By Dr. Gyan Pathak
India’s donkeys are facing existential crisis. Their population has suffered about 90 per cent drop in the last three decades, and a drastic 61 per cent between 2012 and 2019. Concerns have repeatedly been raised, however, no comprehensive conservation programme has yet been initiated by either the Centre or the States.
The severeness of the existential threat to donkeys is obvious by the fall of their population which declined to 1.2 lakh in India in 2019 as against 9.67 lakh in 1992 as per the livestock census of India. Donkey population in the country was 3.19 lakh in 2012.
The crisis they have been facing is chiefly due to increasing mechanization in agricultural activities, their illegal slaughtering and smuggling of their meat and skin to other countries. The lack of government support does the rest of the contribution in aggravating their existential crisis.
Only meeting and some awareness programme are organized, but they are not followed up with necessary steps to protect the species. At best such programmes only try to promote donkey farming. For example, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the officials for Union government from department of animal husbandry and dairying, the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and several NGOs have me in November, 2022 to discuss the revival of donkey population in the country, but nothing substantial came out even after expiry of four months. In the meantime, we have seen the Union Budget 2023-24, that speaks nothing about saving donkeys.
In August, an Entrepreneurship Development Programme on Donkey Farming was organized in Bikaner, in the State of Rajasthan, a state housing one fifth of the donkeys of the country. The population in the state has plunged by around 72 per cent from 81,000 to just 23,000 in just seven years between 2012 and 1019. It was said during the programme that such a fall necessitated adopting conservation strategies to save this endangered species.
Needless to say that right policies are not in place. Seizure of 400 kg of donkey meat from four different locations of Andhra Pradesh in October, 2022 clearly indicated that smuggling and illegal trade in donkey meat and skins continued despite legal ban in India. A study by Brooke, an international welfare charity, has found evidence of a dark underbelly decimating the Indian donkey population.
According to sources, donkey meat is believed to ease backpain, asthma, and increase masculine virility. It has also been reported that donkey skis are mostly exported to China for “ejiao” production, a gelatin that is used in traditional Chinese medicine believed to improve blood circulation and treat conditions like anemia.
Though, the Centre led by BJP leader Narendra Modi had done a little to save donkeys, the former Union Minister and BJP Leader has now started campaigning in favour of donkeys. The Sultanpur MP has been shown in a social media programme addressing a gathering in her constituency, “Cleopatra, a very famous queen, used to bathe in donkey’s milk. Soaps made with donkey’s milk cost ₹ 500 apiece in Delhi. Why don’t we start making soaps with goat’s milk and with donkey’s milk?”
Entrepreneurship Development Programme on Donkey Farming held is August in Rajasthan had also emphasized that there was an increase in the demand for donkey milk and its by-products has been observed together with that of meat products that are commercialized in European markets and as specific dietary product.
It was claimed that even in our country, many upcoming farmers and entrepreneurs are adopting donkey milk as business venture as due to its unique rheological properties. ICAR- National Research Centre on Equines, Hisar is also working in the direction of developing a donkey dairy unit and aiming at studying the special properties of the donkey milk.
Such programmes are good but not enough, since they include only theory and practical training on donkey rearing, breeding, milking and value addition of donkey milk including innovation products and packaging solutions. We need much more, a comprehensive conservation strategy.
Presently, most of the donkey population are centred in Rajasthan, Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Not only these but other states are also required to come out with government support and proper conservation strategies. Farmers engaged in donkey rearing also need incentives and marketing support to make their farming more profitable. (IPA Service)
