China's Demand for Donkey Hides Linked to Egypt's Plummeting Population

Egypt's donkey population has collapsed from roughly 3 million to just 1 million, a decline the head of the country's farmers' union warns could lead to their complete disappearance without government intervention. Hussein Abu Saddam, the union's president, sounded the alarm over the unprecedented drop, which he attributes to a combination of modern farming trends and a booming international market for donkey hides.

Abu Saddam stated that the global donkey population is estimated at about 40 million but is in steady decline. He noted that Egypt had become the Arab world's leader in donkey numbers after regional shifts, yet its own count has fallen dramatically to approximately one million animals.

Chinese Market and Illegal Slaughter

A key driver of the crisis, according to Abu Saddam, is surging demand from China for donkey hides, which are used to manufacture expensive medicines and cosmetics. The economics of this trade are stark: a live donkey in Egypt sells for between 15,000 and 20,000 Egyptian pounds, while its hide alone can fetch 25,000 to 40,000 pounds on international markets—meaning the skin can be worth more than double the price of the whole animal. This price gap, he said, has fueled illegal slaughter operations in some areas.

While legal exports of hides are permitted under veterinary controls and limited to a set annual quota, Abu Saddam warned that illicit butchering is spreading. He pointed to a recent case uncovered in the al-Adwa district of Minya governorate as an example of the problem.

Mechanization and Economic Pressures

The farmers' union chief also linked the decline to sweeping changes in Egyptian agriculture. The increasing use of modern machinery—such as tuk-tuks, three-wheeled vehicles, and tractors—has replaced donkeys for transport and farm work. At the same time, rising feed costs have made raising donkeys less economically viable compared to cattle and buffalo.

Abu Saddam further cited a lack of proper veterinary care, neglect by some breeders, and low reproduction rates driven by weak demand for live animals as factors compounding the problem. He called for preserving the donkey as a vital resource in rural and rugged areas where machinery cannot reach, stressing the need for veterinary support and public awareness of the animal's economic and social importance.

The donkey, a historic symbol of Egyptian agricultural life, now faces existential threats from both technological progress and global economic pressures, particularly China's appetite for its hide.