South Africa is strict in protecting its donkeys from China

Donkeys, whose numbers are declining as a result of their poaching, are subject to strict protection in South Africa from being smuggled into China, as it is believed that their skin has medicinal benefits, to the extent that it has become desirable in abundance equivalent to the demand for rhino horns.

A recent study prepared by the University of South Africa indicates that the number of donkeys in the country has decreased by more than 30% during the last twenty years. After South Africa had 210,000 donkeys in 1996, the number of these animals decreased to 146,000 in 2019. While African countries are witnessing Others, including Kenya and Burkina Faso, a similar decline, animal rights advocates fear the extinction of this species in Africa within a few years.

The reason for the decline in the number of donkeys is the great demand for a substance called “Ejiao” that is extracted from the gelatin found in the skin of these animals once it is boiled.

China is the most prominent consumer market for this material, as it needs more than ten million donkeys annually to meet the demand in its market, which is estimated to be worth millions of dollars, according to the British organization for the protection of donkeys "Donkey Sanctuary".

The price of one kilogram of "ejiao" in Asia is about $360.

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 rhino horns, most notably improving blood circulation, slowing aging, stimulating sexual desire and increasing fertility.

Ejiao is served in the form of a drink or with nuts as an appetizer, and while it was once reserved for emperors, it is now in high demand from the middle class in China.

This country, in which the number of donkeys has decreased by almost half in recent years, has resorted to Africa to fill its market needs.

In Africa, donkey skin is mainly used to transport agricultural products or water and has no commercial value.

Several African countries, including Kenya, have banned the slaughter of donkeys, noting an increase in thefts related to these animals in recent years.

“We had to take measures aimed at protecting” donkeys from smuggling, 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 donkey milk farms in South Africa. .

South Africa officially exports 10,500 donkey skins annually to Hong Kong and China.

But the actual quantities exported to these two countries are undoubtedly much higher in the presence of an illegal market.

In 2015, the authorities confiscated about 3,000 skins suspected to have been destined for smuggling operations, and their total value was estimated at more than $300,000.

Since the beginning of this year, the authorities have confiscated two illegal shipments of leather.

However, the protection of donkeys that are slaughtered illegally in conditions condemned by NGOs, has not yet recorded positive results.

Christelis explains that these animals "are often in rural areas that lack technology."

The breeder also noted that the prices of donkeys have witnessed a significant increase in the past five years, and after they were recorded at about 29 dollars per donkey, they became about 127 dollars.

He believes that merchants and breeders compete for it during organized auctions.

Donkey breeders consider that the high prices of donkeys, along with the decrease in their numbers, constitute an additional factor threatening the emerging sector for the production of donkey milk used to treat skin diseases.

"It was easy in the past to find donkeys," says Christilis, who owns a herd of 116 donkeys, which he keeps under tight protection. Today, "we are no longer sure we can meet the demand" for them.

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