Donkey skin trade fuels crisis for Africa’s women and children

This week, we will present stark new evidence revealing the devastating impact China’s demand for donkey skins is having on Africa’s women and children, at the second Pan-African Donkey Conference (PADCo) in Cote D’Ivoire on 26 and 27 June 2025.  

At least 5.9 million donkeys are slaughtered for their skin every year to make ejiao, a Traditional Chinese Medicine made from donkey gelatine. 

Donkeys suffer at every stage – from being taken and transported to being cruelly slaughtered. Demand has decimated China’s own donkey population, once the biggest in the world, and now the industry is targeting countries in Africa, Asia and South America. 

Stolen Donkeys, Stolen Futures 

Our new report Stolen Donkeys, Stolen Futures is the first to document in detail the invisible crisis facing Africa’s women and children as a result of escalating demand for ejiao.  

Featuring peer-reviewed research which was published on 26 June in the journal Human Animal Interaction, the report reveals donkey theft is rife in rural Kenya, with 29 out of 30 women (over 90 per cent) in one community having had their donkeys stolen.

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. 

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.  

Other findings from the report include an average 73 per cent drop in household income following the loss of a donkey in some areas. This can be the difference between modest survival and destitution.  

The report also features firsthand accounts from donkey owners of the economic, physical and emotional burden of losing a donkey.  

Esther and Josephine’s story 

Esther and Josephine are two donkey owners in Africa who share the devastating impacts they faced when their donkeys were stolen.

Anne Odari Onditi, Treasurer of the Association of Donkey Owners in Kenya, and author of the report’s foreword said: “When donkeys are stolen for the skin trade it brings immense suffering to our communities. A family loses its livelihood, and women are left to carry heavy burdens alone. It is heartbreaking to see how quickly our donkeys are disappearing and how deeply this loss is felt.”  

The research provides strong evidence that the exploitation of Africa’s donkeys is fundamentally eroding progress toward UN Sustainable Development Goals of gender equality and no poverty.  

Presenting at PADCo 

Dr David Obiero, lead author of the research, will present the findings at PADCo - hosted by the African Union’s Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and supported by the International Coalition for Working Equids (ICWE), of which we are a founding member. 

The event will be attended by African leaders and decision-makers and follows the commitment in February 2024 by all Member States of the African Union to impose a ban on the slaughter of donkeys for their skin, and the development of a continent-wide strategy for their welfare.   

Dr David Obiero said: “The testimonies of the women interviewed show donkeys are much more than livestock - for many, these intelligent and resilient animals are a lifeline; a co-worker and companion, often regarded as an extension of the family and described by one research participant as her ‘co-wife’. Another ranked her donkey higher than her spouse in terms of the contribution it makes to the family income and household support.” 

A call to governments 

In response to the research, the report makes a series of recommendations to governments, global institutions, the transport sector and the ejiao industry to prevent the negative impact of the skin trade on millions of lives. 

Marianne Steele, CEO of The Donkey Sanctuary said: “This latest research and the powerful story it tells evidences the devastation caused by the donkey skin trade and its disproportionate impact on women and children.  

“We hope this report will be a call to action for governments in Africa and around the world to take decisive steps to end this human and animal welfare disaster.”  

Jessica Stark, Chair of the International Coalition of Working Equids, adds: “Time is running out for Africa’s donkeys and the women and children who rely on them most.  

“This event, co-hosted with AU-IBAR, is a powerful opportunity for Africa’s leaders to reaffirm the landmark commitments they made at the AU Summit in 2024, and to work together on a strategy to protect one of the continent’s most precious resources.  

“We hope all Member States will seize this chance to end this escalating human and animal welfare disaster.”