Each year, millions of donkeys are brutally slaughtered for the production of ejiao (eh-gee-yow), medicinal gelatin that is made from boiling the skins of these animals. The donkey skin trade is now decimating global donkey populations as well as harming the impoverished global communities that rely on them for survival. 

The global demand for donkey skins is approximately 8,000,000 to 10,000,000 skins per year. The United States is the third-largest importer of ejiao, behind China and Hong Kong, with $12,000,000 in annual imports each year. 

To meet this demand, donkeys and their skins are being exported all over the world, particularly from Africa and Latin America. However, according to the Donkey Sanctuary, half of the world's donkey population would need to be slaughtered in the next five years in order to keep up with the current market demand.  Luckily, countries across the world are starting to take action. Just this year, 54 African countries joined together to ban the ejiao trade.

The increasing number of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) burros in kill pens and slaughter auctions raises serious concerns about burros being put at risk of entering the donkey skin trade and the production of ejiao. 

Luckily, U.S. House Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) has reintroduced the ​​Ejiao Act (H.R. 6021), which would ban the knowing sale or transportation of ejiao made using donkey skin, or products containing ejiao made using donkey skin, in interstate or foreign commerce. 

Please take a moment to tell your U.S. Representative to cosponsor the Ejiao Act to ban the sale or transportation of ejiao in the United States!

1. Call the Capitol Hill Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your U.S. Representative. You will likely be asked to leave a message. Simply say:

“I'm a constituent, and I'm calling to ask you to please cosponsor the Ejiao (eh-gee-yow) Act (H.R. 6021) and do all you can to pass this bill. Restricting trade on all ejiao products would help save global donkey populations and the communities that rely on these animals.”

2. Follow your call up with a personalized email to your legislators below.