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Donkey exports to China threaten animal population in Egypt

The increasing demand in China for donkey hides from Egypt has taken its toll on the donkey population, posing several risks on the environment.
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The lucrative trade in donkey hides on the back of a growing Chinese demand for donkey skin is posing a threat to the animal population in Egypt. The donkey population fell from 3.2 million in 2010 to around 1.6 million at present, an animal rights activist told Al-Monitor. Within 20 years, donkeys could become extinct in Egypt due to the hide trade.

Although the Egyptian authorities set in 2012 an export quota of 8,000 hides annually, a higher demand from Chinese pharmaceutical companies has created a black market for hides in Egypt over the past eight years.

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