Right now, there is a thriving industry that is threatening to maim, torture, and kill nearly half the world's donkeys. While transported thousands of miles to slaughter, these donkeys have no room to move. There is no access to food or water. Some of them suffer the entire journey with severed hooves or legs.
Then, they are killed for their skin, their lives and bodies discarded like trash.Luckily, US lawmakers have reintroduced
the Ejiao Act in the House of Representatives. This would cut the industry that is killing donkeys out of the United States, protecting these animals from cruelty and decimation.
Sign to support the Ejiao Act!Ejiao is a gelatin made from donkey hides. It is used mainly in cosmetics and traditional Chinese medicines, and
an estimated 5 million donkeys a year are slaughtered to fulfill the demand for it. At that rate, nearly half of the globe's donkey population could be wiped out in just a few years. The ejiao industry has been aggressively sourcing donkeys from around the world to supply this illicit industry -- both creating an animal cruelty crisis, and a humanitarian one.
You see,
donkeys support 500 million people across the globe. Many of these people are impoverished, and a donkey used ethically to transport goods, water, or people is the difference between death and survival. It is unethical and unfair to take resources from other countries to fulfill one industry's demand.
And the cruelty on top of that is nearly too much to bear. If a donkey is sick or even maimed, its hide is still suitable to sell in the skin trade. That means that handlers do not have to treat donkeys humanely. The only thing they care about is profits. They drag them by their ears and tails. No donkey is safe, from heavily pregnant mares to the sick and injured. Even young foals are not spared.
Donkeys are
naturally affectionate, highly intelligent, and are wonderfully curious.
They do not deserve such a cruel fate -- they deserve love, respect, and safety, just like all living things.The ejiao industry needs to find more sustainable ways to source ingredients that do not require the merciless torture of donkeys -- and the US can push it to do just that by banning the sale, transport, or purchase of ejiao entirely.
That's why we're encouraging Congress to vote YES on the Ejiao Act to ban ejiao and protect donkeys! Sign the petition to add your name to the call.