WRAP UP THE TRADE AN INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO SAVE THE ENDANGERED TIBETAN ANTELOPE IFAW / Stevens IFAW George Schaller IFAW / Wild Yak Patrol / Wild Yak IFAW Fashion for Extinction In its remote home high Despite its immense legal protection, the in the mountain plateaus Tibetan antelope is being blasted into extinction. of central Asia the It is being slaughtered indiscriminately by endangered Tibetan poachers for its ultra fine under fleece wool, Bill Bleisch, CERS antelope (Pantholops known as shahtoosh, which is woven into hodgsonii) – also known luxury shawls. Most of these end up in the as the chiru – is among wardrobes of wealthy Westerners. the world’s most protected Anti-poaching patrols battle hard to species. Ironically, poaching protect the antelopes from the ruthless well- has brought the chiru to armed poachers, but it is a fight they are the brink of extinction. losing: their numbers are too few to cover the Despite its For 22 years this chiru’s 600,000 square kilometre territory on diminutive, yet magnificent antelope with the inhospitable Tibetan plateau. immense legal distinctive lyre-shaped horns has been classified The population for the entire Tibetan protection the under Appendix 1 of the Convention on plateau during the early 1990s was between International Trade in Endangered Species 65,000 and 72,500, just 10 percent of the Tibetan (CITES); the highest legal protection for any population 100 years ago. China estimates antelope is species. It is illegal worldwide to kill, harm or that as many as 20,000 Tibetan antelope are being blasted trade chiru or its body parts: transgressors face killed annually to supply the trade. Unless several years’ imprisonment, a heavy fine or action is taken now to kill the demand for into extinction both. And unlike most endangered species this shahtoosh the Tibetan antelope will be one has the protection of an army of minders. extinct within five years. The Shawl Shahtoosh is Persian Middle Eastern countries, Hong Kong and for “the king of wool”. Australia. It is exceptionally soft, Shawls are typically made in three sizes. feather light and just A woman’s measures 1 x 2 metres and weighs one-fifth the width of about 100 grams, requiring 300 to 400 grams a human hair. For of raw wool: this represents the lives of about several hundred years three chiru. Men's shawls are approximately 3 shahtoosh shawls metres by 1.5 metres, entailing the killing of Andy Fisher have been prized five chiru. by northern Indian The price of a shawl depends on size, colour, families and passed on from mother to the extent and quality of any embroidery and daughter. wool purity. In India pure shahtoosh shawls cost A shahtoosh During the late 1980s the shawls became between US $800 and $5,280. Internationally, a fashion ‘must-have’ among wealthy prices are far higher. Some shawls seized during isn't a shawl – trendsetters. Demand grew within the USA, a police raid in London in 1997 were priced at it's a shroud. Mexico, UK, France, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, up to US$17,600. The poachers dazzle the chiru with vehicle IFAW / Wild Yak Patrol / Wild Yak IFAW headlights and shoot them en masse, often Patrol / Wild Yak IFAW with automatic weapons. The Crime Until the 1970s few humans braved Scientist Dr William Bleisch reports: “In the the bitter cold of the chiru's home range. summer of 1998 only one team of poachers, The demand for shahtoosh was minimal who had killed fewer than 100 female chiru and hunting had little impact on the vast during the week before our arrival, were IFAW / Wild Yak Patrol / Wild Yak IFAW antelope herds. But the 1980s saw a found. During the same period in 1999 at dramatic growth in demand from the least four teams of poachers were operating world's fashion industry triggering a in this area and they had killed more than rapid and sharp increase in the price 900 animals in just the few days before we of shahtoosh wool. arrived and drove them away.” Once poachers killed only males when Since 2000 the Chinese government has they had their thick winter coats. Now they allocated more funding for anti-poaching also kill females in summer when their coats operations and issued more vehicles and are at their thinnest – and while they are equipment for protection patrols. In March pregnant or have just given birth. The 2001, 39 kilograms of raw shahtoosh was China estimates poachers dazzle the chiru with vehicle confiscated on the Tibet-Nepal border, an that as many as headlights and shoot them en masse, amount that represents the death of more often with automatic weapons. than 300 Tibetan antelope. By the end of 20,000 Tibetan In 1998 and 1999 a Chinese research