The Tanzanian Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Mashimba Mashauri Ndaki, has declared a ban on donkey slaughter for the skin trade.
In a budget speech to Parliament, the Minister noted that Tanzania’s current donkey population is estimated at 650,000 but recognised the risk of donkeys becoming extinct. He has advised investors in the donkey trade to use current infrastructure to trade in other livestock animals instead.
Ian Cawsey, Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns at The Donkey Sanctuary, said: “It’s not often we have good news to share about the donkey skin trade but this is a major victory.
“The rejection of donkey slaughter by Tanzania adds a powerful voice to the growing number of countries declaring their donkeys are not for sale for slaughter. It means that the 650,000 donkeys in a country, which support millions more people, will no longer be at risk of slaughter for their skins.
“Since 2016 The Donkey Sanctuary has been working with partner organisations in Tanzania in East Africa to help communities protect their donkeys from theft for the trade and also to expose the truly horrendous animal welfare issues around their slaughter some of the worst cases we have ever seen.”