We finance critical veterinary care, rescue missions and rehabilitation support, and conduct long-term outreach programs to educate communities on the care of horses and donkeys. We also work to bring an end to the global donkey skin trade.
Worldwide donkey crisis:
Donkeys are some of the most widely abused equines in the world.
These gentle creatures have played a fundamental role in our society since as far back as 4000 BCE, helping us with physically demanding tasks in some of the most challenging terrains. But these spirited and intelligent long-eared equines do not receive the appreciation they deserve. Instead, donkeys are in crisis all around the world – suffering from abuse, neglect and, worst of all, slaughter at the hands of the horrific Chinese donkey skin trade.
This insatiable industry wipes out hundreds of thousands of donkeys every year so their skins can be used for a traditional medicine called ejiao (pronounced “uh-jee-ow”), which has no proven benefit whatsoever. In Africa, donkeys are bludgeoned to death and sometimes even skinned alive. At the current level of slaughter, donkeys could be extinct within the next four years.
Since 2018, we have made huge strides towards ending the dreadful donkey skin trade. We have caused slaughterhouses in Tanzania and Kenya to be shut down, persuaded the Tanzanian government to ban all donkey slaughter, and successfully lobbied for the banning of the trade in Zimbabwe. We have also worked to replenish depleted donkey populations and improve the conditions for working donkeys in several parts of Africa.
Kenya 🇰🇪
In Kenya, we exposed a slaughterhouse where 2,000 donkeys were killed for their skins every month, which were then exported to China. Thanks in part to our efforts to raise awareness about the situation, donkey slaughter has now been banned in Kenya. The global purchase of donkeys and donkey skins is a savage operation run by organized Chinese syndicates who show no mercy for animals, or for people who get in their way. They often descend on rural villages and steal donkeys, or force owners to sell at giveaway prices, then slaughter the animals in makeshift abattoirs.
Despite the legal ban, donkeys continue to be killed in their droves for the insatiable Chinese donkey skin trade. Together with the KSPCA we work to help protect these gentle creatures. In 2023, we donated three off-road motorbikes to the Anti-Stock Theft Unit, aiming to reduce illicit activities.
In early 2024, we deployed a specialized team to the high-risk areas of Kajiado, Machakos, Kiambu and Nairobi for an initial visit. Our team provided crucial treatment for rescued donkeys in the area. Our plan is to continue fundraising so that our team can sustain this vital work for at least the next year.
Donkey skins in Kenya ready for the Chinese trade.
Greece 🇬🇷
On the Greek island of Santorini, our team uncovered the harsh conditions that donkeys and mules endure during summer tourist seasons. Day after day, the animals are forced to carry tourists up and down a steep 1,300-foot (400-meter) cliff, often working in intense heat with no access to shade, food, or water.
This is because, in an attempt to keep the path clean, donkey owners avoid feeding the animals during work hours, fearing they would soil the trail.
Our investigation revealed disturbing conditions: donkeys with untreated wounds, restrictive wire muzzles to prevent them from eating, and little to no enforcement of regulations meant to protect them. In 2018, local authorities pledged to install water troughs along the path, but then did nothing. When we returned in 2019 to document the situation, our team faced hostility from donkey and mule owners, while police refused to intervene.
Through advocacy and collaboration with local organizations, we launched a campaign that has led to real improvements. Many cruise ships docking in Santorini now have large posters warning passengers to use a readily available cable car instead of donkeys to ascend the cliff.
Now, mules, which are better suited to carry heavier loads, are used instead of donkeys. These animals have access to food and water and are worked less intensively to protect their health and well-being.
As of May 2024, the number of donkey owners has decreased by 70%, with only 30 owners remaining, and the next generation has shown no interest in continuing the trade.
While these changes mark significant progress, our commitment to improving animal welfare on Santorini remains strong.
Israel 🇮🇱
Network for Animals supports the Starting Over Sanctuary (SOS), a haven for neglected donkeys situated in the Moshav Herut region of central Israel. Thanks to our supporters, we provide SOS with regular donations. The funds go directly towards the sanctuary’s work rescuing and rehabilitating numerous donkeys, horses and other animals who find themselves in challenging and abusive situations across Israel.
In 2022, NFA supported the relocation of 200 donkeys rescued from abuse and neglect to La Tanière, a well-vetted sanctuary in France just outside of Paris. This remarkable 2,855-mile (4,595-kilometer) journey was only made possible thanks to the generosity of our supporters.
Dash (pictured above) was rescued by Network for Animals partner, the Starting Over Sanctuary, in Israel after being horrifically abused and injured by a group of children.
South Africa 🇿🇦
In Bela Bela, South Africa, 250 donkeys suffer horrendous abuse, relentlessly worked to the brink of death by day and mercilessly attacked by cruel people seeking to sabotage their competitors by night.
These hard-working animals are routinely used to drag overladen carts and are fitted with unsuitable makeshift harnesses and wire halters, causing untold pain and suffering. Those who buckle under the strain are brutally whipped and beaten. When they simply cannot go on any longer, owners resort to barbaric methods of euthanasia.
Most donkey owners are also so poor that they cannot afford adequate food, leaving their donkeys to starve as they work them to death. Neither do they have safe spaces to stable them overnight, abandoning them to the mercy of the streets.
Working alongside our partner, Rest Ur Ass (RUA), and thanks to our supporters’ generosity, we are working to end this cruelty and save donkey lives through crucial public awareness campaigns, vital food and veterinary care, and the supply of humane harnesses and halters.
Tanzania 🇹🇿
An extensive undercover investigation by Network for Animals in June 2021 revealed the enormous scale and utter cruelty of the Chinese donkey skin trade in Africa. The Chinese use donkey skins to make a medicine called ejiao (pronounced “uh-jee-ow”), which has never been proven to work, and which kills millions of donkeys every year.
