# Donkey — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Equus asinus (Linnaeus, 1758)*

> Donkeys (Equus asinus) are domestic equids used worldwide for transport and companionship — their wild ancestor is Critically Endangered; millions are killed yearly for the ejiao skin trade.

**IUCN status:** Domestic species; wild ancestor Critically Endangered  ·  **WARN range:** Worldwide — domestic; wild ancestor in North-east Africa

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Domestic population | ~50 million worldwide |
| Wild ancestor | African wild ass — Critically Endangered |
| Related guide | Working donkey |
| Main threat | Ejiao skin trade |
| Uses | Transport, pack work, guarding, companionship |
| CITES | Appendix I — African wild ass |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Perissodactyla
- **Family:** Equidae
- **Species:** Equus asinus (Linnaeus, 1758)

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Domestic donkey abundant but trade-threatened; African wild ass Critically Endangered.
- **Population:** ~50 million domestic; African wild ass fewer than 600 wild
- **Trend:** Decreasing for African wild ass and in ejiao-export regions
- **Assessed:** 2020 (African wild ass)
- **CITES:** Appendix I — African wild ass

## Key facts: Donkey
- Donkeys are domestic equids — wild ancestor is the Critically Endangered African wild ass.
- Roughly 50 million donkeys support rural transport where vehicles cannot reach.
- The ejiao skin trade kills millions of donkeys annually — a global welfare crisis.
- Working donkeys need hoof care, shelter, water and rest — not disposable tools.
- WARN's working donkey guide covers welfare for animals in transport and agriculture.
- Donkeys are intelligent, social animals with strong bonds to companions.

## Domestic donkeys and wild ancestors
Domestic donkeys descend from the African wild ass, domesticated roughly 6,000 years ago in North-east Africa and the Middle East. Today breeds range from the miniature Mediterranean donkey to large American mammoth jacks used for mule production. Donkeys carry loads, pull carts, guard livestock against predators and serve as companions — particularly for horses, whose calm presence reduces equine stress.

The African wild ass — ancestor of the domestic donkey — persists in Critically Endangered populations in Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia. Hybridisation with feral donkeys and hunting threaten the last wild lineages. The onager and kiang are related wild equids of Asia.

This hub introduces donkeys as a group. WARN's working donkey guide addresses welfare for animals carrying loads in Pakistan, Colombia and other partner regions where donkeys remain essential infrastructure.

## Working donkey welfare
Working donkeys often lack basic care: overgrown hooves, ill-fitting tack, excessive loads and no access to shade or water. Heat stress, wounds from poor harnessing and colic from irregular feeding are common. Donkeys mask pain — stoic behaviour leads owners to overlook suffering until collapse.

Effective welfare programmes provide farriery, harness padding, load limits and owner education. Rest days, companion donkeys and shelter from sun and rain dramatically improve working lives. In Pakistan — a WARN partner country — donkeys transport goods in urban and rural settings where veterinary access is limited.

Donkeys are not small horses: they need lower-sugar diets, careful parasite management and patient handling. Fear-based training creates dangerous animals; positive reinforcement builds cooperative working partners.

## The ejiao skin trade crisis
Ejiao is a gelatin extracted from donkey skins, used in traditional Chinese medicine and cosmetics. Demand surged in the 2010s, triggering mass slaughter across Africa, South America and Asia. Countries including Burkina Faso, Niger and Kenya banned donkey export after local populations collapsed.

The trade kills animals inhumanely — stolen, transported long distances without food or water, slaughtered for skin while meat is discarded. Rural communities lose essential transport overnight. Illegal smuggling routes persist through borders with weak enforcement.

Campaigns for synthetic alternatives, CITES listing proposals and national export bans are conservation and welfare priorities. Consumers can refuse ejiao products and support donkey welfare charities operating farriery clinics.

## Donkeys and people
Donkeys appear in biblical narrative, Aesop's fables and rural economies on every continent. They are patient, intelligent and form strong pair bonds — separating companions causes measurable distress.

Responsible ownership means veterinary access, appropriate nutrition, hoof trimming every six to eight weeks and retirement rather than disposal when working life ends. Supporting WARN's working animal appeals funds farriery and harness repair where partners operate alongside horse welfare programmes.

## Related WARN donkey guides
This hub covers donkeys as a species. WARN's working donkey guide addresses load limits, harness fit, heat stress and farriery for animals in transport and agriculture — with links to horse welfare appeals where programmes overlap.

Horse and zebra guides address other equids. Together these pages map the horse family for readers researching working animals, companions and wild relatives.

## What WARN does
WARN supports working animal welfare through partner programmes — farriery, harness repair and owner education for donkeys and horses in Pakistan, Colombia and beyond. This hub is free education explaining why donkeys are not disposable tools.

If this guide helps you understand wildlife and the pressures it faces, a gift to WARN supports habitat protection and free public education in our partner countries.

## Frequently asked questions: Donkey
### How many donkeys are there in the world?
Roughly 50 million domestic donkeys worldwide, concentrated in Africa, Asia and Latin America where they provide essential transport.

### Are donkeys endangered?
Domestic donkeys are abundant but face the ejiao skin trade crisis. The African wild ass — their ancestor — is Critically Endangered with fewer than 600 wild individuals.

### What is ejiao?
A gelatin from donkey skins used in traditional Chinese medicine and cosmetics. Demand drives mass slaughter and export bans across Africa.

### How are donkeys different from horses?
Donkeys are separate equids with longer ears, different vocalisations (braying), stoic pain masking and dietary needs — they are not simply small horses.

### What do working donkeys need?
Clean water, shade, appropriate loads, well-fitted harnesses, hoof trimming every six to eight weeks, companion animals and rest days.

### Where is WARN's working donkey guide?
At /wildlife-guides/working-donkey — welfare detail for animals in transport and agriculture, linked from this donkey hub.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List — Equus africanus](https://www.iucnredlist.org/)
- [The Donkey Sanctuary](https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/)
- [Brooke — working equids](https://www.thebrooke.org/)

---
Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/donkey