Every year, nearly six million donkeys are slaughtered worldwide to produce Ejiao, a traditional Chinese medicine made from donkey-hide gelatin. While believed to improve immunity and cure anaemia, these claims remain unproven.

Demand has surged: Ejiao production grew by 390% between 2013 and 2021, requiring millions more hides. China’s own donkey population collapsed from 11 million in 1990 to just 1.5 million in 2023. To fill the gap, hides are now imported, especially from Africa and South America.

This global trade has devastated donkey populations in countries like Egypt, Kenya, and Brazil, while pushing prices beyond the reach of poor families who rely on donkeys for daily survival. Women and girls often shoulder extra burdens when animals are stolen.

Despite an African Union ban on exports in 2024, illegal trade continues, worsening both animal cruelty and community hardship. Campaigners warn of risks ranging from zoonotic diseases to rising rural poverty.

With demand projected to reach nearly seven million hides by 2027, experts say urgent action is needed—or millions more donkeys, and the families who depend on them, will suffer.