The number of donkeys on the African continent is declining due to China's increasing consumption of them to extract gelatin from their skins. The African Union has banned exports of donkey skins this month in the hope that their number will increase again.
China's donkey skin trade is a key component of a multi-billion-dollar industry for what the Chinese call "ejiao," or donkey gelatin. Ejiao is a traditional medicine recognized by China's health authorities, but its actual benefits are debated among doctors and researchers in China.