Urge Your Representative to Cosponsor the Ejiao Act
Dear John,
Donkeys are valued and trusted companions around the world, yet these animals are being slaughtered in huge numbers due to the growing demand for ejiao (pronounced "eh-gee-yow"), a gelatin made from boiling donkey hides. This product is used for cosmetics and in some traditional medicines (despite the lack of scientific evidence to support its purported benefits).
Demand has risen dramatically in the last few years, and millions of donkeys are killed each year for their skins. Donkeys who fall victim to this trade experience immense suffering, from long transport under appalling conditions without water, food, or rest to being bludgeoned to death.
The United States is the third largest importer of products containing ejiao, with approximately $12 million in annual imports each year. In response to this horrific trade, Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) has introduced the Ejiao Act (H.R. 6021), which would ban the sale and trade in this country of products containing ejiao and of donkeys and donkey skins for the purpose of producing ejiao. The Ejiao Act would ensure that the United States no longer supports this gruesome industry. |