Last month, a large number of villagers from Chak 228-RB, in Faisalabad district, came out in the streets. They were fully charged and chanting slogans against the police, the district government and the local political representatives for having failed in their duties. The poor villagers blocked the traffic and refused to disperse till justice was provided to them.

It looked like a routine protest, except that their demand was ‘unique’: they were seeking protection not for themselves but for their donkeys which, they said, had disappeared in large numbers in the previous few days. There was no clue as to the thieves or where the animals had vanished.

As the villagers feared a rise in thefts, they had to stop their donkeys from going out in the fields unattended.

One would have thought these animals were stolen for illegal slaughtering and sale of their meat. But another incident that happened recently in Lala Musa hints at something else. Over 100 carcasses of donkeys were recovered from random bushes in the area. These donkeys had been slaughtered only so that their skin could be sold to potential buyers.

According to Shahid Nawaz Warraich, Deputy Superintendant of Police (DSP), Lala Musa, if the killers wanted to sell the animal’s meat they would not have dumped it like this.

There are several other similar incidents that have been reported over the past few weeks, which lead one to wonder about the prospects of this ‘trade’ and the returns it offers.

Sheikh Muhammad Arshad, President, Hide Market, Lahore has answers to such queries. He tells TNS that some time ago, donkey hides were sold for Rs300-400 per piece. The leather produced from these hides was used to manufacture hard soles of shoes worn mostly by the villagers.

Arshad says the method of collecting donkey hides was simple. In rural areas, the poor would remove the skin of the dead animal for purposes of selling it, whereas in urban areas the district government contractors, who deal with the disposal of dead animals, would supply these to the tanneries.

Presently, as per Arshad, donkey hide is being sold in Kasur -- the hub of Pakistani leather industry -- for up to Rs10,000. This price is four times that of an average-size cow hide.

Extracts from donkey hides are used in traditional skin-lightening creams and medicines in China.

Arshad says the hide merchants are aware of the situation and have called upon the government to intervene. "A donkey is nothing less than a small factory for a poor family in a village; obviously, they cannot afford to lose it."

Arshad, who is privy to several meetings held on the issue, says that in many cases the animal is found to have been administered poisonous/lethal injections (by the thieves) before it is dragged to a ‘safer’ place.

He says the local hide merchants avoid buying donkey skin from dubious people. In fact, it is the Chinese nationals based in Kasur who buy these hides for the buyers back home.

It is interesting to note that Pakistan has the second highest population of donkeys in the world and is, therefore, a viable source for Chinese medicine industry. Of the estimated 44 million donkeys in the world, China has 11 million and Pakistan 4.9 million, counting out the 0.2 million mules, as per the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2013-2014. Ethiopia and Mexico are the next in the list.

The situation is not unexpected; it is quite likely that Pakistan was looked at as a viable sourcing destination with regards to the supply of donkey hides. An article, titled "TCM costs rise as donkey herds dwindle," published in China Daily October last year, dwells on how the TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) industry works, clearly mentioning the use of donkey hides in the production of ejiao, a drug said to improve blood circulation and replenish energy.

Ejiao (donkey-hide gelatin) dates back to over 2,000 years. It is supposed to have anti-ageing and beautifying agents that make it all the more popular among women.

The article also quotes Qin Yufeng, Chairman, Dong’e Ejiao, the biggest producer of the drug, as saying that the factory has been forced to raise the price of its product because the raw material costs keep going up.

"As machinery use in agriculture widens, donkeys are seldom seen working in fields anymore, which has dampened the farmers’ interest in raising the animal. But demand for ejiao has been rising by an average of 30 percent a year," says the chairman.

The same article mentions "49 enterprises in China [that] have approval by the China State Food and Drug Administration to produce ejiao."

Tahir Bashir, a purchase officer at a leather tannery in Kasur, says this practice has also led to the increase in the sale of donkey meat. The animal skin is a byproduct of the animal slaughtered for meat but in this case meat of a donkey is a byproduct and its skin the main product.

The worst part is that many people are made to believe that donkey meat is not haram and that it can be used under certain circumstances.

Justice (retd) Khalil-ur-Rehman, Chairman, Halal Food Authority, Punjab, states clearly that donkey meat is haram.

He also says measures are being taken to certify and approve halal products including the cosmetics that may have haram ingredients in them. "The use of taloo of haram animals in cosmetics makes them prohibited items for Muslims."

A police officer posted in Kasur district says vigilance has been increased and loader vehicles in the area are now checked routinely. Hides have also been recovered from cars which are mostly in non-commercial use of families. Additionally, the owners of donkeys have been asked not to leave them attended.

However, the officer says, the best way to stop this practice is to impose a ban on the export of donkey skins to China. Only the hides of donkeys that die their natural death should be exported.