End U.S. involvement in donkey slaughter and skin trade 

UPDATE (02/18/24): Progress! The African Union has banned the Donkey skin trade. The ban will make it illegal to slaughter donkeys for their skins throughout all of Africa and will put increased pressure on the international community including the United States to do their part to end this horrific business.

Every year nearly 5 million donkeys are slaughtered for their skins and the numbers are only going up. These innocent animals are brutally beaten and often skinned alive so that their pelts can be used to make a type of gelatin called ejiao that is used in traditional Chinese medicine. This is a far-reaching global crisis that is decimating international donkey populations and devastating poor families in the global south who face the threat of having their donkeys kidnapped and killed.

We now have an opportunity to make a difference on the demand side of this gruesome international trade as a bill to ban the import of donkey skin gelatin has recently been reintroduced in Congress. H.R. 6021 - The Ejiao Act, amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and bans the knowing sale or transport of ejiao made using donkey skin, or products containing ejiao made using donkey skin, in interstate or foreign commerce.

Although China is the biggest importer of donkey skin gelatin, the United States also accounts for an estimated $12 million worth of annual imports.

By importing donkey skin gelatin the United States is complicit in the theft and murder of these innocent animals across the global south particularly in hard hit Kenya where donkey slaughter was briefly banned in 2020 due to the devastating toll the donkey skin trade takes on the local population.

In an interconnected world where supply is based on demand, we can make a difference here in the United States to help put a stop to this horrific international trade once and for all.

Take Action Now

Please join Species Unite in calling on congress to pass the Ejiao Act by signing this petition.

Further action

Please also consider reaching out to your congressional representative. You can use this link to find your congress person. Simply type in your zip code and your state representatives will appear, go to the bottom of the list of photos until you see the one that says “representative” and click on the contact link. This will take you to their individual contact page where you can fill out an online form asking them to support H.R.6021. You can send a note as simple as:

Dear Representative,

I am your constituent, and I am requesting that you become a co-sponsor on H.R.6021 the Ejiao Act to help save donkeys from slaughter and to protect venerable communities in the global south who depend on donkeys to survive. In an interconnected world where supply is based on demand, we can make a difference here in the United States to help put a stop to this horrific international trade once and for all. Please do your part to help get this ban passed.

Sincerely,