China Kills Millions Of Donkeys Every Year For A ‘Miracle’ Medicine You Won’t Believe | World News

Beijing: China’s age-old thirst for traditional medicine leaves a trail of unimaginable cruelty. Millions of donkeys are killed every year not for food, but for their skin. Imported from Africa and Pakistan, the skins are boiled into Ejiao, a gelatin-like substance used in health tonics, beauty creams, desserts and even alcoholic beverages.

Ejiao is a traditional Chinese medicine believed to reverse aging, improve blood circulation, and treat anemia, insomnia, dizziness, and even cancer. It has been used for over 2500 years. It is also a key ingredient in high-end skin care products and wellness tonics, making it one of China’s most lucrative traditional medicines.

Once a luxury for the wealthy, Ejiao is now in great demand among China’s growing middle class. The market for this “miracle” serum jumped from $3.2 billion in 2013 to $7.8 billion in 2021.

A report by the Daily Mail reveals that more than six million donkeys are slaughtered annually for this product. The process is brutal. The animal has to walk for hours until it becomes exhausted. They are brutally beaten before being killed. They are skinned, shipped to China and processed on an industrial scale, then sold legally online as luxury health products.

Dr. Brooke from the animal charity. Scott Miller said: “Although I knew the horrors of this trade, what I saw in Africa left me speechless. Donkeys are stolen, sold under duress, deprived of food and water, forced to endure long, painful journeys, and eventually slaughtered in unimaginable conditions.”

Despite the African Union banning the slaughter of donkeys for their skin in 2024, illegal killings continue to meet China’s growing demand. Countries such as Pakistan and African countries continue to be the main suppliers. In Botswana, for example, the donkey population dropped by nearly 70% between 2011 and 2021, from 351,421 to 104,536.

Estimates suggest that if this trade continues, Africa’s donkey population could fall from 27 million to 14 million over the next 15 years.

The global demand for ejiao reveals a dark truth. What seems like a harmless health tonic hides unimaginable cruelty and pushes a species towards extinction. Millions of donkeys are dying, their suffering masked by centuries of tradition and modern luxury.

China’s “miracle” drug comes with a price that humans ignore and animals pay. The world is waking up to a trade more brutal than most could have imagined.