From tanneries to circuses, it’s been a rough week for donkeys in Egypt

Three men accused of slaughtering four donkeys in Old Cairo with the intent to sell their hides at local markets were sentenced to 15 days detention on Monday pending criminal investigations.

They were arrested on July 13 after a police raid on an Old Cairo tannery found the bodies of the four donkeys, as well as three donkeys that were still living.

Some local media outlets initially reported that the men intended to pass the donkey meat off as beef and sell it to local grills and restaurants. However, on Monday the state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram claimed the suspects were actually seeking to sell the donkey skins at local shops or tanneries by marketing them as traditional cow hide.

Citing leaked confessions, the privately owned Youm7 news site reported that the suspects purchased each donkey from the Giza Governorate for LE150, and intended to sell the donkey hides at LE600 apiece. They allegedly planned to dispose of the donkey carcasses in a nearby lake or irrigation canal in the Fustat district, according to Youm7.

In recent months, there have been several reports across Egypt of individuals unlawfully selling donkey meat as beef. According to a poll conducted in February by Baseera, the Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research, an estimated 4.3 million Egyptians believe they have recently eaten donkey meat or meat tainted with donkey flesh.

And donkeys aren’t only being served up at restaurants. Unscrupulous vendors selling donkey meat to feed carnivorous animals at Egypt’s circuses and zoos have also recently made the headlines.

On Friday, the privately owned Al-Watan newspaper reported that police working in coordination with the state’s veterinarian authorities confiscated 133 kg of spoiled donkey meat that was destined for the Bellucci Italian Circus in Alexandria. This circus has not posted any information on its webpage responding to the allegations.

However, an unnamed veterinarian from the Ministry of Agriculture told local media outlets that the cost of purchasing donkey meat to feed lions, tigers and other large animals at zoos and circuses may exponentially increase in the near future. The average price of an adult donkey currently tops out at LE200, the vet explained, but vendors supplying local zoos and circuses are currently demanding nearly 10 times that price per animal, as they are also reportedly seeking to export donkey hides to China and other countries for use in the manufacture of gelatin, glue and medicines.

But not all donkey-related news coming out of Egypt has been macabre. In February of this year, an Egyptian donkey leaped into the international headlines when it displayed the unusual skill of leaping hurdles in the Nile Delta village of Arid. Its teenage owner has been training his beloved pet to jump over high obstacles ever since the animal displayed an preternatural agility for which donkeys are not historically known.