05/08/2026
National Donkey Day ❤️
The Ejiao Act (H.R. 5544)
The Ejiao Act would prohibit the transport, sale and purchase within the US of products containing ejiao and of donkeys and donkey hides for the production of ejiao.
Ejiao, a gelatin made from boiled donkey hides, is used in traditional Chinese medicine and cosmetics. China’s donkey population has literally been decimated in recent years due to the soaring demand. Suppliers of ejiao have now spread their operations and the worlds donkey population is now in danger. This global trade causes horrific suffering to not only donkeys but the communities that rely on them for survival. Donkeys are being stolen, transported long distances without food or water and killed under inhumane and unsanitary conditions.
Once produced in limited quantities for China’s elite, ejiao is now marketed to the Chinese middle class. By one estimate, 4.8 millions donkeys are now being killed each year to meet this demand. China’s donkey population has plummeted from 9 million in 1997 to 2 million in 2018. To fill their demand, China has turned to imports from Africa, the Americas and other parts of Asia. Because of this, the worlds donkey population is in extreme danger.
The US is the third largest importer of ejiao in the world accounting for approximately $12 million in annual imports. The growing sale of ejiao in the US deepens the crisis affecting donkeys and the communities who rely on them for their livelihoods. Amazon and Etsy are two of the largest importers in the US. The Ejiao Act would ensure that the US no longer supports this inhumane trade, thereby setting a strong precedent for other nations to help shut down this market.
The loss of a donkey for a family in an impoverished community can have devastating consequences on their ability to survive. Donkeys transport people and goods to market, schools, and health clinics. They carry water and work beside the family every day. Imagine waking up and finding your donkey, who is a family member and a key source of survival, stolen, only to find them slaughtered and skinned – sometimes in the bush or street just outside your property. The ability to earn money, grow food, access water and send your children to school has just been stolen. Your life, your family and your future are all at risk and there is no money to replace your donkey.
What does this have to do with you? How can you help these families? Keep reading to find out.
Donkeys sacrificed to the ejiao trade experience extreme cruelty. A report by the Donkey Sanctuary found that in some transports, up to 20 % die before reaching the slaughterhouse. Traders care only about the hides , and with no oversight, there is little incentive to provide care during transport. Donkeys are commonly killed in the ‘bush’ and bludgeoned with a hammer before their throats are slit. For those that do survive the journey, death at the slaughterhouse is neither quick nor painless. Footage of donkeys being beaten, dragged by their ears and tails and subjected to unsuccessful stunning attempts prior to slaughter have been documented.
Here is where you come in:
The Ejaio Act would prohibit the transport, sale and purchase within the US of ejiao products and of donkeys and donkey hides for the production of ejiao. Ejiao production entails severe animal welfare concerns and health and safety issues, and threatens to decimate populations of these trusted animals who are so integral to communites across the world. Passage of the Ejiao Act wold ensure that the US no longer supports this cruel, destabilizing, and dangerous trade thereby helping to protect impoverished communities that rely on their family donkey as well as preventing our US donkeys from being exported to support this barbaric trade.
The Ejaio act was intoduced to the House of Representatives by Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) in Sept 2025 and awaits further action – Contact your representatives today to show your support
Contact:
Sen Susan Collins – 202-224-2523
413 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington DC 20510-1904 Rep. Jared Golden – 202-225-6306
US House of Rep 1107 Longworth House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
Sen Angus King – 202-224-5344
US Senate 133 hart Senate Office Building Washington DC
20510
Rep. Chellie Pingree – 202-225-5590
US House of Rep 2354 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515
Ask questions of the upcoming candidates: Will you support the Ejiao Act? Do you know the consequences of the ejiao trade and how the US contributes to the problem?
This information was obtained from the Animal Welfare Institute, the Donkey Sanctuary and Brooke USA
