Will Pope Francis Defend Donkeys From Slaughter Ahead of Christmas?
PETA supporters and Italian animal protection group Animalisti Italiani gathered outside the Vatican today to urge Pope Francis to denounce ejiao – a Chinese “medicine” made from the boiled-down hides of baby donkeys who are often bludgeoned and killed in Africa and shipped to China.
PETA is calling on Pope Francis to defend these gentle animals, who feature prominently in the Bible, from enduring a painful death by denouncing this atrocity ahead of Christmas.
A PETA video exposé of the ejiao industry reveals that thousands of donkeys are kept in filthy, cramped, concrete-floored pens and are beaten when they reach the donkey market. Finally, workers strike them over the head with sledgehammers, slit their throats, and cut off their skin. The footage shows that some animals continue to breathe and move even after this horrific abuse.
The gelatine from their boiled-down skins then goes into “superstition medicines”, which are used for everything from erectile dysfunction to boils, and is even sold in energy drinks and sweets.
What You Can Do for Donkeys
While every bit of ejiao represents the pain and fear of a baby donkey who was violently killed, most people have no idea that this industry even exists. Please share this information and video with others:
The best thing we can do for animals is to stop eating them. Take PETA’s 30-day vegan pledge and we’ll help you make the transition to vegan living and save nearly 200 animals every year:
