The first sign of trouble was the rate at which donkeys disappeared. Then there were reports carcasses had been found. By the time a donkey owner knows their animal is missing, it has already been slaughtered to feed a market that considers it a delicacy.
Even though donkey meat is “only for export”, there are reports that some may have illegally been diverted to local butcheries.
As such, donkey meat remains a major cause of controversy in the country.
During the Africa Animal Welfare Conference organised by Africa Network for Animals between October 2 and 3, the sticky issue surrounding donkey meat was discussed.
Animals experts raised concerns that the rising demand for donkey meat, coupled with the emerging trade on its skin in China, could wipe out the donkey population in Kenya.
The conference, held at the UN complex in Gigiri, sought to explore the nexus between animal welfare, environment and development.
Donkey Sanctuary head of programmes Alex Mayers warned that livelihoods will be hurt by the demand for donkeys.
“Communities have a heavy reliance on donkeys as working animals. Unfortunately, the issues are compounded by global reliance, particularly in emerging markets,” he said.
Mayers said the donkey has been used as a delicacy, but its skin is now an emerging trade.
In Kenya, two donkey abattoirs are in operation: Goldox Kenya Ltd in Mogotio, Baringo county, which processes about 600 donkeys a day, and Star Brilliant abattoir in Kinamba, Naivasha county.
Licensing of donkey slaughterhouses has remained divisive as a result of local taboos associated with the consumption of donkey meat.
Meat Control (amendment) Act 2012 documented donkey alongside horse as a food animal in Kenya.
VANISHING ACTS
Cases of donkeys getting lost have become rampant, especially in Naivasha.
Mayers urged the government to close the donkey abattoirs, saying donkey numbers in the country are not sustainable.
From a census in 1999, there are approximately 1,832,519 donkeys in Kenya, with over half of this population being used for work in transport and tillage operations.
About a third of the donkeys are in poor condition due to human abuse and misuse, which emanate from strong myths, inhumane traditional practices and malnutrition.
Mayers, who spoke during a presentation by the Africa Network for Animal Welfare, said out of the 44 million donkeys worldwide, about 1.8 million donkey skins are being traded every year.
In China, donkey skin is used to produce traditional Chinese medicine called Ejiao or Donkey hide skin. Mayers said the medicine, which also contains roots, has been promoted as a product worthy of emperors.
Chinese claim the Ejiao has wide-ranging heath benefits, including anti-aging properties, an increase in libido and reduction of reproductive organ diseases in women.
This, Mayers said, will decimate the donkey population.
Experts on animal welfare said police are not interested in pursuing stolen donkeys, which in most cases get slaughtered and passed onto unsuspecting customers.
Brooke East Africa advocacy officer Samuel Theuri said “it has been difficult to link theft and slaughter of donkeys in the country”.
Theuri said a donkey remains a valuable asset providing multiple functions to a household.
“Evidence shows that strong demand for donkey products (skin and meat) is driving theft and illegal killing of donkeys to unsustainable levels, and that most donkey populations in Africa are already in decline or soon will be so, some of them dramatically,” he said.
Theuri said communities themselves remain the best line of defence in protecting donkeys from theft. He said donkey theft and illegal killings are crimes depriving and impoverishing community livelihoods.
Means to deter the trend, he said, include owner protection, conservation of donkey populations and adequate implementation of animal rights laws.
FACTORY FARMING
Also discussed during the conference was welfare of other domestic animals, such as chicken, cows, dogs, pigs and turkeys.
PS Andrew Tuimur agreed with animal welfare experts that it is wrong to mistreat animals by disregarding their welfare.
He blamed the trend on the growing human population and advancements in technology, industry, economy and infrastructure that have forced people to adopt intensive farming known as factory farming.
Factory farms hold large numbers of animals, typically chicken, cows, pigs or turkeys, often indoors, typically at high densities. The animals are raised for food.
Animal experts believe efficiency has trumped animal welfare.
In the US, for instance, over 99 per cent of farm animals are raised in factory farms, a booming business that focuses on profit and efficiency while disregarding animal welfare. Animal welfare experts say this is wrong.
Experts say factory farming produces large qualities of meat, eggs and milk at the lowest cost, which has a negative impact on animal welfare, people and environment.
Tuimur said animals form an integral part of our environment and if their welfare is ignored, habitat and biodiversity will be affected.
Livestock farming in Kenya contributes to 12 per cent of GDP and 40 per cent of agriculture GDP.
The sector employs about 50 per cent of the national agriculture workforce and about 90 per cent of ASAL workforce. Ninety five per cent of ASAL households’ income comes from the sector.
“Nutrients recycling that offers sustainable support to plants and animals lives has been greatly interfered with through destruction of the natural environment by mankind,” he said.
COSMETIC TESTS
The use of live animals in the cosmetics industry also came up. Cosmetic manufacturers use them to test their products.
Dr Maina Ngotho, production head of Mount Kenya University’s animal health department, said despite inadequate information, he is not aware of such tests being conducted locally.
“I must admit we still do not know who does research using animals,” he said.
Ngotho said the 2014 guidelines were only put in place to allow the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation — the custodian of science and research — to bring on board players.
Cosmetic companies in many parts of the world use animals to test their cosmetics. According to Humane Society International, approximately 100,000 to 200,000 animals globally suffer and die from cosmetic tests every year around the world.
They include rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, rats and mice. While dogs and monkeys are never used to test cosmetics anywhere in the world, they are used to test other types of chemicals.
Typically, animal tests for cosmetics include skin and eye irritation tests, where chemicals are rubbed onto the shaved skin or dripped into the eyes of rabbits.
This could be done for weeks or months to look for signs of general illness or specific health hazards, including cancer or birth defects, and even widely condemned “lethal dose” tests, in which animals are forced to swallow massive amounts of a test chemical to determine the dose that causes death.
These tests can cause considerable pain and distress, including blindness, swollen eyes, sore bleeding skin, internal bleeding and organ damage, birth defects, convulsions and death. Pain relief is not provided and at the end of a test the animals are killed, normally by asphyxiation, neck-breaking or decapitation.
Ngotho said there should be ethics applied to the way animals are handled.
Kenya Veterinary Board chair man Mwenda Mbaka noted that there has been an improvement in how Kenyans handle animals.