies about banning the carriage of donkey skins on their routes. And elsewhere, scientists are working to develop sustainable alternatives to ejiao that will reduce or end demand for donkey skins. 

With your support, we will continue to campaign for an end to this terrible trade, and we won’t stop until donkeys everywhere are safe and valued for more than their skin.