Farias Sharacely de Souza, Silva Aline Rocha, do Nascimento Rayane Caroline Medeiros, Parada Sarmiento Marisol, Mariz Tobyas Maia de Albuquerque, Escodro Pierre Barnabé
Department of Veterinary Medicine, Campus of Engineering and Agricultural Sciences (CECA), Federal University of Alagoas, Maceio 57200-000, Brazil.
Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-220, Brazil.
Animals (Basel). 2025 May 23;15(11):1529. doi: 10.3390/ani15111529.
Donkeys were traditionally used as draft animals for transporting cargo, as a means of transportation, and for riding purposes before the advent of mechanization. Following this historical shift, their economic significance declined, making them targets for other industries, such as Chinese industries that use donkey skin to extract gelatin (ejiao). Since donkey slaughter is not a regulated activity in Brazil, the welfare and survival of donkeys are increasingly at risk as demand for their skins rises. Complaints filed by public agencies in Brazil have raised concerns about the donkey slaughter chain in the country, questioning whether this production system operates under regulated standards or follows an extractive model. The objective of this study was to evaluate the production system of donkeys destined for slaughter in Brazil through physical and hematological assessments, aiming to identify potential systemic failures that may compromise animal welfare. To achieve this, physical and hematological evaluations were conducted on a group of 104 abandoned donkeys. The physical assessments aimed to determine the animals' sex, estimate their age, and evaluate their body condition score (BCS). These were conducted through examination of the genital organs and dental arcades, with the neck evaluated using a scale from 0 to 4 and the body condition assessed using a scale from 1 to 9, respectively. Hematological assessments included the measurement of hematocrit (HT), total plasma protein (TPP), and plasma concentration of fibrinogen. Most of the donkeys were entire males ( = 50-48.08%), with a median age of 15.1 years. The body condition score was 2 or 3 ( = 36, 52%), and the neck condition score was 1 ( = 3, 37.5%). The majority of animals had hematocrit levels above 25%, total plasma protein levels below 7.5 g/dL, and fibrinogen levels exceeding 400 mg/dL. Based on the data analysis, the animals were characterized as being in poor health, since all groups exhibited altered body and neck condition score, plasma fibrinogen concentration, and total plasma protein. These parameters may be indicative of malnutrition and systemic inflammation, even though other laboratory results showed no signs of disease. Activities characterized by mistreatment contribute to an unsustainable extractive model.
在机械化出现之前，驴子传统上被用作役畜，用于运输货物、作为交通工具以及供人骑乘。随着这一历史转变，它们的经济重要性下降，这使得它们成为其他行业的目标，比如中国那些用驴皮提取明胶（阿胶）的行业。由于在巴西，驴子屠宰不受监管，随着对驴皮需求的增加，驴子的福利和生存面临越来越大的风险。巴西公共机构提出的投诉引发了对该国驴子屠宰链的担忧，质疑这种生产系统是否在规范标准下运作，还是遵循一种掠夺性模式。本研究的目的是通过身体和血液学评估来评估巴西用于屠宰的驴子的生产系统，旨在识别可能损害动物福利的潜在系统性故障。为实现这一目标，对一组104头被遗弃的驴子进行了身体和血液学评估。身体评估旨在确定动物的性别、估计其年龄，并评估其身体状况评分（BCS）。这些评估通过检查生殖器官和齿弓进行，颈部状况使用0至4分的量表进行评估，身体状况则分别使用1至9分的量表进行评估。血液学评估包括血细胞比容（HT）、总血浆蛋白（TPP）和纤维蛋白原血浆浓度的测量。大多数驴子是成年雄性（n = 50，48.08%），中位年龄为15.1岁。身体状况评分为2或3（n = 36，52%），颈部状况评分为1（n = 3，37.5%）。大多数动物的血细胞比容水平高于25%，总血浆蛋白水平低于7.5 g/dL，纤维蛋白原水平超过400 mg/dL。基于数据分析，这些动物被判定健康状况不佳，因为所有组的身体和颈部状况评分、血浆纤维蛋白原浓度和总血浆蛋白都出现了变化。即使其他实验室结果未显示疾病迹象，这些参数也可能表明营养不良和全身性炎症。以虐待为特征的活动促成了一种不可持续的掠夺性模式。
