African Union imposes historic ban on cruel donkey skin trade
- February 21, 2024
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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African Union imposes historic ban on cruel donkey skin trade
Subject: Environment
Section: Species in news
Context:
- A historic ban on the trade in donkey skin has been agreed upon by the African heads of state.
More on news:
- This agreement is announced on the concluding day of the African Union summit in Ethiopia, outlawing the killing of donkeys in the African continent for their skin.
- This is a significant outcome following the Dar es Salaam declaration adopted at the first AU-IBAR Pan-African Donkey Conference in December 2022.
- It had demanded for an African Union Commission (AUC) resolution to be passed in favor of a 15-year ban on the commercial killing of donkeys for their skin.
- Other demands included the creation of an Africa donkey strategy for donkey production and productivity, and the inclusion of donkeys in the global development agenda.
- In September 2020, the pan-African animal conference, also, had urged African governments to take immediate action to protect donkeys, including the creation and successful application of laws and policies that will support them, and to outlaw the sale of donkeys and the trade in their skin, as these activities pose a major socioeconomic threat to communities that depend on them.
- In June 2021, a ministerial meeting during the ECOWAS Regional Donkey Skin Trade Conference also raised concerns over the devastating impact of the donkey skin trade on donkey populations and the communities across Africa.
- With increasing demand, at least 6.8 million donkeys are projected to be killed every year in 2027.
- The number of donkeys in Africa has decreased dramatically over the past 10 years.
- This translates to a decrease in the donkey’s population by around 44 per cent in just seven years.
- The population of donkeys in Botswana declined from 493,000 in 2003 to 125,000 in 2021.
Agreement to protect donkeys & equid owners:
- The landmark moratorium on skin trade in donkeys agreed upon at the AU summit has been welcomed by wildlife conservationists .
- This agreement from leaders of the African Union strikes at the heart of the brutal skin trade.
Why donkey skin is traded
- Donkey skin is used to make the traditional Chinese medicine ejiao.
- It is in constant demand, fueling a global trade that is vicious, unsustainable and opportunistic.
- In five years between 2016 and 2021, ejiao production is estimated to have increased by 160 per cent, the Donkey Sanctuary estimated in a paper Donkeys in global trade released this year.
- The ejiao industry now requires a minimum of 5.9 million donkey skin annually to keep up with the latest Chinese demand.
- The demand for donkey skin reduced the donkey population in China from 11 million in 1992 to just under two million.
- The demand for ejiao, a gelatine manufactured by boiling donkey skin, is met primarily by imported skin sourced from South America and Africa.
- Africa is particularly affected by this, as it is home to over two-thirds of the 53 million donkeys estimated to exist worldwide.
- Farmers who depend on donkeys for their livelihoods have seen theft and cruel treatment of animals as a result of the increased demand.
- The countries where donkeys are being traded illegally for their skin include Ghana, Nigeria, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Uganda, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya and Egypt.
- The historic pan-African agreement will protect 33 million donkeys that are on the continent from being stolen, trafficked and killed.
- This will also save tens of thousands of African communities who depend on donkeys for their well-being and means of subsistence.
- Donkeys are critical to millions of people and the global trade in donkey skin undermines efforts to achieve at least nine of the 17 United Nations-mandated sustainable development goals.
- These include the goal to end poverty (SDG1), since equid ownership represents the only viable escape from extreme poverty.
- This landmark decision needs to be implemented and enforced by every country that makes up the African Union, stated Otieno Mtula, regional campaigns and advocacy manager for The Donkey Sanctuary.
- Brazil is also likely to impose a ban on illegal donkey skin trade.
- This may disrupt the supply chain and the ejiao industry in China, experts predicted.
About African Union:
- The African Union (AU) is a continental body consisting of the 55 member states that make up the countries of the African Continent.
- It was officially launched in 2002 as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU, 1963-1999).
- The AU is guided by its vision of “An Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.”
- The African Union (AU) was officially launched in July 2002 in Durban, South Africa, following a decision in September 1999 by its predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity(OAU) to create a new continental organization to build on its work.
- The most important decisions of the AU are made by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states.
- The AU’s secretariat, the African Union Commission, is based in Addis Ababa.
Various Breeds of Donkeys In India:
Donkey breeds found in India are primarily used to carry heavy loads | ||
Breed | Native region; characteristics | Use |
Kachchhi | Kutch region of Gujarat; grey, white, brown or black in color | For weed removal in farms and as pack animals during pastoralist migration. It can carry 80-100 kg and pull 200-300 kg on carts. |
Halari | Saurashtra region of Gujarat; white in color, docile temperament | As pack animals during pastoralist migration and to pull carts. It can walk around 30-40 km in a day |
Sindhi | Barmer and Jaisalmer districts of Rajasthan; brown in color | As pack animals to transport water, soil, earthenware, construction material, fodder and to pull carts and for plowing by small and marginal farmers. They can carry 1,000-1,500 kg. |
Spiti | Cold desert areas of Himachal Pradesh; dark brown, brown or black in color | For immediate transport of highly perishable cash crops and fruits, food grains and other items to far flung areas; to fetch wood, logs and other minor forest produce; and to bring dung or manure from pastures to villages or fields. |