Illegal donkey trading a rising concern
THE Donkey Sanctuary has released a new report uncovering the vast online illegal trading network sending millions of donkeys to their deaths.
The report details how organised criminals exploit online channels and platforms to facilitate inhumane donkey skin trade alongside illegal wildlife smuggling that more than 4.8 million donkeys annually suffer inhumane treatment and slaughter.
Thousands of dealers operate online every day with endangered products like rhino horns trafficked alongside donkey skins.
“The donkeys suffer at every point of this process, from source to slaughter, due to the brutal and inhumane conditions that are a hallmark of this industry. Even the most vulnerable donkeys, including pregnant mares, young foals, and the sick and injured are taken and traded without consideration for their welfare or their pain.
The Donkey Sanctuary’s report cites the findings of a research paper by an interdisciplinary team from Oxford University’s Saïd Business School and Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU). The research – which the charity funded – was able to identify a clear scientific link between the illegal wildlife trade and donkey skin trade. Building on these findings, The Donkey Sanctuary has now exposed illegal trading on multiple online platforms,” said the organisation.
The report also highlighted the vast online network of organised criminals offering donkey skins for sale, often alongside other illegal wildlife products including rhino horns, pangolin scales, elephant ivory and tiger hides.
The Donkey Sanctuary says that there is evidence that 382 individual traders were identified on business-to-business eCommerce sites offering donkey hides, with almost 20% of those traders also selling other wildlife products.
“In some extreme cases, The Donkey Sanctuary uncovered these traders were additionally trafficking narcotics,
fake passports and human hair, providing further evidence of how deeply the donkey skin trade is embedded in organised crime,” added the sanctuary.
The illicit trade also extends beyond B2B eCommerce sites to wellknown social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The Donkey Sanctuary uncovered dozens of adverts for skins on sale on social media, which suggests that it is a thriving marketplace for the trade, with one trader in Kenya saying he had 2 000 skins available immediately. Many listings feature images of dead and dying donkeys being kept in inhumane conditions.
Acting CEO of The Donkey Sanctuary
Marianne Steele said that the new research demonstrates just how vast the online donkey skin trade has become, and how entrenched it is with criminal activity and other illegal wildlife trafficking.
Dr Ewan Macdonald, post-doctoral research fellow at Saïd Business School and co-author of The Link Between Wildlife Trade and the Global Donkey Skin Product Network added that their work brings together concerns about wildlife conservation, animal welfare and the well-being of some of the world’s poorest communities, all around the unexpected focal point of donkeys.
“This important research has shown a scientific link between the wider wildlife trade and donkey skin sales, and we’re delighted it is helping shine a light on this issue,” said McDonald.
He found almost 20% of donkey skin traders operating online also sell some form of wildlife product, including species of conservation concern such as elephant ivory, pangolin scales and big cat parts.
“This matters because it reveals how customers shopping for donkey skins can easily stumble across other products for sale alongside these skins, potentially contributing to the ever-worsening biodiversity crisis. Unsustainable and under-regulated trade in wildlife is a major driver of wildlife declines.”