How thousands of Tanzania’s donkeys are being stolen and smuggled to Kenya for Chinese medicine
Thousands of donkeys are being stolen from Tanzania every year and trafficked into Kenya to feed growing demand in China for a traditional medicine made from their skins.
Animal welfare groups say more than 150 donkeys are illegally moved across the Tanzania-Kenya border each month, with the total now approaching 2,000 annually.
The donkeys are mostly taken from northern Tanzania and smuggled through informal border routes stretching from Arusha to Tanga.
Livingstone Masija, Director of the Arusha Society for the Protection of Animals (ASPA), said the donkeys end up in Kenya where they are slaughtered and exported to Asia.
“Tanzania has banned the slaughter and consumption of donkeys, and the result is that people smuggle them out of the country into Kenya for export to Asian countries but especially China,” he said.
In China, the skins are boiled to make a substance called Ejiao, believed to have medicinal properties.
The high demand for the product has pushed up the price of donkeys around the world.
A 2020 report by the Donkey Sanctuary estimated that around 5 million donkey hides are needed every year to meet the demand.
Donkeys are essential to rural life in Tanzania.
They help farmers plough land, fetch water, and carry goods and people in areas where transport is limited.
But experts warn that with continued theft, overwork, and poor treatment, donkey populations are falling fast.
Tanzania used to have around 600,000 donkeys, but the number is dropping. Animal welfare groups say the country could lose all of them within the next decade.
Donkey slaughterhouses opened in Tanzania in 2014, but were later shut down following public pressure.
Since then, illegal trade networks have taken over, according to local activists.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
