Kenya decided to prevent the elimination of donkeys intended for use in Chinese medicine, in a practice that animal welfare activists considered brutal, ineffective and harmful to donkeys in Africa, according to an official source.
The Minister of Agriculture, Peter Munya, told Agence France Presse that the ban, which came into effect this week, comes after "people were petitioned (in this direction) to the ministry's services (...) because of the increase in donkey thefts to sell."
The ministry pointed out in a statement that the increase in donation theft operations harms farmers who use these animals to transport agricultural products and water, and it causes a situation of "widespread unemployment".
The Kenyan authorities gave a month to four slaughterhouses for donkeys to end their activities.
The Peta Animal Welfare Organization praised Kenya's decision to "sever its ties with a brutal trade that leads to the sad death of millions of dead donkeys."
"No one needs donkey skins other than the animal that is born with this skin," said Jasen Baker, WHO campaign officer in charge.
Donkey skins are exported to China to prepare traditional treatments attributed to the benefits associated with improving blood circulation, delaying aging, and enhancing sexual desire and fertility. When this product was the preserve of emperors, it became popular with the middle class.
A beta investigation last year showed that donkeys were brutally slaughtered by workers, or spent because of exhaustion after long trips inside trucks coming from neighboring countries.
China is increasingly relying on Africa to meet its needs, as its number of donkeys has almost halved in recent years.