Kenya Bans Donkey Slaughterhouses
The brutal industry slaughters over 1,000 donkeys every day in Kenya.
Credit: PETA Asia
Campaigners have welcomed Kenya’s decision to immediately shut down the country’s donkey slaughterhouses.
Hundreds of thousands of donkeys are killed in Kenya, solely to meet the demand for ejiao - a gelatin-based ingredient used in medicines, cosmetics, and candy.
Four donkey abattoirs exist in Kenya to help produce ejiao, and are responsible for slaughtering a total of 301,977 donkeys from April 2016 to December 2018.
Now, “their licenses to slaughter donkeys are further revoked immediately”, said Peter Munya, Kenya’s Cabinet secretary for the agriculture ministry.
The demand for donkey skins had led to a rise in donkey thefts. This proved a huge problem for farmers who rely on donkeys for transport, domestic work and milk. With this crucial lifeline for farmers compromised, Munya has implemented an immediate ban to help stop the trade.
The ban has been welcomed by campaigners, who previously exposed the brutal reality for donkeys killed in the ejiao trade. A PETA Asia investigation revealed that donkeys in China “are bashed in the head with a sledgehammer and their throats slit”. In Kenya, undercover footage showed donkeys being violently beaten - with virtually no regulations in place to protect the country’s animals on farms or in slaughterhouses.
Kenya’s positive action has shone a light once again on the ejiao industry, which continues to kill millions of donkeys each year.
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