Donkey Crisis: Millions of Animals Slaughtered in Africa for China’s “Cure” – News Abroad

They call it “Eziao,” praising it as a miracle cure: in China’s growing middle class, gelatin made from donkey skin is selling well. To meet demand at affordable prices, most animal fur is imported from Africa – and is causing a dramatic decline in the donkey population there!

About five million animals are exported to East Africa each year. Business is not sustainable, it only serves towards profit. According to an Austrian study “Courier” So there is even now the threat of the complete annihilation of donkey people on the continent.

“Eziavo” also known as “Black Gelatin” is a solution made from donkey skin. It is brewed as an ingredient in medicines, cosmetics and sweets. It should act as a sexual enhancer, making the skin beautiful and contributing to healthy sleep. The sales market for “Eziao” has been growing for many years and cannot meet the demand.

In 2017 alone, 53 new millionaires joined China, increasing the number of rich people in China, while the number of donkeys in East Africa has dropped from eleven million to two and a half million since the 1990s, the courier said.

Problem: Since donkey gestation lasts an average of twelve months, breeding farms cannot produce offspring quickly.

Also: The East African countries of Kenya and Tanzania have to produce a large portion of the nearly five million skins for China each year for its “miracle cure”. However, due to mass exports, donkey prices are rising in countries that are considered livestock and are an important means of transportation there.

According to the courier, this is considered a major problem for population and agriculture in East African countries such as Tanzania.

The situation in Kenya is even more catastrophic: the government there has announced a halt to donkey exports. In many African countries, including Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda, brutal killings are now banned.

Nevertheless, the released four-legged friends were skinned by thieves and killed for stealing and selling on the black market: a kilogram of “eziao” currently costs 350 euros. Chinese companies continue to buy.