Have you ever heard of a donkey skin – anything? Honestly, I haven’t. People in many countries use donkeys for working and even as pets. Donkeys are reportedly loyal and smart. One disturbing trade growing it is called “ejiao” or “Donkey hide glue” (“colla corii asini”).
Image Credit: George Knowles
The demand for ejiao is staggering, and millions of donkeys are losing their lives each year. The product ejiao is a gelatin made from donkey skin. Beware there are some graphic images below.
Image Credit: George Knowles
The Donkey Sanctuary in the U.K. reported that 1.8 million donkey skins are traded every year. But those are numbers could easily be as high as 4 to 10 million! The industry is hard to track.
Ejiao has ancient roots. It is a medicine that reportedly was used by emperors. Traditional Chinese medicine herbalists claim ejiao can slow aging, prevent disease, and increase libido.
Image Credit: George Knowles