The true cost of donkey skin trade on African economies

A resident in the semi-arid Ciangera village, Mbeere North Sub County fetching water. (File, Standard)

Donkeys are facing an existential crisis. Across Africa and Kenya, the unsustainable and global trade in donkey skins, driven by demand for the traditional Chinese medicine ejiao, is devastating populations and the communities that rely on them for their daily social, economic and cultural activities.

In a recent survey in Kenya alone, up to 97 per cent of donkey owners have experienced donkey theft.