London's Donkey Famine of 1898

1901

The donkey famine in 1898 was one of the strangest scarcities that ever befell Britain. One cannot eat donkeys, but the dearth of them caused a terrible lot of inconvenience and sent the price of Neddy up to a prohibitive sum.

There was an epidemic of disease among the donkeys of the towns, especially those animals belonging to poor people. This so thinned out the donkey roll call that these useful beasts became scarcer than they were ever known to be. It used to be said that no one has ever seen a dead donkey, but the proverb was broken that year — there were and quantity. The price of a good donkey jumped from £6 or £7 to £12 within three weeks, and soon donkeys were scarcely to be had at all.

Costers and other donkey owners held meetings to discuss the situation, but the price rose to £15, and many a poor man was forced to pay it. It was the worst year on record for costermongers. Nobody knows to what price the donkeys would have risen, but an enterprising firm of shippers imported some big freights of donkeys from Spain. These sold like wildfire, and in a fortnight the donkey trade was at its old level. Meanwhile the country districts had been emptied of donkeys to supply the town. — London Answers.