Nigerian officials made a startling discovery in the north-central city of Kontagora last week – thousands of dried donkey penises being smuggled out of the country. The donkey parts were found hidden in a truck headed to Hong Kong, where they are highly valued for use in traditional Chinese medicine.
This massive seizure sheds light on a booming and sinister trade that has wreaked havoc on Nigeria’s donkey population. As demand for donkey skins and body parts has skyrocketed in China in recent years, Nigerian donkeys have been slaughtered by the millions to feed this illicit industry.
Conservationists warn that unchecked, this rapidly growing trade could spell extinction for Nigerian donkeys. Already, the country’s donkey population has plunged from around 3 million in 2016 to just 800,000 today as smugglers try to cash in.
In an effort to halt this alarming decline, Nigeria banned the export and slaughter of donkeys in 2016. However, international criminal networks have continued the brutal trade by smuggling donkey parts out of the country to meet surging demand in China.
The recent seizure of over 3,000 donkey penises was a major bust by Nigerian authorities trying to crack down on this cruel and illegal trade. Officials warned that smugglers caught with donkey parts will face arrest and prosecution as the government continues its fight to protect the nation’s donkeys.
For now, the confiscated donkey penises are set to be destroyed, preventing them from reaching buyers in Hong Kong. But the bigger challenge remains ending the shadowy transnational networks that drive the intense hunting of Nigerian donkeys and the horrors of the illicit donkey skin trade.
