This is a bitter sweet story. Unfortunately it is a true story although I wish it was a non-fiction horror story.
Warning, If you are a sensitive person or a person who loves animals this is a ‘must’ read for the latter and an ‘avoid’ for the former.
This is a donkey
According to Wikipedia a donkey (Equus africanus asinus) is a domesticated member of the horse family which has been used as a working animal for at least 5000 years.
This is the bitter part of the story.
So we have a nation which is one of the oldest ‘civilizations’ on this beautiful planet, and I use the term ‘civilization’ very loosely. (I guess this will offend some of the community).
Donkey hide gelatine or e’jiao is a form of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) used as a ‘blood enricher’ to treat a variety of ailments such as anaemia, as well as to prevent miscarriages.
The demand for e’jiao in China is such that it requires 5,000 tonnes of donkey hide to be processed each year, which means roughly 4 million donkeys are slaughtered. But, according to an industry insider, there are only 3,000 tonnes of the skin available annually, including imports that supplement the dwindling local supply.
Source: Losing their asses: China trade deals deplete global donkey population
By the above beliefs a market is created. A market which serves a population which is just below 1.4 BILLION people. There is nowhere near that amount of donkeys on this planet.
Now let us marry the above quoted facts with Africa. Unfortunately Africa has an extremely poor record in the areas of preservation, and an alarming inclination to please their Eastern “allies” (China supported African freedom fighters in their fight against Apartheid.
Also read China’s influence in Africa
So here in South Africa we have this amazing phenomenon where donkeys are slaughtered literally DAILY for their skins. More can be read here5000 donkey pelts seized and here. These skins or ‘pelts’are then shipped off to China to provide the ingredients for e’jiao.
There are unscrupulous traders in donkey skins who treat these amazing animals with absolutely zero compassion, placing them in corrals and cages with no food until they are weak and emaciated, making them easier to bludgeon to death, and at times even skinning them alive.
Most of the time these donkeys are acquired from auctions where the donkeys get sold after being removed from owners who were mistreating them.
Auction corral – 400 mistreated donkeys and horses, Northern Cape, South Africa
No attempt is made at these auctions to ensure these poor animals go to suitable homes.
Sadly, recently the local government of our North West province entered into trade agreements with China around the export of donkey ‘products’.
Director general at the provincial department of agriculture Patrick Leteane told News24 on Monday that the idea to pursue trade in donkey products as a potential source of income for farmers came about in 2016 when Premier Supra Mahumapelo was in China on an official visit and came across a range of pharmaceutical products made out of gelatin found in donkey skins.
The gelatin is believed to be a key ingredient in China's ejiao (donkey skin) industry, which produces tablets, tonics and sweet syrup. The donkey skins are apparently soaked and stewed to produce the substance.
Also from the same source
Ward said the problem was not new and it was not only in South Africa.
About two years ago she heard from colleagues in Kenya about similar complaints of donkeys being stolen and being stripped of their skins in backyard abattoirs.
Since then, she has heard similar stories coming out of Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia.
Interestingly, the number of skins being collected has risen dramatically from about 40 to 50 in the past, to thousands more recently, she said.
"It is increasing rapidly, but I would say over the last two years it started becoming more commonly spoken about in Africa. It is across Africa."
Both Niger and Burkina Faso have implemented bans on the exporting of donkey skins in an attempt to stem the population from being decimated, she said.
Source
If you have read this far I have some good news…. The sweet part of this bitter-sweet story will follow…
Over the weekend I will complete the story… in a much lighter frame of mind
Thank you for reading, please resteem, share on social media and let us make this a 'hot' topic. There are petitions started to try and get the export of donkey skins banned, as is already happening in a few (too few) African countries.
