A recent report It has been revealed that the increasing demand for beauty products donkeys is severely affecting the population of and Africa There is a fear of its extinction.
About six million vultures are killed each year for their skins, from which collagen is extracted for use in food and drink supplements and beauty products such as facial creams used in Chinese medicine.
Later they are marketed as luxury products. According to ‘Da Donkey Sanctuary’, an organization working for the welfare of donkeys China The rise in popularity of such products has seriously damaged the vulture population in India, where the animal’s population declined by 76% between 1992 and 2019.
Dealers are now turning to Africa, which has long had the world’s largest number of vultures, but experts warn that even there the species is facing a crisis.
Traders either persuade poor owners to sell their donkeys or steal them for illegal slaughter.
This trade is flourishing due to the growing demand for the traditional Chinese medicine ‘Ajiao’ or donkey collagen.
The makers of this medicine claim that it removes wrinkles and anemia and increases energy and libido in the body.
Researchers say that killing animals for their skins is not only extremely cruel, but also financially damaging to the women, children and communities that depend on these animals.
Using data from the beauty products industry and statistical models, researchers at Da Donkey Sanctuary calculated that if demand for donkey products continues at the same pace, 6.7 million skins will be needed by 2027.
That’s more than the 5.9 million skins used today, but the researchers say that number is their most conservative estimate.
Africa’s population of vultures is about 1 million, so the new calculations sound alarm bells for their species.
The new report states that collagen production increased by 160 percent in the five years from 2016 to 2021.
The report further states that social media platforms facilitate illegal trade by allowing sellers of these products to advertise.
Calvin Solomon Onyago, director of The Donkey Sanctuary in Kenya, said: ‘Agents working for the Chinese medicine industry are forcing people, who are already living on the brink of poverty, to sell their animals for short-term gain. Willing to sell. On the contrary, in reality it is a long-term loss to their income and a lifelong loss for many communities.’
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According to him: ‘Following the devastating effects of the trade, the governments of several countries including Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania have outlawed donkey slaughter.
‘However, we are seeing widespread illegal killing where hundreds of donkeys are taken or stolen from forests and slaughtered for their fur.’
“Based on what we’ve seen here in Kenya, if the killing of donkeys continues at this rate, in another three to six years donkeys will overtake rhinos and elephants as endangered species in Africa,” Dr Onyago said. will be included in the list.
In some countries it is illegal to kill donkeys, but in others it is legal.
On Sunday, African Union heads of state will debate whether to ban the slaughter of donkeys across the continent.
The researchers said that this would be the most important vulture conservation initiative ever undertaken on the African continent.
In Brazil, where large numbers of donkeys are trafficked and killed for their skins, a bill to ban their slaughter is expected to pass the National Congress this year.
Marianne Stelle, chief executive of The Donkey Sanctuary, said: ‘Slaughtering six million donkeys every year is a disaster for the welfare of these animals.’
According to him: ‘Donkeys are a lifeline for people living in some of the world’s harshest environments where the loss of one donkey can mean the difference between survival and misery.’
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2024-08-07 08:21:39