Donkeys, which are declining in numbers as a result of their poaching, are subject to strict protection in South Africa from being smuggled into China, as their hide is believed to have medicinal properties to the extent that it has become desirable in abundance, equivalent to the demand for rhinoceros horns.
A recent study prepared by the University of South Africa shows that the country’s donkey population has declined by more than 30% over the past 20 years. 1996. 2019. While African countries including Kenya and Burkina Faso are seeing similar declines, animal rights activists fear the extinction of this species in Africa for several years.
The reason for the decline in the number of donkeys is the great demand for a substance called “ejiao”, which is extracted from the gelatin contained in the skin of these animals after it has been boiled. China is the best-known market for this material, as it needs over ten million donkeys every year to meet millions of dollars of demand in this market, according to the UK Donkey Protection Organization. Shelter for donkeys. The price of one kilogram of “ejiao” in Asia is about 360 dollars.
Although these beliefs have not been scientifically proven, traditional Chinese medicine considers ejiao to be a “magic” remedy and has properties similar to those attributed to rhinoceros horns, primarily improving blood circulation, slowing down aging, stimulating sex drive, and increasing fertility.
Ejiao is served as a drink or with nuts as a snack, and while once reserved for emperors, it is now highly sought after by the middle class in China.
This country, which has almost halved its donkey population in recent years, has turned to Africa to meet its market needs. In Africa, donkey skins are mainly used to transport agricultural products or water and have no commercial value.
electronic chips
Several African countries, including Kenya, have banned the slaughter of donkeys, noting an increase in donkey-related theft in recent years.
“We had to take measures to protect” donkeys from being smuggled, such as equipping these animals with electric bracelets, alarms and electronic chips to track their path, says Jesse Christelis, a donkey breeder in Magaliesburg, more than an hour from Johannesburg. and owner of one of two dairy farms in South Africa. South Africa officially exports 10,500 donkey skins annually to Hong Kong and China. But the actual volumes of exports to these two countries are undoubtedly much higher in the presence of an illegal market. In 2015, authorities confiscated about 3,000 skins believed to be for smuggling, with a total value estimated at more than $300,000. Since the beginning of this year, authorities have confiscated two illegal shipments of leather. The Ministry of Agriculture in the country’s remote northwestern region, hardest hit by donkey skin smuggling, told AFP that it was “opening an investigation into every reported incident.” South Africa is experimenting similarly with endangered rhinoceros poaching as it fights the phenomenon with high technology, including digital sensors and thermal imaging cameras.
However, the protection of donkeys, which are illegally slaughtered under conditions denounced by NGOs, has so far not yielded positive results. These animals “often live in rural areas where there is no technology,” Christilis explains. The breeder also noted that donkey prices have risen significantly over the past five years, and after being fixed at around $29 per donkey, they are now around $127. He believes that merchants and breeders compete for him in organized auctions. Donkey farmers believe that the high prices of donkeys, along with declining numbers, are an additional factor threatening the emerging sector of donkey milk used to treat skin conditions. “It used to be easy to find donkeys,” says Christilis, who owns a herd of 116 donkeys that he keeps under tight guard. “Today, we are no longer sure we can meet the demand for them.”
