Rural communities and animal welfare organizations across Africa and Latin America are sounding the alarm over a sharp decline in the global donkey population, driven by rampant theft, bush slaughter, and an unrelenting international demand for donkey hides.
Once relied upon purely as draft animals for rural transport and agriculture, donkeys have increasingly become targets for organized criminal syndicates. Driven by high demand for ejiao—a traditional medicine produced primarily in China using gelatin extracted from donkey skins—millions of working donkeys are slaughtered each year.
Smallholder farmers report widespread nighttime raids on free-grazing working donkeys, which are taken and slaughtered illegally in secluded rural areas.
The loss of a single working donkey significantly diminishes a family’s ability to transport water, firewood, and agricultural produce to local markets.
Donkeys have low reproduction rates, making herd recovery extremely slow compared to other livestock.
In response to declining numbers, several nations and international bodies, including the African Union, have enacted bans on the export of donkey skins. However, welfare advocates warn that enforcement remains challenging as the trade shifts underground to illicit smuggling networks. Experts warn that without stricter cross-border controls and community-led protection measures, global donkey populations in vulnerable regions could face severe long-term depletion.
