A Chinese restaurant in Manly Vale, Sydney is making headlines this morning for selling donkey meat burgers.

The story comes from Manly Daily’s Jon Geddes who sampled the dish (and scored it an eight out of ten) while reviewing Chinese eatery Huoshao King. 

He explained that the dish (which retails at $6.80 and is traditional in China) consists of donkey meat (cooked overnight in herbs to tenderise) and a Chinese, pancake-style bun.

“Donkey is really very popular in northern China and we come from northern China. It is street food people really like,” owner Xiao explained.

“So many people know some people who want to eat [donkey] and live in Australia so we think there is a huge market here.”

Geddes explained that donkey is very popular in China with companies regularly exporting the animal, citing this traditionalism as reason enough to accept its continued use.

Chinese residents even have a saying:

“In Heaven there is Dragon meat, on Earth there is donkey meat,” Geddes explains.

PETA Australia have previously released reports detailing the horrific treatment of Australian donkey for food and skin trades in China. A warning though, the footage and descriptions are disturbing.

In fact, the RSPCA has previously called upon the Australian government to implement a pre-emptive ban on the trade of live donkeys from Australia according to The Guardian.

The call comes amid a surge in demand for donkey skins in China, a dwindling supply in PRC and a large feral donkey population in Australia.

Alex Mayers, Head of Programs at the UK’s Donkey Sanctuary, told The Guardian that donkeys are “sensitive and curious animals that have lived and worked alongside humans for centuries” and advised for the regulation of trade.

However, comments from RSPCA’s senior policy officer, Dr Jed Goodfellow complicate this:

“Wild donkey populations tend to live in extremely remote and inaccessible areas, which makes them notoriously difficult to reach,” he told the publication.

“Donkey farming – which may sound like a viable solution – is also fraught with problems. Donkeys do not thrive when kept together large herds – their health and welfare suffers and they do not breed well.”

The use of donkey meat in Australia raises many questions about the ‘meat paradox’ i.e. how people can love some animals and also eat – with great enjoyment – others.

Many believe this paradox exists due to consumer fetishism i.e. ignoring or forgetting the unsavoury source of products.

What do you think?

Image: Getty

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