How Chinese triggered boom in Nigeria’s donkey trade

The Nigerian Veterinary Medical Association (NVMA) has raised the alarm that donkeys may go into extinction in Nigeria if nothing is urgently done to check indiscriminate slaughtering of the animal.

According to the association, hides poachers from China have invaded the country in search of donkey skin; said to be of superior quality and therefore in high demand by the Chinese pharmaceutical industry.

NVMA alleged that prior to the influx of Chinese hide poachers, donkeys were slaughtered in few states of the federation. But their interest had raised the stakes making it a booming trade in 31 states.

NVMA President, Dr. Godwin Abonyi, disclosed in Abuja, that the association at its recent meeting in Kano “noted the worrisome upsurge in international trade in hides and skin of donkeys from Nigeria and the attendant increase in the number of donkeys slaughtered. Congress cautioned against this practice, which can lead to the extinction of donkeys, and strongly advised that the Federal Government should put in place policies that will promote breeding and discourage indiscriminate slaughtering.”

Also, before this period, donkey meat was only popular in a few states including Ebonyi and Enugu; but the situation has since changed as the meat is today served in restaurants in many cities in the country.

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Abonyi, who said there was nothing nutritionally and scientifically wrong with eating donkey meat regretted that those behind the sale of the meat do so in unhygienic manner and smuggle it into the meat shops.

He explained, “The unfortunate thing is that apart from few states where it is being sold as donkeys, there is this fraudulent presentation as beef, so if you are eating in any public restaurant, the tendency is that you may have eaten donkey. That is one area we condemn. If you want to sell donkey, slaughter and sell it as donkey, those that feel they don’t have any problem eating it, good and fine.

“Of late, we don’t know what the Chinese have found in the skin of donkeys, so they have now invaded this country and there is massive slaughter. People are ready to buy a donkey for N7,000 and slaughter and sell the skin for N35,000 to Chinese for export.”

The NVMA President also said the country could contain the challenges of emerging and re-emerging zoonotic diseases including monkey pox through active surveillance anchored on functional veterinary services.

Aside strengthening of other epidemiological and extension services, he called on the Federal Government to immediately establish Federal Veterinary Specialist Hospital in each of the six geopolitical zones and at least a veterinary clinic in every local government council in the country, for improved veterinary service delivery nationwide, as earlier recommended by the National Council on Agriculture.

Abonyi also urged the Federal Government to set up an all-inclusive technical committee of animal and human health professionals to work out strategies for the containment of zoonotic diseases.

In addition, he decried the dearth of veterinary manpower in the public sector, but however, applauded the Federal Capital Territory Administration as well as the Governments of Yobe and Ogun States for recently employing some veterinary doctors; while urging other states to emulate them.

By Ajansii Mgbom …

 

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