The Asian giant is one of the countries that has undergone the most changes in recent decades worldwide. The lifestyle and way of life of most of its inhabitants has been changing almost radically. However, there are still customs that remain intact and have not changed. Did you know that China is buying up all the donkeys in the world? Keep reading, because in this post we will tell you what we…
China is buying up all the donkeys in the world, but for what?
The truth is that in China there are fewer and fewer specimens of this adorable animal. The fact is that a gelatin is extracted from its skin, which is the main ingredient of a traditional Chinese medicine.
“Ejiao” is the name given to it and, it seems, it is good for almost everything: it is able to cure colds, stop hemorrhages, helps control insomnia, prevents dizziness, and improves any condition you may suffer from in the liver, lungs or kidneys.
While China was a primarily agricultural country, the donkey was not a concern, as it was an indispensable animal in the field and its skin was used when it died.
but industrialization has changed everything… and the donkey population in the country has gone from 11 million to just 6 million in just 20 years. That’s almost half.
Faced with this scenario, “ejiao” manufacturers began to buy donkeys all over the world, especially from Africa.
Moreover, in response to the situation, some countries have banned the sale of donkeys to China in order to curb the slaughter of donkeys, as their population was being decimated. And also in order to prevent farmers from abandoning the breeding of other animals, since the price of the donkey skyrocketed abysmally.
Indirectly, the number of slaughterhouses also increased, which led to the contamination of aquifers with serious consequences for public health.
To meet China’s huge demand for these animals, the solution that has been found is to create a whole specific donkey breeding industry to supply the Asian giant.
