Angela Rippon at Brooke's supporter day on 17 May.
Angela Rippon Hosts Donkey Skin Trade Talk With Animal Charity Brooke
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TV presenter and journalist, Angela Rippon, met with animal welfare charity Brooke in London last week, to support its stand against the donkey skin trade after the recent Africa-wide ban.
Angela led a panel discussion on Friday 17 May at Saddlers’ Hall hosted by international working horse and donkey charity, Brooke, on the skin trade, which has devastated Africa’s donkey population.
Brooke leaders from East Africa, West Africa and Ethiopia offered insight into the slaughter of donkeys for their skins to make ejiao, a traditional Chinese medicine believed to have health benefits which remain unproven.
Angela said: “I’m so proud to fight alongside Brooke to end the donkey skin trade, which is having a devastating impact on livelihoods and communities.
“It’s vital to protect these animals who do so much for people; you can’t have one without the other.
“I hope through discussions like this, we can shed light on the horrors of the trade and influence a global ban, which Brooke is working so hard to achieve.”
A continent-wide ban of the donkey skin trade was approved by the African Union with support from animal welfare organisations including Brooke, in a summit on 18 February 2024.
The event is one of many this year to mark Brooke’s 90th anniversary and thank the charity’s supporters, the other most recent event being a Buckingham Palace reception hosted by Her Majesty The Queen on 9 May.
Other Brooke ambassadors in attendance were Ted Lasso actress, Annette Badland and Olympic equestrian, Jane Holderness-Roddam CVO, CBE, who gave an interview.
Chris Wainwright, Chief Executive of Brooke, said: “The skin trade poses a significant threat to the future of the world’s donkeys, especially in communities where they are vital to social and economic development.
“Whilst the ban in Africa is a historic milestone, there is a still a long way to go to stop the trade entirely and give these animals, deservedly, a life worth living.”
Brooke was founded in 1934 by Dorothy Brooke to help improve the lives of working horses, donkeys and mules, and the communities that depend on them.
Brooke’s 90th anniversary sponsor is The Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust, which has donated over £1 million to Brooke since 1998.
ENDS
Notes to editor:
About Brooke
Brooke Action for Working Horses and Donkeys is a U.K. based, global animal health and welfare charity that gives working horses, donkeys and mules a life worth living.
Over 100 million of these animals pull carts, carry goods and work the land, earning an income that around 600 million people rely on to put food on their tables, earn a living and send their children to school. Sadly, many of them are suffering, so Brooke works with owners, communities, service providers, governments and international organisations to make long lasting welfare improvements.
Brooke was founded in 1934 when Dorothy Brooke, a British woman, sought out war horses that had been left in Cairo after the First World War. With support from an appeal letter in the Morning Post newspaper, she set up the Old War Horse Memorial, which became Brooke, and expanded across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Website: www.thebrooke.org
Facebook: thebrookecharity
Twitter: @thebrooke
Instagram @thebrookecharity
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