In Tanzania, we sent a team to investigate and chronicle illegal slaughtering practices at a Chinese-run donkey slaughterhouse in the north of the Shinyanga region. What we found directly opposed the regulations in place for animal welfare and humane slaughter. Tens of thousands of donkeys were being killed each month, and rather than giving them the compassion of a gentle, pain-free death, slaughterers were cruelly bludgeoning them with hammers.
Together with our partner, the Arusha Society for the Protection of Animals (ASPA), Network for Animals successfully lobbied the Tanzanian government to shut down the abattoir. This was a colossal victory for donkey welfare.
In Tanzania, donkeys were killed in large numbers to supply the Chinese donkey skin trade. Network for Animals played a vital role in bringing to an end the slaughter which the government has now banned.
In 2022, ASPA alerted us to a dreadful situation at a market in a rural region called Mirongoine. Every week, more than 1,000 donkeys are forced to walk 10 miles (16 kilometers) in blistering heat while massively overladen, severely injured, hungry and without access to fresh drinking water. To give these donkeys some much-needed relief, we were able to construct a shaded area with built-in water troughs that can accommodate up to 200 donkeys. We laid pipes connected to the nearby municipal water supply and are pumping in an ample amount of water for thirsty donkeys. Our team regularly visits the market to treat the donkeys and monitor their welfare.
With the help of our partner, the Brady Hunter Foundation, we constructed an additional three shaded areas with built-in water troughs in November 2023 to accommodate the remaining 600 donkeys who visit the market each week.
In the remote town of Geita in northwestern Tanzania, donkeys are used to haul backbreaking weights in an archaic method of gold mining, causing terrible suffering to these gentle creatures. With our support, ASPA began conducting monthly visits to the area to provide the donkeys with deworming medication, medical care and proper saddlebags so they cannot be overloaded.
Zimbabwe 🇿🇼
In Zimbabwe, we work with Matabeleland Animal Rescue and Equine Sanctuary (MARES) in Bulawayo that combats cruelty, rescues donkeys, and fights to end the donkey skin trade. Zimbabwe is a bankrupt state with very few medicines available for animals and no money to buy them with.
MARES rescues terribly abused donkeys throughout Bulawayo and beyond. In rural, poverty-stricken Zimbabwe, people use donkeys as a means of earning a pitiful wage by carting junk and rubble. As a result, the animals incur terrible injuries which are never treated, and when they collapse from disease or pain – having been severely overworked their entire lives – they are usually left to die on the spot. Some of the worst cases of abuse we have dealt with have been in Zimbabwe – for example, Melody who was sexually assaulted by humans, and Althea who was axed almost to death – both rescued by MARES.
We also provide emergency relief for MARES’ donkeys. In December 2023 and January 2024, we rushed 500 bales of hay and 26 bags of feed to donkeys facing starvation during a brutal drought. We also helped fund an emergency relocation for 50 donkeys who were facing starvation, and who now live in an area with lush grazing fields.
With the drought stretching on with little relief in sight, we knew we had to develop a long-term solution. We have secured a 2,100-acre (863-hectare) farm with a 99-year lease near Hwange National Park, where we are busy planting 4,500 drought-resistant moringa trees, which will feed 500 donkeys every year for the foreseeable future.
Helping horses in need:
Horses and ponies have played an integral role in our society for centuries, aiding us in physically demanding tasks across diverse landscapes. Despite their spirited nature and intelligence, these four-legged companions often lack the recognition they deserve. Unfortunately, horses and ponies worldwide are enduring abuse, neglect, and the grim fate of being slaughtered for their body parts.
One pressing issue is the ruthless exploitation of equines for illegal bush racing. In particular, the underground horse racing industry poses a significant threat. This illicit practice subjects horses and ponies to extreme conditions, often resulting in injuries, neglect and, in some cases, fatalities.
We’ve made substantial progress in combating illegal horse racing. Our efforts have focused on exposing and dismantling these operations, advocating for stronger regulations, and providing support for the rehabilitation of horses and ponies affected by this cruel practice. Additionally, we’ve been dedicated to replenishing dwindling horse and pony populations and enhancing the living conditions of working equines in different parts of the world.
Croatia 🇭🇷
In Croatia, beneath the cruel guise of “tradition,” horses are chained, terrorized and mercilessly beaten for barbaric log-pulling competitions known as straparijada, for no better reason than human amusement and gambling profits. Our partner, Animal Friends Croatia, is working to end these horse competitions completely.
United Kingdom 🇬🇧
In the United Kingdom, we support the HUGS Foundation, an equine rescue charity in the rural area in Bodmin. HUGS is a haven for abused, abandoned and neglected horses and ponies. The team always tries to find homes for rescued creatures, but more often than not, they remain at the sanctuary for the rest of their lives due to their histories of mistreatment and need for long-term specialist care. HUGS tries to never turn away innocent creatures in need.
An excellent example of HUGS’ work is the case of a group of animals – six miniature Shetland ponies, a moorland pony and a donkey – who were at risk of being slaughtered when their owner became too old to care for them. With our support, the HUGS team was able to save all eight of them, including Igor, a tiny white pony who suffers from dwarfism. Igor is now part of HUGS’ well-being program, providing support to children, veterans and the elderly.
In another distressingly similar case, after their owner suddenly fell ill, three rescued donkeys were destined to starve to death or worse, be slaughtered for their meat to feed to zoo animals. We helped fund their specialized nutrition, medical treatment and stabling, saving them from the slaughterhouse.
HUGS is a haven for 45 horses, ponies and donkeys rescued from terrible abuse and neglect. Credit: HUGS