Demand for ejiao is increasing, leading to global trade and poaching of donkeys. Almost 6 million skins currently being harvested annually to be used to produce collagen for a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), called eijiao. The rampant killing of donkeys for the skin trade leads to the impoverishment of local communities, loss of opportunities for women, and impairs access to education for children, water provision and agricultural sustainability.
The global donkey population stands at~53.4million. The donkey population in China alone has decreased from ~11 million in 1992 to just under 2 million in 2020 (FAOSTAT,2021).