Illegal donkey-skin trade thriving on social networks, report reveals

Demand for illegally traded donkeys is partly sustained by raids on farmers who depend on the animals for their livelihoods, says the report. Photograph: Courtesy of The Donkey Sanctuary

The illegal sale of donkey skins is thriving in online marketplaces, with traders openly flouting local laws, and social media multinationals such as Facebook doing little to prevent the illegal trade, according to a new investigation.

Traders on Facebook are offering large quantities of donkey skins on the site, the report said, including one in Kenya, where the sale is effectively banned, who listed 2,000 for immediate sale. The report found large numbers of sellers in countries that have bans on the donkey skin trade, including Kenya, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Ghana.