Chinese Demand for Donkey Skins Fuels Black Market in Africa
June 29, 2025 · 4 min
The growing Chinese demand for donkey skins and meat, driven by the production of ejiao (a gelatin used in traditional Chinese medicine for blood disorders), is fueling a black market in several African countries. This trade, facilitated by lax regulations, corruption, and porous borders, benefits transnational organized crime groups and threatens rural livelihoods and global donkey populations.