Donkey skin trade: is it sustainable to slaughter donkeys for their skin?

Abstract

Donkeys (Equus asinus) face a global crisis. The health, welfare, and even survival of donkeys are being compromised as the demand for their skins increases. It is driven by the production of ejiao, a traditional Chinese remedy believed by some to have medicinal properties. It is estimated that the ejiao industry currently requires approximately 4.8 million donkey skins per year. Since there is no productive chain for donkey skin production outside of China, the activity is extractive and has resulted in the decimation of donkeys. Gestation is 12 months in donkeys, increasing the risk of extinction if such practices are not controlled. In this scenario, the donkeys are collected (purchased for low prices, stolen, and collected from the side of the roads) and are then often transported for long distances, usually without water, food, or rest. The trade, in Brazil, poses significant biosecurity risks, particularly because examinations are rarely conducted and therefore infectious diseases, such as glanders and infectious anemia, remain undetected. Furthermore, in chronic stress situations, the immune system is suppressed, increasing the biosecurity risk, especially because donkeys are a silent carrier of diseases. Rarely there is traceability with animals from different origins being put together in “fake farms”, before being delivered to slaughterhouses. The opportunistic strategy of collecting animals, or buying for low prices, keeping them without access to food and veterinary assistance, is what makes this trade profitable. Our experience in donkey welfare and the global skin trade suggest that it will be enormously challenging and cost-prohibitive to run a trade at the standards required to be considered humane, sustainable, and safe. Although donkeys are being blamed for the involvement in road accidents, it is not an ethical solution to maintain this trade as an alternative. Moreover, the ecological role of donkeys in native ecosystems has not been elucidated, and some studies indicate they could even have a positive effect. Regardless of the future the donkeys will have; we must guarantee a life with the least dignity to the animals under our responsibility.

The Donkey Skin Trade: Challenges and Opportunities for Policy Change

“…Guidelines on providing appropriate animal welfare are informed by years of research and scientific knowledge on species’‐ specific behaviour and needs. In comparison to some other species, there are knowledge gaps on the welfare needs of donkeys, and on humane stunning and slaughter methods (Tatemoto et al 2021). Although these knowledge gaps exist, we do know that donkeys have complex nutritional needs and have specific social needs; for example they have a strong preference for pair bonding (Murray et al 2013).…”

Donkey Skin Trade and Its Non-compliance With Legislative Framework

“…Most countries do not farm donkeys, and the trade therefore relies on animals that are traded both legally and illegally. In some instances, donkeys are gathered on “fake farms,” increasing the risk of disease transmission, until the numbers are sufficient to warrant transport to slaughterhouses ( 1 ).…”

“…Donkeys are often mistreated during all stages of the trade, from collection to slaughter ( 1 , 6 ). They may spend many hours confined during long journeys, and often do not have access to adequate water or food, or to any veterinary care during those journeys ( 7 ).…”

“…Additionally, the lack of traceability within the global skin trade creates a high biosecurity risk ( 1 ). The OIE ( 13 ) defines biosecurity as: “set of management and physical measures designed to reduce the risk of introduction, establishment and spread of animal diseases, infections or infestations to, from and within an animal population.” It is widely known that chronic stress may lead to immunosuppression, and the effects of stress compounds factors such as inadequate access to food and water, making donkeys highly susceptible to becoming vectors of disease ( 7 ).…”

Donkey Ownership Provides a Range of Income Benefits to the Livelihoods of Rural Households in Northern Ghana

“…As well as the clinical veterinary, health and welfare literatures [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ] these include draught animal power (DAP), traction and transport [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ], donkeys and livelihoods [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ], donkey commodities [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ] and donkeys and gender [ 8 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ]. There is also a growing literature on the increasing demand for donkey hides, a key constituent of a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) called e’jiao [ 3 , 16 , 18 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. However, in comparison to other economically important species in Majority World agricultural production, donkeys have been under-researched and under-valued.…”