ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia
Animal welfare charities have
welcomed an Africa-wide ban on the controversial donkey skin trade.
It will make it illegal to
slaughter donkeys for their skin across the continent.
Demand for the animals' skins
is fuelled by the popularity of an ancient Chinese medicine called Ejiao,
traditionally made from donkey hides.
African state leaders approved
the ban at the conclusion of the African Union summit in Ethiopia on Sunday.
The
charity, the Donkey Sanctuary, called the the trade "brutal and
unsustainable" and said it had decimated donkey populations around the
world, particularly in Africa and South America.
Ejiao is believed by some to
have anti-ageing and health benefits, although this is unproven. Chinese
companies that make it used to use skins from donkeys sourced in China. But
when the numbers of the animals in the country plummeted, they looked overseas.
"At first our governments
saw this as an opportunity, and many legal slaughterhouses opened in
Africa," explained Dr Solomon Onyango from the Donkey Sanctuary in Kenya.
"But, [here in Kenya],
between 2016 and 2019, about half of our donkeys were killed for the
trade," he said.
A donkey can mean the
difference between a modest livelihood and destitution for many people in poor,
rural communities
Dr Onyango told BBC News that
the ban would "go a long way to safeguarding donkeys and the livelihoods
of millions of people who rely on them".
About two-thirds of world's
estimated population of 53 million donkeys are in Africa. People in the
poorest, rural communities use them for transport and to carry water, food and
other goods.
One recent study in Ethiopia -
that set out to measure the economic value of donkeys - showed that owning one
could mean the
difference between destitution and a modest livelihood.
Raphael Kinoti, who is
regional director of the animal welfare charity The Brooke in East Africa said
this was a "terrific moment for communities in Africa who have benefitted
from donkeys since time immemorial".
"Donkey slaughter for its
skin has eroded livelihoods in Africa, robbing the continent of its culture,
biodiversity and identity," he said.
"We urge all AU members
to uphold the decision for the good of all."
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