ISLAMABAD: The donkey population has reached 6.047 million in Pakistan, with an increase of more than 109,000 over the past year, up from 5.938 million, according to a Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) report.
The rise in the number of donkeys was associated with the growing demand from China for hides and meat. The PBS numbers also show significant increases in other livestock, reaching 575.4 million in total, with a rise of 2.171 million last year.
The population of mules also increased by 3,000 in one year to 227,000, according to the document. The population of buffaloes in the country rose by nearly 1.38 million, reaching a total of 47.688 million.
On the other hand, among smaller animals, sheep numbers went up by 388,000 to 33.119 million, while the number of goats increased significantly by over 2.35 million, now totalling 89.393 million.
Camel heads saw a meagre rise of 14,000, bringing their total to 1.177 million. Moreover, the number of horses grew by 1,000 to 383,000.
These rising numbers reflect ongoing growth in the livestock sector, which is an important part of the country’s rural economy and food supply.
