Donkeys are under threat
Stand with us in the fight against the donkey skin trade.
Your voice is vital in protecting working donkeys and the families who rely on them. Together, we can create a future where kindness prevails, and donkeys are valued and safe.
Stolen from their families
Every year, 5.9 million donkeys are brutally slaughtered for their skins. Boiling their skins creates a gelatine called ejiao.
Ejiao is a gelatine used in traditional medicine, food, drink and beauty products. This gelatine is made from the collagen found in donkey skins. It is believed to offer health benefits like improved circulation and anti-aging effects. There is no scientific evidence for its effectiveness, but demand is rising and donkeys are paying the ultimate price.
This unsustainable and cruel trade is destroying donkey populations worldwide. These gentle creatures often face a grim fate, being stolen or sold under duress. They endure long, gruelling journeys without adequate food, water, or rest, only to be inhumanely slaughtered at the end.
Shocking statistics
In Tanzania, the donkey population has halved since 2016. Botswana has seen a devastating 60% loss of its donkeys in just five years and Burkina Faso lost 45,000 donkeys in just six months. Illegal theft, smuggling, and barbaric slaughter practices not only cause unimaginable suffering to innocent donkeys but also threaten the economic stability of communities that rely on them.
Our efforts
We have tirelessly worked to influence a ban on this trade in Africa, with the potential to protect nearly 32 million donkeys. Our efforts have led to bans in Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Kenya, and we are striving for a global ban. Despite our progress, illegal activities like bush slaughter and smuggling continue, often in the shadows. Our mission is to improve the welfare of working donkeys and put an end to the inhumane and cruel donkey skin trade. Together, we can stand up and make a difference for donkeys and the communities that depend on them.