Donkeys are vanishing from Madhya Pradesh - China is to blame!

There is a mystery surrounding the donkeys of Madhya Pradesh that are disappearing - latest figures revealed by the state animal husbandry department reveal that these animals are disappearing faster than tigers. Going by the 19th census report, the donkey population in MP has gone down by 75 per cent - from 49,289 in 1997 to 14,916 in 2012.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 7 February 2017.

It seems China is to blame because it sources the animals from Madhya Pradesh and use them to produce medicinal tonics, aphrodisiacs and anti-ageing creams. They extract a gelatin from the hides of the donkeys - this gelatin is a key ingredient for ejiao which is one of China's most popular traditional remedies.
Ejiao is used for a variety of conditions including bleeding, dizziness, insomnia and dry cough and the edible form of ejiao is mixed with almonds and sesame seeds and served as a snack in certain parts of China. Donkey hides are being smuggled out of Madhya Pradesh to exporters in Delhi and Maharashtra at rock bottom prices of Rs 10-20 per hide.
Africa has banned sale of donkey hides to China and, hence, it has turned to India and Pakistan to meet its requirement of donkey hides.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

New luxury cruise liner Seabourn Encore is labeled as 'sexiest ship at sea'

Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi at Rajghat gets a new look

200-year-old banyan tree uprooted by cyclone Vardah replanted in Chennai


The curse of social media – cold blooded murders committed

Saraswati Puja means entering a new phase of life

Moody on UFO, Mangalyaan and Moon Mission for monkey baat (satire)


Naomie Harris gets Oscar nomination in the best-supporting actress category for Moonlight

Nicole Kidman could earn $8 million if she writes her autobiography

Sets of the film Padmavati in Jaipur vandalised, Bhansali cancels shooting


Mayor of London worried about ISIS attacks on the city

Militants in Indonesia looking for women terrorists

Six people shot dead by gunmen in a mosque in Quebec City during evening prayers