Conservation: Killing of donkeys and trading in donkey skin is illegal – FG

The Federal Government has banned the killing of donkey and trading of donkey skin in Nigeria to avoid the animal going into extinction.

This was disclosed by an official of Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Services, Dr Olusegun Awoyini, while reacting to the alleged invading of donkey skin processing camps across the country and seizure of over 1,600 pieces of donkey skin belonging to members of the Dried Meat Preservers Association of Nigeria.

The members of Dried Meat Preservers Association of Nigeria, had in a press briefing in Onitsha attended by its members from Sokoto, Gombe, Kaduna, Borunu and Oyo State, demanded from the Federal Government to explain to them why the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Services, agents of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, are invading their donkey skin processing camps and seizing their goods, asking if it is an offense in Nigeria for them to do the business.

Responding, Dr Awoyini said that it is an offence to kill donkeys in Nigeria.

Nigeria isn’t the only African country to have placed restrictions on the donkey trade. Botswana, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso and Gambia all impose restrictions on the trade, while Zimbabwean authorities blocked a private donkey slaughterhouse under construction and Ethiopia closed its only functioning abattoir.

There is a high demand for donkeys in China, where their skins are believed to have medicinal properties.