Australian donkeys, ponies and horses facing live export for slaughter

In the last few years the demand for donkey skin has increased exponentially.  China is the biggest importer and now Australia is in the talks to make a deal with China to put donkeys on the live export list and ship them for slaughter. Donkey skin is dried and ground up to make a gelatine-based substance called ‘ejiao’. Ejiaoa is a traditional Chinese medicine made from a combination of herbs and gelatin from donkey skin. It is used by people who believe it is good for their appearance and vitality. China is the main consumer of ejiao, but markets in other countries are emerging also. It is estimated that 2 million donkey skins are traded a year, and that the actual demand is double the number. The deal with Australia won't only affect donkeys though, but ponies and horses. Donkey, pony and horses are killed for meat too.

"Thousands of villagers in Africa who rely upon their donkeys to cart water and other goods now face severe hardship due to donkey theft. In response, several countries have taken action to stop the trade with bans in place in Niger, Burkina Faso and Senegar, and recently Ethiopia closed its only operational slaughterhouse. And in 2015, Pakistan became the first Asian country to ban the export of donkey hides."
The officials of the federal Department of Agriculture confirmed that a number of enquiries had been made about exporting horses and donkeys “in large numbers for slaughter”. The RSPCA is therefore calling for a permanent prohibition on the export of ponies, donkeys and horses for slaughter.

The Australian Live Exporters’ Council has made a statement saying that they are ‘neither seeking nor supportive of any such trade commencing’.

An official Senate petition has been launched, which you can sign here: Ponies, Horses and Donkeys next on the Live Export Hit List. Please sign and share.

There is also a petition on Care2, addressing the Australian agriculture minister, Barnaby Joyce and PM Malcolm Turnbull and urging them to not put donkeys on the live export list. Here is the link: Don't Send Donkeys to their Doom

The original article can be found here: RSPCA fears for Australian ponies, horses and donkeys facing live export for slaughter
Why would this trade be inhumane? Because of the high demand of donkey skin, feral donkeys in Australia are being considered as a potential source of skins. Mustering, transporting, slaughtering or live export of feral donkeys pose a significant animal welfare risk. Donkeys require special handling and can be extremely resistant to being moved or loaded. Donkeys also require a higher standard of care compared to routinely farmed species such as sheep or cattle, including the need for regular dental, coat and hoof care. There are also concerns that as the required product is extracted from the skin, donkeys will not be provided with the same level of care and nutrition required for meat-producing animals.
You can read the full article here: What is the donkey skin trade and why is it inhumane?

The Donkey Sanctuary, an organization from UK has published a review of this trade which described the donkey skin trade as a human and animal welfare crisis. You can read the full report as a PDF here: Under the skin - full report. It is available in 9 languages: English, French, Chinese, Swahili, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Russian and Portuguese.


RSPCA has made a statement explaining why the export should be prohibited. They stated that any live animal export has serious welfare problems, be it transport conditions that result in stress, disease, injury and death or the lack of control over what happens to animals in importing countries.

"General stressors associated with transport include: unfamiliar surroundings and animals handling by different people with various skills and competency, confinement with limited space to move freely, disruption of social groups, limited access to food and water, and transition to a different type of feed , exposure to noise, pollution, vibration, motion and different light intensities. Horses and donkeys are highly sensitive animals and thus very susceptible to the multitude of cumulative stressors inherent with live export. Studies have shown that even trucking previously handled horses or donkeys for as little as four hours results in both species showing a stress response, with donkeys showing higher levels of stress hormones, including cortisol, than horses. In addition to this, conditions of transport, handling, and slaughter in importing countries cannot be effectively monitored or controlled by Australian authorities. The Australian Government has no legal means of ensuring horses and donkeys exported overseas will be treated humanely or in accordance with Australian animal welfare standards. Extensive evidence gathered from countries importing Australian livestock has shown inhumane slaughter and handling practices that would be contrary to Australian laws and standards."

You can read the full article here: Why should live export of horses and donkeys from Australia for slaughter be prohibited?