Brooke Ethiopia, an animal rights organization that works on donkey welfare, stated that the number of donkeys is decreasing.
In recent years, Ethiopia has started exporting donkey meat to foreign countries, and the purpose is to earn foreign currency.
As a result of this donkey slaughtering and trade, the number of donkeys is decreasing and this is a concern, according to a donkey rights organization called Brooke Ethiopia.
Yilma Abebe, consultant of Brooke Ethiopia, said that donkey slaughtering in Ethiopia and selling the meat and skin to the foreign market has led to a dwindling number of donkeys in the country.
Although donkey slaughtering in Ethiopia has been expanded by Chinese investors, it has earned foreign currency for the country. The consultant also mentioned that the presence of donkeys in the country has reached a critical level.
The Ministry of Agriculture, on the other hand, said that the proposal made by Brock Ethiopia that the number of animals has decreased due to donkey slaughter is incorrect.
The head of the meat and leather desk in the ministry said “According to research and practice, even if the slaughter of donkeys is carried out, their number cannot be reduced,” he added.
He said that the ministry only allowed donkeys that were old and no longer serving the community to be slaughtered, so there was no concern that their numbers might decrease.
As the benefits of donkeys as a country are high, he called upon any community to give suggestions to the relevant body if there are areas where slaughter is done secretly.
Ethiopia’s Animal Development Institute announced that Ethiopia earned $300,000 by exporting donkey meat to Hong Kong and other Chinese cities in the 2022 fiscal year.
Dr. Sahlu Mulu, the deputy director general of the institute, said that other than donkey meat, countries like China need donkey skin for medicine.
He added that the income was obtained by exporting 140 tons of donkey meat to foreign markets in the 2022 fiscal year.
According to the institute, it was already planned to export 600 tons of donkey meat in the fiscal year.
In the 2023 fiscal year alone, Ethiopia is planning to earn more than $400 thousand by exporting more donkey meat and skin to China and other countries.
