Scores of SA donkeys being skinned for China

AT ABOUT R200 each, a donkey in South Africa isn’t worth much. But increasingly the hardy animals are more valuable dead than alive, with their hides fetching nearly R1 000 for traditional Chinese medicine.

Johan van Zijl, the founder of the Eseltjiesrus donkey sanctuary in the Western Cape, says donkeys in the deep rural hinterland are being kept and slaughtered or stolen for their skins, which are shipped to China.

“The illegal donkey hide trade has mushroomed in the past year,” he says.

“It’s been happening all over the continent, but now we’re seeing it more in South Africa. They’re shipping containers full of donkey skins to China from Durban.

“They buy them from villagers, or steal them or get people to steal them. The obvious attraction is that people will pay much more for a skin than a live donkey, which doesn’t have any real worth.

“There are three villages in Limpopo where all the donkeys have disappeared.”

In a recent case, 42 donkeys were reportedly stolen in Mmaku, in North West.

Their carcasses were discovered on property owned by a Chinese businessman.

The far m animal unit of the National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) has bust at least two operations in recent months.

A month ago, its staff had to put down 70 donkeys – on a Chinese-owned farm in the Free State – that were due to be slaughtered and exported. They had gone without food and water for two weeks.

“This goes hand in hand with a lot of abuse of donkeys, which are kept in poor circumstances and often slaughtered in inhumane ways,” says Van Zijl.

Christine Kuch, NSPCA spokeswoman, says of this case: “(The owners) were interested only in the skin and that’s why they had not fed or watered the donkeys for so long. Foetuses were aborting and donkeys were trying to eat the bark of trees.”

Earlier this month, the BBC reported that Burkina Faso had banned the export of donkey skins because a sharp rise in sales to China was threatening the animal’s population.

Gelatin produced from donkey skin is reportedly highly valued in China as a medicinal tonic that nour- ishes the blood and boosts the immune system.

It had been referred to as one of three “nourishing treasures”, along with ginseng and young deer antlers, the BBC said.

Van Zijl says his sanctuary receives calls every week.

“We get calls from foreign-sounding accents to purchase donkey skins for export, mainly to China. The quantities they are talking about are vast – 200, 500 and 1 000 hides.

“I think they Google ‘donkey sanctuary’ and we come up right at the top. Maybe they don’t know what a donkey sanctuary is.”

Van Zijl’s wife, Annemarie, agrees.

“This issue first came to light at a conference last year in Bela-Bela, where delegates from 26 African countries working in donkey welfare mentioned the trade in hides as a developing theme.”

The value of the skin is “phenomenally” higher than any live donkey.

“It has happened throughout Africa over the past couple of years and is working its way south. It’s more prevalent in the northern parts of South Africa. It depends where fairly large populations of donkeys are because people are talking about 200 and 500 skins at a time.

“Small rural settlements depend on donkeys to take their water, crops and materials to market.

“When their donkeys are stolen for this trade, it’s the equivalent of your car being stolen. “The entire donkey population can be wiped out… This has an economic impact on communities dependent on their animals. This is serious and needs attention. “There’s no reason why donkeys don’t deserve the same respect as other animals. They’re hard-working, trustworthy and uncomplaining.”