Victory! Kenya Bans Donkey Slaughter for Ejiao After Big Push From PETA
Victory! Following nearly two years of pressure from PETA and our international affiliates—including more than 200,000 e-mails sent by kind people like you—the cabinet secretary of Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture, Peter Munya, has banned donkey slaughterhouses across the country.
A shocking PETA Asia investigation of government-sanctioned donkey slaughterhouses in Mogotio and Naivasha, Kenya, had previously revealed that workers violently beat donkeys who were killed for a traditional Chinese medicine known as ejiao. Munya has ordered the closure of all donkey slaughterhouses by next month—a huge win for gentle donkeys.
What Happens in Kenyan Donkey Slaughterhouses?
Before this announcement, the donkey-slaughter industry in Kenya existed only to meet the demand for ejiao in China. Donkeys were transported to Kenya by truck from neighboring countries such as Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda on a grueling trip that could take several days, during which they were deprived of both food and water. Eyewitnesses even found dead donkeys who had not survived the torturous journey callously dumped outside a slaughterhouse.
At least 1,000 donkeys are slaughtered every day in Kenya to be exported to China, but that will soon end.
How Donkeys Suffer and Die for Ejiao
Kenya’s decision to stop fueling the cruel ejiao trade is great news, but the market for the ingredient is still growing rapidly. Donkeys are now being imported into China for slaughter from countries in Asia, the Middle East, and South America in order to meet the demand, and some other countries, including Australia, are shamefully considering opening up a live-export donkey trade.
What You Can Do to Help Donkeys
Donkeys are patient, kind, and intelligent. They can recognize the faces of animals they haven’t seen in years, and they feel pain and fear just as any other animal does. But right now, those who are exploited by humans are suffering when used for labor, entertainment, and traditional medicines, such as ejiao. You can help countless donkeys with the quick click of a button:
