Bray matter: Is India running out of asses?

According to the latest livestock census, India’s donkey population has fallen by over 62% in seven years, going from 3.2 lakh in 2012 to 1.2 lakh in 2019.

PREMIUM

“It’s an alarming decline that could lead to the animal being relegated to a vulnerable category,” says Priya Pandey, a senior programme leader with Brooke India, the country’s chapter of the UK-based non-profit organisation that works for the welfare of horses, donkeys and mules.

Incidentally, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) defines a vulnerable species as one that possesses a very high risk of extinction as a result of rapid population declines of 30% to more than 50% over a period of 10 years (or three generations), and has a population size of fewer than 1,000 individuals, among other factors.

In the Indian livestock census, the cow, buffalo and goat populations are all rising at healthy rates. “These are production animals, so they are often given preference in terms of infrastructure and policy support. Equines (horses, donkeys and mules) also contribute to the economy, but increased mechanisation has reduced their use, leading to their alienation,” Pandey says.

The drop for donkeys looks even starker, the further back one goes. The population stood at 9.7 lakh in 1992. That’s a decline of over 87% by 2019.

So why this sad news for the ass? It turns out there are three factors at play: rapid mechanisation of donkey tasks; illegal trade in hide and meat; and a “general disinterest towards this intelligent, curious and loyal animal, because of its unfortunate characterisation as an idiotic beast of burden,” as Pandey puts it.

Brooke India works with over 91,000 equine owners across 11 states. In a report titled The Hidden Hide, released in February 2022, field research revealed that herds were thinning, particularly in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh.

Since the donkey is not listed as a food animal in India, slaughter is prohibited, but illegal trade flourishes because the hide and meat are believed to have medicinal properties, and fetch exorbitant rates in China. “There, the hide is purportedly being processed to produce eijao, a gelatin-like substance believed to improve sex drive, keep the skin looking young, and prolong life,” Pandey says.

Meanwhile, motorised vehicles are taking the donkey’s place in its traditional jobs here at home. “Trucks, tempos, two-wheelers and mules, which are considered stronger for load-bearing tasks,” says Pandey. The animal has faded from construction sites and dhobi ghats in cities and towns, and is now primarily visible ferrying heavy burdens at brick kilns, transporting agricultural produce in villages (particularly in mountainous regions), and moving construction material and water over long distances in arid areas such as Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Here too, service providers who once brought an ass or cluster of asses over for a job are turning up with a small tractor or tempo instead.

The vehicles need less maintenance than an animal that can develop blisters or fall ill. Vehicles don’t have to be fed and cared for round the clock, says Shashikar Bharadwaj, senior community development manager with the non-profit organisation Animal Rahat, which advocates for the welfare of working animals.

And because of the reputation of the gadha as stupid, stubborn, brutish, the falling numbers are not ringing alarm bells in India, or causing activists to gather to advocate for it. (This is a common phenomenon in conservation, globally. Species that are considered glamorous, powerful or evocative, such as the tiger, whale or elephant, respectively, typically command more funding and attention.)

Does it matter if the donkey numbers dwindle? Well, every species is key to an ecosystem. “These are ecologically vital animals. Their free-range grazing helps boost biodiversity of vegetation,” says Pandey.

From Leh to Ahmedabad and Tamil Nadu, small NGOs have set up sanctuaries where urban asses that can no longer work are rehoused. But this is not a tactic aimed at reversing the population decline.

Could the donkey make a comeback as livestock? In November, the Indian arm of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), along with the global non-profit organisation The Donkey Sanctuary UK, hosted a meet in Delhi, with researchers and scientists, to discuss the issue of the declining population. Solutions discussed included promoting donkey milk, and a possible cooperative model for donkey-milk producers.

“The donkey needs to be included in the National Livestock Mission. That will draw policy-level resources towards them, such as funding and insurance,” says Trilochan Mohapatra, former director general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), who was part of the November meet. “If such measures aren’t taken, the donkey population will keep declining.”