{"id":28400,"date":"2016-09-07T06:37:13","date_gmt":"2016-09-07T06:37:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/niger-bans-the-export-of-donkeys-after-asian\/"},"modified":"2016-09-07T06:37:10","modified_gmt":"2016-09-07T06:37:10","slug":"niger-bans-the-export-of-donkeys-after-asian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/niger-bans-the-export-of-donkeys-after-asian\/","title":{"rendered":"Niger bans the export of donkeys after Asian demand"},"content":{"rendered":"

{Niger has banned the export of donkeys, warning that a three-fold increase in trade, mainly to Asian countries, is threatening its donkey population.}<\/p>\n

“If the export continues the animals will be decimated,” a government official has told the BBC.<\/p>\n

China imports many donkey hides, using the gelatin in medicinal tonics, aphrodisiacs and anti-ageing creams.<\/p>\n

In August, neighbouring Burkina Faso banned the export of donkey skins on similar grounds.<\/p>\n

“About 80,000 donkeys have been exported so far this year compared to 27,000 last year,” Atte Issa, at Niger’s livestock ministry, said.<\/p>\n

The government has also banned the slaughter of any donkeys within Niger.<\/p>\n

The BBC’s Baro Arzika in Niger’s capital, Niamey, says the trade in donkeys has become so profitable that livestock sellers are abandoning other animals for the donkey trade.<\/p>\n

A donkey now costs between $100 (\u00a375) and $145, when it used to cost about $34.<\/p>\n

A similar price hike in donkey skin was witnessed in Burkina Faso where the animal’s hide rose from about $4 (\u00a33) a few years ago to $50.<\/p>\n

In both countries donkeys are commonly used to transport goods, though some communities eat their meat.<\/p>\n

The ban was issued through a joint decree by Niger’s ministries of farming, finance and internal affairs and trade.<\/p>\n

{{Why China can’t get enough donkeys: By Fuchsia Dunlop, BBC News}}<\/p>\n

Gelatin made from donkey skin is highly prized in China as a medicinal tonic, thought to nourish the blood, boost the immune system and act as a general pick-me-up. It is sometimes referred to as one of the “three nourishing treasures” (zi bu san bao), along with ginseng and the antlers of young deer.<\/p>\n

The most famous donkey gelatin is produced in Dong’e County in north-eastern Shandong Province, where it is traditionally made with the local well-water.<\/p>\n

Donkey gelatin is sometimes mixed with walnuts, goji berries and other tonic foods and sold in dark, gummy slabs that can be eaten as a snack.<\/p>\n

Health and longevity is a Chinese national obsession, and tonic foods like this are often lavishly packaged and presented as expensive gifts.<\/p>\n

Aside from gelatin, donkey meat is a delicacy in some Chinese regions, especially in the north of the country.<\/p>\n

Here, the lean meat is often simmered in a richly-spiced broth, and then cooled, sliced and served with a refreshing dip of chopped garlic and vinegar. The meat has a fine, dense texture and a marvellous flavour that’s a little reminiscent of beef.<\/p>\n

In northern Hebei province, one famous snack is the lu rou huo shao, in which chopped, spiced donkey meat is mixed with fresh green chilli and stuffed into a layered pastry – its name is sometimes translated into English as a “donkey burger”.
\nDonkey meat may also be made into soups and stews.<\/p>\n

As the Chinese middle classes have grown richer, demand for donkey gelatin and other tonic delicacies has soared – in January the New York Times reported that a shortage of donkey gelatin had encouraged a boom in imitation products.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

{Niger has banned the export of donkeys, warning that a three-fold increase in trade, mainly to Asian countries, is threatening its donkey population.} “If the export continues the animals will be decimated,” a government official has told the BBC. China imports many donkey hides, using the gelatin in medicinal tonics, aphrodisiacs and anti-ageing creams. In […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[100],"byline":[249],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-28400","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-africa","byline-bbc"],"bylines":[{"id":249,"name":"BBC","slug":"bbc","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":104}],"contributors":[{"id":249,"name":"BBC","slug":"bbc","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":104}],"featured_image":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28400"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28400\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28400"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28400"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=28400"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=28400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}