April 2001 Chinese Forestry Police had antelope are killed team discovered for the first time that confiscated over 20,756 antelope pelts. calving females were being targeted. annually The Manufacture and The Myth Shahtoosh shawls are woven only in the or “Siberian geese” and that wisps of moulted Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). wool were gathered from bushes and rocks. The trade and manufacture of shahtoosh Today, many shahtoosh shawl buyers still has always been controlled by a handful believe these myths. But the fact is that of wealthy, influential local traders who shahtoosh comes only from the Tibetan farm out consignments of the raw wool antelope that must be killed before the The Tibetan to a select few of the most skilled and wool can be removed. antelope must experienced hair removers, spinners and weavers. be killed Fifty years ago 20 – 30 kg of shahtoosh before the per annum was processed in Kashmir: by l997 this had risen to 3,000 kg according to one wool can be wholesaler. removed For generations the shahtoosh industry has hidden the unsavoury origin of its wool, claiming it came from the Ibex, wild goats, Aniruddha Mookerjee / WTI Poachers caught by IFAW funded anti- poaching patrol and confiscated chiru Patrol / Wild Yak IFAW pelts, horns and poachers guns The IFAW/ WTI Investigation 2000/2001 A new joint investigation by the is among the world’s most clandestine cottage IFAW/WTI International Fund for Animal Welfare industries, with weavers working the wool (IFAW) and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) informally within their homes. investigators were has revealed the extent of the illegal trade An IFAW-WTI team went to the Kashmir offered Tibetan in shahtoosh: investigators were offered valley to research the possible socio-economic antelope skins Tibetan antelope skins and raw shahtoosh impacts of a ban on shahtoosh production. wool in Tibet, and finished shawls in Delhi Preliminary results of a survey of 1,200 people and raw and London. They also visited the Indian show that the valley has around 70 shahtoosh shahtoosh wool state of Jammu and Kashmir – the only manufacturers, employing an estimated 30,000 place where shahtoosh is woven and people. Faced with a ban on shahtoosh, 60 per in Tibet and which supplies the entire global market cent of the survey respondents prefer to weave finished shawls in with shawls. pashmina shawls as an alternative. Pashmina is the fine hair of pashmina goats that, unlike Delhi and London Kashmir – International efforts to save the shahtoosh, is produced by combing the animals Tibetan antelope have been thwarted by the without harm. fact that J&K has permitted the shahtoosh trade Dongba – A Khampa nomad confirms in defiance of CITES. In May 2000 the J&K High that chiru are being killed in the nearby areas: Lhasa and Court ordered the state government to enforce “Today you can get a kilogram of shahtoosh Shigatse are the CITES. This prompted the birth of shahtoosh for 1,500 yuan. Chinese traders and Khampas main hubs of traders' associations and worker’s unions, come from Lhasa and Shigatse in cars to buy it. bulk wool which demanded alternative employment or The poaching months are usually May-June and transactions. compensation if the J&K Government enforces the traders come around September-October.” the global shahtoosh ban. Shahtoosh weaving From here it travels with XIN JIANG Shahtoosh wool trade routes pashmina or R R iv i e v r e Sh r y o k ng In iji du e sheep wool or s B o T disguised in light SrinagarF Leh foam mattresses C H I N A via Zangmu / Demchok Gar Amdo Kodari border Gertse into Nepal. The F F wool is then FTaglakot Man Sarowar TIBET AUTONOMOUS REGION repackaged in (Burang) and around Dharchula Pharyang F Simikot LHASA Mugu Ka Zhongba Pithoragarh rn Kathmandu and ali Shigatse Tanakpur NEPALJumla Mustang sent by individual Tsangpo Lhatse F DELHI LEGEND Jomson Collection & F FZangmu couriers by buses Nepalganj processing area Pokhra Kodari into India. The Poaching zone KATHMANDU BHUTAN destination of the F Main centres F Major routes Siliguri aputra wool is Kashmir. River Brahm Motor routes INDIA Foot routes To Kolkata and routes. Shahtoosh is compressible and large amounts can be taken in small bundles. No one notices.” Gertse – At their first stop the investigators asked for shahtoosh. Unfazed, a shopkeeper replied “Oh yes, one of my friends has 15-16 kilogram ready wool for sale. But if you need it with skin, I can give you some of that too.” He showed the team a bag containing 30 skins, each A yak caravan near Darchen, Tibet. A large priced at 450 yuan and plastic bags amount of shahtoosh is carried by such caravans. containing 1.5 kg of shahtoosh wool.