Emirates makes anti-trafficking pact...

Airline aims to combat illegal donkey skin trade

International animal welfare charity The Donkey Sanctuary has joined forces with Emirates to highlight the risks posed by the transportation of donkey skins in air cargo.

The collaboration has culminated in an Aviation Risk and Threat Assessment operational guide to raise awareness of the donkey skin trade and its association with serious and organised criminal activity.

According to The Donkey Sanctuary’s latest figures, six million donkeys are killed for their skins each year, the majority of them in Africa.

These skins are then exported across the world, by ship and by air, before being used to make traditional medicine and remedies.

Research conducted by The Donkey Sanctuary, the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School and the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) discovered evidence that suggested a link between the transport of donkey skins with other illegal wildlife trafficking and organised crime.

In February 2024, a continent-wide moratorium on the slaughter of donkeys for their skins was endorsed at the 37th African Union (AU) Summit. Following the AU decision, Emirates extended its zero-tolerance policy on the carriage of banned species, hunting trophies and other associated products to include donkey hides and parts.

Already a leader in efforts to combat the illegal wildlife trade, Emirates has established protocols including screening, spot checks during transit, in-depth document verification and confirming the authenticity of permits, in addition to providing education and training for its employees across cargo and passenger operations to identify and report smuggled wildlife.

A co-created factsheet will provide the wider aviation industry with knowledge critical in the fight against the donkey skin trade.

The unregulated and unhygienic skin trade also poses a serious threat to global biosecurity. The operational guidelines explain the biosecurity risk of smuggling inadequately processed donkey skins alongside legitimate cargo such as leather or textiles. It also highlights concealment methods and crime convergence, where networks involved in the donkey skin trade may also be linked to organised crime.

Marianne Steele, CEO of The Donkey Sanctuary, said: “We are proud to work alongside Emirates, which is setting new standards with its support for our work and the tightening of its trafficking policies. We hope that others in the aviation industry will follow suit and join us in cracking down on this cruel and unstainable trade.”

For more information, visit www.emirates.com

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