Beijing: China’s thirst for a centuries-old conventional drugs is leaving a path of unimaginable cruelty. Thousands and thousands of donkeys are killed yearly, not for meals, however for his or her skins. Imported from Africa and Pakistan, the skins are boiled into Ejiao, a gelatin-like substance utilized in well being tonics, magnificence lotions, desserts and even alcoholic drinks.
Ejiao is a conventional Chinese language drugs believed to reverse growing older, enhance blood circulation and deal with anemia, insomnia, dizziness and even most cancers. It has been used for greater than 2,500 years. It’s also a key ingredient in high-end skincare merchandise and wellness tonics, making it one in all China’s most profitable conventional cures.
As soon as a luxurious for the rich, Ejiao is now in big demand amongst China’s rising center class. The marketplace for this “miracle” serum jumped from $3.2 billion in 2013 to $7.8 billion in 2021.
A report by Every day Mail reveals that over six million donkeys are slaughtered yearly for this product. The method is ruthless. The animal is compelled to stroll for hours till exhausted. They’re overwhelmed mercilessly earlier than being killed. Their skins are stripped, shipped to China and processed at industrial scales, then offered legally on-line as luxurious well being merchandise.
Dr. Scott Miller of animal charity Brooke mentioned, “Even figuring out the horrors of this commerce, what I noticed in Africa left me speechless. Donkeys are stolen, offered underneath strain, disadvantaged of meals and water, compelled to endure lengthy, painful journeys and at last slaughtered in unimaginable circumstances.”
Regardless of the African Union outlawing the slaughter of donkeys for his or her skins in 2024, unlawful killings proceed to fulfill China’s rising demand. International locations equivalent to Pakistan and African nations stay main suppliers. In Botswana, for instance, the donkey inhabitants fell by almost 70% between 2011 and 2021 from 351,421 to simply 104,536.
Estimates recommend that Africa’s donkey inhabitants might drop from 27 million to simply 14 million within the subsequent 15 years if this commerce continues.
The worldwide demand for Ejiao reveals a darkish fact. What looks like a innocent well being tonic hides unimaginable cruelty and pushes a species towards extinction. Thousands and thousands of donkeys die, their struggling masked by centuries of custom and fashionable luxurious.
China’s “miracle” drugs comes at a human-ignored and animal-paid value. The world is waking as much as a commerce extra brutal than most might think about.