Why are we funding the fight to end the Donkey Hide Crisis?
The donkey hide trade in East Africa has reached unprecedented levels. If we don’t move fast, hundreds of thousands of donkeys will die.
Donkeys are being slaughtered for their hides to meet an ever-increasing demand for Ejiao, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and beauty products. Ejiao is made from the gelatin produced from donkey hides.
For centuries, donkeys have been slaughtered in China for these products. There used to be about 11 million donkeys in China— but in the last 20 years, that number has dropped to 6 million. With their donkey population dwindling, demand has led to a search for a new supply of skins. This has caused an explosion of donkey smuggling and slaughtering across Africa to capitalize on this awful industry.
The treatment of donkeys in this process is often gruesome and has a huge impact on the livelihoods of people in the areas we serve. Donkeys are being stolen, horrifically mistreated and cruelly slaughtered—sometimes in the brush or street just outside their owners’ property. The current rate of theft, smuggling and slaughter in East Africa has the potential to kill one thousand donkeys every single day.
Not only are donkeys suffering and being killed at an unprecedented rate, but the loss of a donkey is crushing for the people who depend on these animals to survive. Families that lose a donkey can suffer colossal damage. By losing a donkey, many lose access to water, to earning money, to the ability to send their children to school, to putting food on the table—all setbacks that can plunge an already poor family even deeper into poverty.
With your help, we can stop this. Brooke USA is committed to changing laws, protecting the innocent donkey owners, and safeguarding the donkeys—but we can’t do it without you. This crisis has reached a boiling point. Our sister organization, Brooke, already has teams working on the ground across Africa. Partners are working with us in this fight. Local communities are crying out for support. And we need to continue to help.
Our initial goal to address this crisis was $100,000, and we reached it—but we know that is just a starting point. Please, give what you can today to help end this terrible trade. The number of donkeys in Kenya is already reducing at an alarming rate. The reports (and photos) of what are being done to these animals are devastating. We need to stop the slaughter, ban the trade, and save the thousands of lives that this brutal practice puts at risk.
You can help by donating to the cause.
Out of respect for your sensitivity and passion for equines, we have made a choice not to share any photos of the slaughter with you. These images are very graphic and distressing. However, we can make them available to you should you want to use them as a tool to inform others.
Please reach out to Emily Marquez-Dulin (305-505-6170 or emily.dulin@brookeusa.org) or Kendall Bierer (561-309-9873 or kendall.bierer@brookeusa.org).
DO THEY DESERVE TO SUFFER? DONATE TODAY TO STOP THE THEFT & SLAUGHTER.
