Everyone who cares even remotely about animals knows of endangered species. The black rhino, the African elephant, the panda bear, the pangolin, the leatherback turtles, and so on, all dying out because of the human race’s neglection to their protection. We know the polar bears are suffering from climate change, and the orangutans are losing their homes to deforestation. Something that most are unaware of, however, is the disappearing donkey.

Just like the pangolin, the donkey was traditionally used in Chinese medicines. The donkey hide is boiled down to help the gelatin in the hide escape, then the gelatin is developed into ejiao (pronounced eh-gee-yow), a sort of jelly that is said to help with blood circulation and reproductive problems, though no benefits have ever been proved.

In Asian and African countries surrounding China, donkeys are being purchased in large quantities and stolen from rightful owners. The price of a donkey has increased dramatically,  according to NPR. In Kenya, the price for one young adult donkey went from $40 in February of 2017 to $160 in August of that same year. Donkey populations have decreased by 39%, and between December 2016 and March 2017, 705 donkeys were reported as stolen from Kajiado County, Kenya.

While a first thought might be, ‘Donkeys are on the path to becoming endangered? Well, what does this have to do with me?!?’ think again, Tahoma. We have the chance to stop a potential Dodo follow up, and not just for the donkey. Show you care about animals and the environment by sharing this article and others that deal with the difficult topic of our diminishing species. Donate to a local wetlands, or spend some time at a river with friends. And remember: your choices impact others; you get to decide how.