Africa

In a massive blow to donkey welfare, a court decision in Kenya will allow the resumption of donkey slaughter for their skins. Learn more about the joint efforts to ban the slaughter here.

On World Water Day we pay tribute and give thanks to donkeys, who play a critical role in collecting fresh, clean water for communities in remote areas worldwide, including Ethiopia.

An emergency fund to help working donkey and mule owners in Africa, Asia and the Americas who are struggling because of the coronavirus outbreak, is being launched by The Donkey Sanctuary.

The decision by the Kenyan Government to close its donkey slaughterhouses represents a decisive blow against the skin trade in the region.

Donkeys are in a state of global crisis with the animals facing population collapse across a number of countries as traders target their skins to export as an ingredient for ejiao, a traditional Chinese medicine.

The Donkey Sanctuary has called for an immediate halt to the trade in donkey skins at the third annual Africa Animal Welfare Conference in Ethiopia.

When a donkey is stolen to meet the demands of the skin trade, its owners must deal with the tragic loss of a beloved and essential part of their family. The Donkey Sanctuary recently met with the former donkey owners saying "No" to slaughterhouses in Kenya.

Amid growing calls for the equid skin trade to halt in Nigeria, The Donkey Sanctuary spoke in Nigerian Parliament to support a Bill aimed at safeguarding the national herd.

On World Donkey Day (8 May), The International Coalition for Working Equids (ICWE) welcomed the World Organisation for Animal Health’s (OIE) statement calling for better protection of the welfare of donkeys at risk from the global skin trade.