Re your editorial (The Guardian view on China, Africa and disappearing donkeys: an unexpected crisis offers a clue to perils ahead, 25 June), last year, The Donkey Sanctuary revealed at least 5.9 million donkeys are slaughtered for their skins every year to produce ejiao, a traditional Chinese medicine. Donkeys suffer at every stage – from capture and transport to brutal slaughter. With China’s donkey population depleted, the industry has turned to other countries in the global south.
Despite its scale, this cruel trade remains largely unregulated and invisible, and it is women and girls who suffer most. For many, donkeys are much more than animals – they are co-workers and companions. When a donkey is stolen, household income can fall by 73%. In one Kenyan region, over 90% of women have experienced donkey theft. Children – especially girls – are taken out of school to do the “donkey work”.
