Around 7,000 donkey penises, destined for export to Hong Kong, were seized at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Ikeja, south of Lagos, Nigeria, the Nigerian Customs Service said on Thursday.
“Following the interception of 7,000 male donkey genitalia, importers falsely declared that these illegal wildlife parts were male cow genitalia,” said customs controller Sambo Dangaladima.
“After proper examination, the export officials found that they were male donkey genitalia. This is the first time we have seized this type of item. We will not allow an illegal wildlife trade to flourish under our supervision,” Dangaladima added. journalists. .
The shipment, hidden in sixteen bags, had a value of just over 216 million naira (about 506,000 euros).
Last June, Nigeria, which prohibits the export of this material, seized more than 2,800 donkey skins that were allegedly illegally trafficked to China for use in traditional medicine.
The international trade of donkey body parts to satisfy the demand in China, where thousands of animals are killed every year for a jelly (ejiao) awarded in traditional medicine, can lead to the species to extinction, according to warnings from organizations of all the world.
Given the shortage of donkeys in the domestic market due to overexploitation, in recent years the Asian giant has turned to the African continent.
Several African countries including Niger, Burkina Faso and Senegal have banned the export of donkey parts to China after tens of thousands of horses were slaughtered for their hides.
Source: TSF
