Global demand for ejiao (donkey hide gelatin) used in Chinese traditional medicine is causing a welfare and supply crisis affecting millions of donkeys across Africa and Asia.
The ejiao crisis represents the intersection of traditional medicine demand, globalised supply chains, and the welfare of working animals that communities depend on. Donkeys are stolen or sold by desperate communities; they travel enormous distances in poor conditions; they are slaughtered in facilities lacking welfare infrastructure. The communities losing their donkeys lose their primary working animal — cascading welfare and economic harm. The most direct solutions involve export bans (which some countries have implemented), supporting development of synthetic alternatives, and consumer pressure in Chinese markets where ejiao is sold.