Arusha: More than 150 donkeys are stolen from Tanzania and smuggled into Kenya every month, leading to an annual figure of around 2,000 stolen donkeys.
According to Nam News Network, this distressing revelation was made in Arusha, shedding light on the illegal trade driven by the demand for donkey hides used in traditional Chinese medicine.
According to the Director of the Arusha Society for the Protection of Animals (ASPA), Livingstone Masija, the donkeys are smuggled through various permeable routes along the northern border, spanning from Loliondo in Arusha to Tanga. ASPA, in collaboration with Brooke East Africa, is actively advocating for the welfare of donkeys, focusing on combating their smuggling and trafficking.
Masija highlighted that the primary driver of the donkeys' disappearance is the demand for their hides, which are used to produce gelatin for a traditional Chinese remedy. Tanzania, once home to approximately 600,000 donkeys, faces a rapid decline in their population, with extinction looming within the next decade. The illegal trade is exacerbated by the establishment of special abattoirs in Dodoma and Shinyanga Regions since 2014, which slaughter donkeys for their hides.
The hides are crucial for manufacturing e jiao, a sought-after concoction in China. With legal avenues unable to meet the demand for this product, donkeys are increasingly captured and smuggled, often dead for easier transport to China.
In 2020, the Donkey Sanctuary reported that nearly 5 million donkey hides were needed to satisfy the high demand for gelatin. Abdinego Martin, ASPA's communications officer, emphasized the critical role donkeys play in rural economies and warned of severe consequences if they were to become extinct. He urged the media to raise awareness about the dire situation.
Experts noted that the rise in donkey prices globally since 2010 is linked to the demand for the Chinese elixir Ejiao. In response, several African countries, including Tanzania, have banned donkey and donkey product exports to China since 2018. Despite these measures, the illegal trade persists, threatening the survival of donkeys, essential for farming, transportation, and daily life in Tanzania's Northern and Central Regions, where they are often mistreated and overburdened.