Cruel donkey-massacre threat
MILLIONS of donkeys continue to be slaughtered for their hides to meet the rising demand for traditional Chinese medicine.
Over the last decade, donkey populations have plummeted around the world as demand for their skins reach record levels.
World Donkey Day was commemorated last weekend, but there was very little to celebrate.
Donkeys continue to be slaughtered around the world at a rapid rate to feed the “cruel demand” for their skins in Asian countries, highly-prized as a medicinal tonic to prevent ageing and boost the immune system.
A new report by the Donkey Sanctuary has indicated that the huge spike in the culling of donkeys could lead to half the world’s donkey populations being wiped out in the next five years.
It is estimated that 4.8m donkey hides a year are needed to satisfy the demand for a gelatin-based traditional medicine called ejiao, according to the report.
At the current pace, the global donkey population of 44m would be halved over the next five years, the report warns.
Demand is so high that even pregnant mares, young foals, and sick and injured donkeys are being rounded up for slaughter, and since injury and illness often do not affect the quality of the hide, traders have little incentive
THE more things change the more they remains the same. This seems to be an apt description of our current situation in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
All indications are that we are heading for another difficult period. Experts have warned that the third wave is imminent. This spells trouble.
Central to this is the desperate need to save lives. Bad news for our ailing economy. The significant contraction it suffered last year, particularly in the second quarter, was devastating. However, we must ace this reality.
The second wave was devastating and if the warning by experts is anything to go by, the third wave is going to be vicious. to ensure humane treatment.
Donkey populations in Brazil have declined by 28% since 2007, by 37% in Botswana, and by 53% in Kyrgyzstan, and there are fears the populations in Kenya and Ghana could also be decimated by the skin trade.
In China, donkey numbers have fallen by 76% since 1992, with the country turning to global imports to fill the gap.
South Africa is one of the very few countries where the donkey population
The virus appears to have gained an upper hand against the global efforts to thwart it. It keeps recurring in different forms. The recent detection in the country of the first cases of the new variants, B.1.617.2 and the B.1.1.7, which were initially identified in countries such as India and UK, attests to this.
“As the epidemic progresses, the detection of new variants is inevitable,” Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize admitted.
It is suggested that it may have mutations that would make the virus more transmissible, cause more severe disease and possibly even evade vaccine immunity.
The World Health Organization described it as a “variant of interest”. has increased, despite a large number of donkeys being slaughtered in the country each year.
The Council of Equine and Equestrian Professionals South Africa (CEEPSA), a non-profit company that protects the welfare of all equine animals, including donkeys, said South Africa’s increase in their donkey population was due to communities breeding them.
“Rural towns currently have a lot of donkeys grazing around, and it's then easy to steal them during the night time,” said Allister Jack, executive director for equity programmes and development at CEEPSA.
“Sometimes they are transported across the borders, for example to Lesotho, where they are then slaughtered and their skins exported from there. This has been going on for at least the last ten years.
“With our current community programmes, we are busy with a census programme in rural areas to determine how many donkeys we have per municipal area,” Jack said.
But, while the donkey population is on the increase in South Africa, they continue to be slaughtered at a rapid rate.
The SPCA and traffic police in the Kwazulu-natal Midlands recently rescued just over 100 donkeys which were being taken to Lesotho, where they would have been slaughtered for their skins and exported.
“Currently in overseas markets, donkey skins are of great value,” said Jack.
“The skins from the donkeys in the rural areas are of good quality. These skins are predominantly used for oriental medicine.
“While there isn’t a threat of extinction as yet, we still need to protect them.
“Donkeys are an integral part of families in rural areas because they are predominantly used for transportation within disadvantaged communities. Sometimes the only assets and pride
It is certainly going to severely test the country’s vaccination programme.
Understandably, South Africans are suffering from lockdown fatigue. They cannot wait to go back to normal life. However, news of the third wave is a sad reality.
So, what should happen? With the country still reeling from the effects of the second wave, it seems a move to a stricter lockdown level is inevitable. The sooner government effects this, the better.
The high increases in cases in the Free State and Gauteng provinces have indicated that the third wave is unavoidable. We do not have to wait for all the provinces to experience high infections. Unfortunately, our slow mass these communities have are their donkeys.
“They are part of communities’ households and used for transportation as well as for ploughing the land for the cultivation of grain and other produce used to feed the community, as well as farm animals.
“Donkeys are also a commodity that can be sold to other communities as a source of income,” Jack said.
He said the organisation was doing all it could to protect donkeys.
“The culling of donkeys needs to stop. Stealing donkeys has a direct impact on the livelihood of people in our communities.
“We are working on strengthening the relationship between people and their local municipalities to help them to protect and, where necessary, rehabilitate their donkeys,” he said.
Jack said the programme was establishing community stables and rehabilitation centres in rural areas.
“The aim is to empower communities to take ownership of their donkeys and horses. This forms part of our economic empowerment programme for the youth and women who are unemployed. These animals can be used successfully for tourism.”
Communities and local municipalities are encouraged to get into contact with CEEPSA to help them set up rehabilitation centres, assist with rehoming, and general best practices.
For more information on CEEPSA, visit www.ceepsa.org or admin@ceepsa. org or call 082 510 0138. vaccination roll-out does not help our cause.
Our first line of defence – the health-care workers – are yet to all be inoculated. The entire population is still waiting.
There are lot of valuable lessons to be learnt from the past. Inter-provincial travel took us a step back in the fight against the pandemic. It proved to be a major cause of the second wave just after the festive season.
Importantly, South Africans also must comply with the Covid-19 health protocols. The situation in India is desperate. The daily infections and the death toll have risen dramatically over the past months. It is becoming clear we are unlikely to escape the third wave.