Donkey population drops to 35-year low

Donkey numbers are at a record low, In 2008, then Chinese envoy, Ding Xiaowen told Mmegi donkeys were a way for Batswana to 'get rich'
Donkey numbers are at a record low, In 2008, then Chinese envoy, Ding Xiaowen told Mmegi donkeys were a way for Batswana to 'get rich'

The numbers of donkeys around the country dropped to 140,000 in 2017, a three-decade low and the first official estimate of the impact of rampant unregulated slaughter and trade. Staff Writer, MBONGENI MGUNI reports.

Overlooked, often abused and under-appreciated, the lowly donkey faces an existential struggle following years of brutal slaughter fuelled by a blossoming market in China.

From being viewed simply as draught power with no direct financial value, ballooning demand for donkey skin, hooves and meat particularly in China, has seen the emergence of an entire illicit ecosystem locally, with growers, rich middlemen and border-crossing traders.

Editor's Comment
Human rights are sacred

It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...

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