Johannesburg — How did a popular period drama on Chinese TV help lead to the theft and brutal slaughter of millions of donkeys in Africa? Ejiao, also called donkey glue, is used as medicine or as a tonic for health and beauty in China. The Chinese started looking for donkeys abroad, particularly in Africa where they're used as a beast of burden by rural communities from Mali to Zimbabwe to Tanzania. Of the remaining 3 million or more sourced abroad, the Donkey Sanctuary estimates that between 25% and 35% are stolen. Unlike other farm animals, donkeys can only produce one foal a year.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 09, 2022 10:45 UTC