For Ghana to avert a possible extinction of donkeys in the country, the Ghana Poultry Farmers Network (GAPNET) is advocating for the Parliament of Ghana to pass a legislative instrument that bans the mass slaughtering of the animal.
This comes after a significant increase in the demand for donkey skins, which are used in the production of a traditional Chinese medicine called ejiao.
“The donkey skin is used by the Chinese to produce a pharmaceutical product called ejiao. And this pharmaceutical product according to the Chinese is an anti-aging agent and it makes them look younger. And it is also used as a beatification product. And I am told the elite in China, the well to do who can patronise the product.
An Advocacy person with GAPNET, Dr. Roger Adamu Lure Kanton who disclosed this says the indiscriminate killing of donkeys for their skins is unsustainable and poses a threat to Ghana’s donkey population.
He highlighted that donkeys play a crucial role in rural communities, providing transportation and livelihoods for many farmers. Dr. Kanton says the growing demand for donkey skins has led to a rapid decline in donkey numbers worldwide, and Ghana is no exception. He stated that the lack of legislation and regulation allows for the illegal trafficking of donkeys, exacerbating the issue further.
To counter this problem, GAPNET is urging Ghana’s parliament to pass legislation that prohibits the mass slaughter of donkeys and regulates the trade to ensure sustainability.
“We are not against killing donkeys for the meat as a delicacy as it used to be but to slaughter donkeys for their hide is what we are against. And we are fighting to make sure that that stops. We are going to ensure that parliament passes a legislation to ban its mass slaughtering officially in the country.”
Dr. Kanton was speaking to the media during a stakeholder engagement held in Bolgatanga for people in the donkey value chain including donkey owners, donkey butchers, security personnel, assembly staff.
The advocacy engagement was under a project known as ‘Fight Against Donkey Extinction’ with funding support from a local NGO called Donyaepa and the BROOK, an international charity organisation into the protection of donkeys, horses, and mules.
The lead advocacy against the extinction of donkeys expressed regrets that whereas there is a ban on the mass slaughtering of donkeys in China, some Ghanaians are killing the animal and exporting its skin to China for the production of anti-aging medicine called ejiao.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah|Bolgatanga|Ghana
