The Donkey Sanctuary
Disrupting the global trade in donkey skins for use in traditional medicines
Almost a decade ago, the Donkey Sanctuary took the boldest decision in its over 50-year history: to become a leading campaigning organisation against the global donkey skin trade.
The donkey skin trade is the single biggest threat facing donkeys worldwide; each year nearly six million are slaughtered so that the collagen in their skin can be used to produce the traditional Chinese medicine, ejiao. Soaring demand for ejiao has all but wiped out China’s own donkey population, so there is now a huge global trade in donkey skins trafficked from Africa and Latin America.
This is not only an animal welfare issue; it seriously impacts farmers in these countries, for whom donkeys are essential for sustainable food production and land management.
The Devon-based Donkey Sanctuary knew that 2024 would be a significant year for its campaign. It had tabled a report, together with international animal welfare partners, recommending a ban on the slaughter of donkeys for their skins for consideration at the African Union Summit in February.
To maximise the opportunity, the charity’s researchers produced updated estimates of the number of donkeys slaughtered for their skins each year – 5.9 million – which provided a news hook to highlight the campaign. This figure was published in the charity’s briefing document, which was distributed to influential decision-makers in government, law enforcement and transport.
For more than a year, the charity worked with the BBC, whose reporting on the campaign peaked on the eve of the African Union Summit.
Following this period of intense advocacy and media activity, on 18 February 2024 the 55 African heads of state agreed unanimously to a continent-wide moratorium on the slaughter of donkeys for their skin. The decision also included the creation of an Africa-wide donkey strategy, to protect the species and ensure a sustainable future.
In addition, the charity successfully lobbied the world’s largest international airline, Emirates, to implement a ban on the carriage of donkey skins across all their flights from May 2024. Then in October, the charity partnered with Emirates to produce unique new risk and threat guidance for the air cargo sector highlighting how to detect and prevent the carriage of donkey skins by air.
And the Donkey Sanctuary worked with the International Maritime Organisation to include the global donkey skin trade in its online learning course for all staff and facilitated an online workshop for 75 port and customs staff of the southern Africa bureau of Interpol.
Awards judge Martin Edwards, CEO of Julia’s House, said the charity’s campaign had an important environmental impact beyond reducing animal cruelty, “because preserving animals in local families is the most environmentally friendly way of farming”.
Judge Jehangir Malik said: “The project’s focus on disrupting the supply chain is commendable, but what makes it even more significant is its work to understand the demand side of the trade – why people are using ejiao and the traditional beliefs that fuel its consumption. This is not an only animal welfare crisis but also a development and sustainability issue.” He concluded: “Overall, this is an incredible, courageous and necessary project that deserves wider recognition and support.”
CC Reg. no. 1207593
