Shahtoosh Shawls Are Shrouds for Tibetan Antelope

LONDON, England, June 27, 2001 (ENS) - The demand for luxurious meltingly soft woolen shawls is driving the Tibetan antelope to extinction, possibly within five years, an undercover investigation by conservation groups in three countries has found.

The International Fund for Animal Welfare and the Wildlife Trust of India today announced the findings of the eight month investigation carried out by five teams in China, Nepal and India.

A baby Tibetan antelope, chiru, finds its footing in the high plateaus of Tibet province in China. Many young chiru are orphaned by poachers. (Photo courtesy IFAW)

Any trade in the Tibetan antelope and its products is illegal under the international treaty known as the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

The Tibetan antelope, also known as the chiru, inhabits only the remote plateaus of Tibet, Xinjiang, and Qinghai provinces of China. The chiru population has dropped from several million at the turn of the 20th century to less than 75,000 today.

The teams collected information and video footage of the illegal trade of chiru pelts in the border areas between China, Nepal and India. The evidence shows these animals are being killed at a rate of 20,000 per year for their fine wool, known as shahtoosh, meaning king of wools.

Shahtoosh shawls continue to be sold illicitly to the wealthy in countries such as the United Kingdom, the USA, Italy and France, despite the fact that the trade has been illegal for over 20 years.

In their new report, "Wrap Up the Trade - An International Campaign to Save the Endangered Tibetan Antelope," the groups say that the shahtoosh wool is smuggled into India, where in the northern state of Jammu and Kashmir it is woven into expensive shawls.

Indian beauty models a shahtoosh shawl (Photo courtesy TRAFFIC East Asia)

Today, a single shahtoosh shawl can bring a price as high as $16,000 on the European market, though local poachers earn no more than $50 per antelope pelt.

Researchers and anti-poaching patrol members saw Tibetan antelope poaching on the calving grounds. These accounts are evidence that the chiru must die to supply their fine wool, contrary to the myth that the soft underbelly fur is harvested from live animals.

"This report highlights the urgent need for action to protect the unique Tibetan antelope," said IFAW president Fred O’Regan.

"The anti-poaching and enforcement efforts of the China and India governments must continue to be strengthened. We must also promote viable economic alternatives to shahtoosh, and ensure the demand for shahtoosh shawls is stopped," O’Regan said.

As well as promoting awareness throughout the fashion world to end the demand for shahtoosh shawls, the two organizations are working with groups in India to target the illegal market there and seek a viable economic alternative for local weavers.

The investigators began a socio-economic survey of an estimated 30,000 shahtoosh workers to determine possible impacts of a ban on shahtoosh weaving in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Shahtoosh shawls draped over the skins and skulls of Tibetan antelope (Photo by Scott Gabriel courtesy IFAW)

"It is possible to end the production and sale of illegal shahtoosh shawls in India without the weavers feeling the pinch, if the government and marketing agencies, as well as NGOs get together to work on a viable alternative," said Vivek Menon, executive director of the Wildlife Trust of India.

"At the same time it must be ensured through a relentless awareness campaign and strict enforcement that the trade does not go underground. The end is achievable and close, we must not let go," Menon said.

"Shahtoosh is not a shawl, it is a shroud," said Grace Ge Gabriel, China Country Office director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare. "The protection of this species calls for international collaboration. Only if range, processing and consuming countries work together can the future of this beautiful and ancient species be ensured."