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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Editorial

The Guardian view on China, Africa and disappearing donkeys: an unexpected crisis offers a clue to perils ahead

Donkeys graze in Magosane village in North West province, South Africa.
‘Africa is home to almost two-thirds of the world’s 53 million donkeys.’ Photograph: Mujahid Safodien/AFP/Getty Images

What can help to protect women’s health, boost the incomes of impoverished families and thus allow girls to avoid early marriage? What – when it disappears – can set back children’s education, damage mental wellbeing, drive conflict within communities and become a vector for racial hatred?

The humble donkey has rarely been in the spotlight. Yet Chinese demand for its skin proved so destabilising that African governments agreed to a continent-wide ban on the slaughter of the animal for its hide last year. This week, officials are meeting in Ivory Coast to discuss implementation.

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