How to break the law and get away with it
Botswana’s controversial Bo Chang donkey abattoir is back in business. It’s flouting the law and setting a dangerous precedent, reports Oscar Nkala...
17 February, 2021
Donkey trade files
Donkey rustlers profit off wildlife trafficking routes
Cross-border donkey smugglers in Zimbabwe and Botswana are operating pipelines used for ivory, pangolins and Covid-19 contraband. Oscar Nkala investigates...
08 September, 2020
Tanzania’s U-turn on donkey hides boosts cross-border trafficking
Lifting of a ban on donkey abattoirs has stimulated a regional animal welfare and security crisis in East Africa. Oscar Nkala investigates...
12 December, 2019
On the trail of Mali’s dangerous donkey traffickers
Mali restricted the sale and slaughter of donkeys for skins in 2016, so syndicates have turned to smuggling stolen animals to Ghana. Oscar Nkala investigates...
28 May, 2019
The donkey slaughter capital of West Africa
Demand for donkey-hide glue has turned Ghana into the region’s slaughterhouse, and the Chinese abattoir behind the trade is re-opening for business. Oscar Nkala investigates...
20 May, 2019
Kenya – the epicentre of East Africa’s donkey crisis
Stolen donkeys are smuggled across borders with Tanzania and Ethiopia to feed Kenya’s expanding abattoirs and Chinese demand for donkey-hide glue. Oscar Nkala investigates...
28 November, 2018
Botswana eyes donkey trade with Asia
Botswana has lifted its moratorium on donkey abattoirs and is scouting markets in Asia, writes Oscar Nkala...
01 June, 2018
The Zimbabwean abattoir that never opened, but has killed at least 105 donkeys
Licensing of the country’s first commercial donkey abattoir was ruled out last October, but at Battlefront Investments business carries on as usual. Oscar Nkala investigates...
15 May, 2018
Faces behind Namibia’s donkey abattoirs
Who are the people driving Namibia’s plans to open commercial abattoirs for donkey meat and skins for Asia? Oscar Nkala tracks them down...
01 December, 2017
Border bandits turn to donkey smuggling
Donkey smugglers are taking advantage of cross-border criminal networks to meet the growing demand for hides. Oscar Nkala investigates...
05 October, 2017