By Eyasu Zekarias

Since the exposure of the export of donkey skin and meat to the foreign market in Ethiopia, prices have soared by a significant amount.

As data now reveals, the number of donkeys in the continent has been on a decrease due to hundreds of thousands of donkeys being slaughtered and exported mostly from African countries because of the great demand of their skin.

According to Brooke Ethiopia, an international animal welfare charity dedicated to improving the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules, the demand of donkey skin and meat in Ethiopia has driven to the price to surge significantly.

Brooke Ethiopia, which started its operation in Ethiopia in 2006, is currently rendering its services as a non-governmental organization operating in the Amhara, Oromia, and SNNPR. As the organization cited, since donkey meat has been exported by Ethiopia in recent years to earn foreign currency, based on the experience of other countries, the number of donkeys is projected to decrease owing to the significant numbers in slaughters.

According to Brooke Ethiopia’s observation, approximately 20 up to 300 donkeys can be slaughtered per day in Ethiopia, with the price increasing, from 3000 ETB to 11000 birr.

Due to the lack of foreign exchange, Ethiopia has exported 492 tons of donkey meat and hides in the last financial year, earning more than $600,000 in the process.

It is said that the demand comes mainly from China because donkey skin is needed for the production of gelatin ‘Ejiao’, which is used for Chinese traditional medicine and cosmetics.

In Ethiopia, there are more than 13 million cattle, of which about 8 million of them are donkeys, which are in demand in other countries.