**Introduction** The rapid growth of China’s ejiao industry put unsustainable pressure on Africa’s donkey population by sharply increasing demand for donkey hides at a pace that China’s domestic herd could not meet. That demand spilled into African markets, where donkeys are widely used as working animals in farming, transport, and household survival. Once hides became a high-value export input, commercial slaughter, theft, informal cross-border trade, and weak enforcement accelerated extraction faster than local donkey populations could recover[1][2][3]. **Key drivers of unsustainable pressure** **1.** **Rising demand created a structural supply gap** The scale of ejiao production increased demand for donkey hides far beyond China’s domestic capacity. Donkey populations within China declined or proved insufficient to meet rising consumption, while the industry required millions of hides annually. This turned imports from a supplementary source into a structural necessity, with demand estimated at between four million and six million hides per year — well above domestic supply[1][4]. **2.** **Africa absorbed demand despite limited capacity for sustainable supply** African countries became key suppliers because they held a significant share of the global donkey population and offered accessible sourcing conditions. However, these animals are not primarily raised for slaughter but are essential to rural economies. Their removal for export disrupted established economic uses, as donkeys support transport, farming, and access to markets. As sourcing intensified, local populations declined in ways that did not reflect managed livestock production systems[2][3]. **3.** **Extraction outpaced biological recovery and governance capacity** The trade became unsustainable as the rate of slaughter exceeded the natural reproduction rate of donkeys, which breed slowly and require long recovery periods. Weak regulatory enforcement, informal trade networks, and cross-border smuggling accelerated depletion. In several African countries, large-scale commercial slaughter developed without sufficient oversight, making population losses difficult to monitor or control[2][3]. **4.** **Livelihood disruptions reinforced the sustainability crisis** The loss of donkeys imposed direct economic costs on rural households. As working animals disappeared, labor burdens increased, agricultural productivity declined, and access to markets and water became more difficult. These effects compounded over time, creating a feedback loop in which rising prices incentivized further extraction even as local scarcity worsened. The scale of the disruption prompted a continent-wide policy response, including a moratorium on donkey slaughter for skins adopted by the African Union in 2024[2][3]. **Conclusion** China’s ejiao boom contributed to unsustainable pressure on Africa’s donkey population by transforming a traditional product into a large-scale industrial demand for hides that domestic supply could not meet. Africa became the primary adjustment point for this supply gap, but the rapid extraction of donkeys — essential to rural livelihoods — outpaced biological recovery and regulatory capacity. The result was widespread depletion, economic disruption, and eventual policy intervention.
