Media executive gives up NYC high life to open sanctuary for donkeys, increasingly being killed for Chinese medicine

Ron King in 2016 (photo by Wesley Verhoeve) and hugging a friend at the donkey sanctuary (photo by Hugo Vazquez).

Ron King, 52, was once the senior vice president at Time and ran major magazines such as InStyle and Southern Living. But after 20 years as a media executive in New York City, he quit last year to open a sanctuary for donkeys, which are becomign scarce, Sydney Page reports for The Washington Post.

"I never thought about donkeys in my entire life," King told Page. But a TikTok video showing the animals being led to slaughter sent King down an internet rabbit hole, where he discovered that donkeys are much-maligned but intelligent animals often slaughtered for use in Chinese traditional medicines. The practice has so reduced the Chinese donkey population that American donkeys are often shipped to Mexico for slaughter and sale to China, reducing their numbers in the U.S.

Enter King's friend Phil Selway, an art dealer and philanthropist who had been meaning to turn his 75-acre property in Northern California, into a safe space for rescued animals, Page reports. When King pitched him on the idea of a donkey sanctuary, Selway jumped at the chance to fund its launch.

"They opened Oscar’s Place Adoption Center and Sanctuary — named after one of Selway’s beloved cats — in January 2020, and alongside Selway’s contributions, the organization relies on corporate sponsorships, grants, donations and volunteers to operate, Page reports. "The nonprofit cares for abandoned donkeys that would otherwise be slaughtered. It finds the animals at a livestock auction in Bowie, Texas — which is where one of the largest auctions is held, and it’s usually the final stop for most donkeys, given its proximity to the Mexico border. Oscar’s Place then rehabilitates the animals with the goal of ultimately finding them loving, forever homes." Oscar's Place collaborates with All Seated in a Barn, a non-profit that saves horses about to be shipped abroad for slaughter.

"Donkeys are being slaughtered for the sale of their skin, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat anemia, insomnia and reproductive issues," Page reports. "The popular gelatin-based product is called ejiao, and according to the [Donkey Sanctuary] report, nearly 5 million donkey hides per year are needed to meet the surging demand. China’s donkey population — which is currently 2.68 million — has dwindled by a shocking 76 percent in the past three decades." Page's story says the U.S. population has dropped below 15,000, but that includes only wild donkeys and burros on federal land.

King now lives and works full-time at the sanctuary, which has rescued 77 donkeys and expects to receive another 50 in January. King told Page he has "never worked harder," but is committed to the cause and that being around them brings him joy: "I’ve never been happier in my whole life."