San Francisco -- In the wake of the recent death of China's chief
conservation official responsible for protecting the rare Tibetan antelope,
environmentalists are calling on government agencies to step up efforts to
halt the illegal trade in the antelope's wool and for more responsible
practices by the global fashion industry.
On November 8, Zhaba Duojie, an ethnic Tibetan official responsible for the
protection of the antelope in China's Hoh Xil wildlife reservation, Qinghai
Province, was found shot dead in his home in the town of Yushu, Zhidoi
county. Zhaba's death follows the murder of his brother-in-law and
predecessor, Suonan Dajie, who died in a gunfight with antelope poachers
four years ago.
China's Hoh Xil reservation is located on the eastern edge of the remote
Tibetan Plateau, home to the Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) and
other endangered species, including snow leopard, wild yak and Tibetan wild
donkey. The antelope, which is accorded the highest level of wildlife
protection in China, is targeted for "shahtoosh," its valuable fur.
"The poaching of Tibetan antelope and trade in shahtoosh are illegal under
Chinese and international law and are acts of sheer greed," said Justin
Lowe, director of the Tibetan Plateau Project. "This tragedy
demonstrates that renewed efforts are required worldwide to stop the black
market shatoosh trade."
A Chinese government report released December 10 concluded that poaching on the
Tibetan Plateau has pushed the antelope "to the verge of extinction," according
to the Associated Press.
"Since the end of the 1980s, the Tibetan antelope population has been declining
sharply because of large-scale hunting," the State Administration of Forestry
said in its report, estimating that only 50,000-75,000 survived in China in 1995.
"They are now rarely seen, even in many places that used to be the Tibetan
antelope's major habitats, and the animal is now on the edge of extinction,"
the report said.
In the US, the Tibetan Plateau Project and New York's Wildlife Conservation
Society are developing a proposal for the US Fish and Wildlife Service to place the
Tibetan antelope on the US Endangered Species list, a move that would make
trade in shahtoosh a federal crime.
Zhaba headed the "Wild Yak Brigade" anti-poaching squad that attempted to halt
illegal hunting in the eastern region of the vast Plateau. Poachers
sometimes kill hundreds of antelope at a time, stripping their hides and
leaving bloody carcasses littering the Tibetan grasslands. The antelope
wool is smuggled to the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, where it is
manufactured into scarves and shawls that are considered the world's most
luxurious -- and expensive -- woolen products. Shahtoosh accessories may
sell for $10,000 or more apiece in First-World fashion capitals.
The China Youth Daily initially reported that Zhaba, who was also a
local Communist Party official, was murdered by unidentified gunmen. Police
later told the Yangcheng Evening News that Zhaba killed himself during a
domestic dispute, a claim the conservationist's colleagues have reportedly
disputed.
World-renowned wildlife expert George Schaller of the Wildlife Conservation
Society, who has researched Tibetan Plateau species for a decade and is
the foremost authority on the Tibetan antelope, estimates that only 75,000
antelope survive, their numbers decimated by relentless hunting. Based on
shahtoosh seizures, experts speculate that at least 2,000-4,000 antelope
are killed annually to supply this luxury trade.
Although the antelope is protected by Chinese law, wildlife officials are
outnumbered by poachers and too understaffed to effectively protect the
species. Gangs of armed hunters roam the remote Chang Tang protected area
in northern Tibet, shooting antelope and selling the shahtoosh to
international smugglers.
In October, 14 Tibetan poachers were convicted of slaughtering 500 antelope
and trafficking in 200 hides, and were given prison terms of up to 13 years
and fines of $1,800 each.
"Antelope poachers are greedy, ruthless and determined," Lowe said.
"Motivated by the high value of shahtoosh, they will go to great lengths to
maintain this lucrative, illicit trade. How many antelope, and how many
conservationists, have to die before the world takes notice and ends the
shahtoosh trade?"
Although international treaty has forbidden trade in shahtoosh since 1975,
wildlife and enforcement authorities are struggling to stem global demand
for the luxury product. Shahtoosh seizures in Paris, London, Delhi and Hong
Kong demonstrate the extent of the illicit wildlife trade.
CNN Interactive reported last July that in the US "Shahtoosh shawls are
being sold nationwide in department stores and in high-end boutiques" -- a
violation of international and US law. The US Fish and Wildlife Service
confiscated a shahtoosh consignment from an upscale New York boutique last
May, but the agency is not discussing the seizure, citing its ongoing
investigation.
The American fashion press has relentlessly promoted shahtoosh. Articles in
Vogue, Elle, and Harper's Bazar have touted "toosh" as the
ultimate must-have luxury item for high-flying trend-setters. Whether honestly or
disingenuously, consumers and vendors who traffic in shahtoosh often
disclaim any knowledge of the fabric's bloody heritage.
"The fashion press needs to act more responsibly to inform consumers that
shahtoosh is internationally designated contraband that is contributing to
the decimation of an endangered species," said the Tibetan Plateau
Project's Lowe.
He noted that news of Zhaba's death came as hundreds of Americans
demonstrated against fur sales at the opening of the Christmas shopping
season in dozens of cities around the US on the Friday after Thanksgiving.
"Unlike traditional furs sold in America, shahtoosh is made from an
endangered species. 'Save the antelope, ban shahtoosh,' should become the
new rallying cry of conservationists nationwide," said Lowe.
The Tibetan Plateau Project of Earth Island Institute promotes biodiversity
conservation and the sustainable development of local communities in the
five-nation Tibetan Plateau region by encouraging research and
strengthening international, US and foreign conservation laws and
policies.
For more information on the Tibetan antelope, visit the Tibetan Plateau
Project website at
http://www.earthisland.org/tpp/antelope or, contact:
Justin Lowe
Director, Tibetan Plateau Project
415-788-3666
tppei@earthisland.org
www.earthisland.org/tpp
