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Alarm raised as donkey population falls sharply

Advocacy groups term slaughter of donkeys for export unsustainable and call for regional talks. [File, Standard]

Close to 360,000 donkeys in the country are estimated to have been slaughtered for export to meet China’s increasing demand for donkey meat and skins since January.

Donkey advocacy groups estimate that the numbers of legally slaughtered donkeys have risen to close to 1,000 per day in four slaughterhouses in the country.

The surging new global craze on donkey hides and skins to drive the manufacture of anti-ageing and libido-enhancing properties is linked to the rising slaughter.

Advocacy groups have called for regional talks as slaughter of donkeys for export tripled this year amid soaring theft across the borders.

“The combined potential of the existing donkey slaughterhouses currently is 1,000 donkeys per day. Reported stolen donkeys too are rising in numbers and we have currently recorded over 4,000 reported cases since January,” said Samuel Theuri, an advocacy officer at Brooke East Africa.

The massive slaughter for export, advocacy groups note, has surpassed last year's, which is estimated to have hit close to 100,000. This, they say, is as a result of most slaughterhouses up-scaling the operations.

He said the insatiable demand, which is propelling donkey prices higher, has sparked cross-border theft.

“Cross-border theft of donkeys is rising especially along the Kenya-Somalia and Kenya-Uganda borders. The theft is fuelled by the rising prices of donkeys in the Kenyan market and the ready market to satisfy the demand for export,” Mr Theuri said.

The current surge in slaughter of donkeys, he says, has also led to dwindling numbers in the existing donkey species in the country – the Maasai and Somali breeds.

The 2009 census on donkeys indicated that Kenya had 1.9 million donkeys. However, due to poor breeding, high mortality rates and massive slaughter, animal rights groups note that number has decreased.

Farming Systems of Kenya, an organisation concerned with welfare of donkeys, says the current slaughter of already shrinking population of donkeys could impact negatively on the rural economy as well as those who entirely depend on donkeys in arid and semi-arid areas.

 “The magnitude of slaughter remains high with over 1,000 donkeys slaughtered on a daily basis within the major three licensed abattoirs,” said Dr Raphael Kinoti.

He said the cost of owning a donkey locally has almost quadrupled since the first slaughterhouse opened its doors, making it difficult for ownership in communities which need the animal for transport purposed.

However, Dr Kinoti observed that unlike other animals, said donkeys remain to be poor breeders, a situation, which he says calls for urgent intervention from the Government.

Donkeys, he says, take 13 months to breed and are selective breeders, a situation that makes the trade unsustainable.

“We are starring at a situation that will see indigenous donkeys being wiped out because currently, the slaughter is unregulated plus the fact that donkeys are very poor breeders,” he added.

Hot spot zones that record high cases of donkey theft, according to Brooke East Africa, are Turkana, Machakos, Nakuru, Baringo and Narok counties.

Currently, Kinoti said, no mechanisms of increasing donkey population are in place despite the ban on trade in the neighbouring countries.

Tunza Punda, a donkey advocacy group, noted that the population of donkeys is low.

“The numbers are way less than a million, given the fact that most donkeys are being secured by the owners, hence denying them time to reproduce. The situation has lowered the reproduction rate,” Mr Linus Mwirigi, the chairman of Tunza Punda organisation said.