Tibetan Plateau Facts

Tibetan Antelope Fact Sheet

Species Description

Scientific Name: Pantholops hodgsonii
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Subfamily: Antilopinae
Common Names: Tibetan Antelope, chiru
Other Names: "Tsod" (Tibetan), "Zanglingyang" (Chinese)

General Description: The Tibetan antelope is the only genus of large mammal endemic to the Tibetan Plateau. Morphological characteristics and DNA analysis reveal that the species is most closely related to the wild goats and sheep of the subfamily Caprinae. Males are 80-85 cm (31-33 ins.) high at the shoulder, weigh 35-40 kgs (77-88 lbs.) and have slender, slightly curving black horns 50-60 cm (19-23 ins.) long. Females are 75 cm (30 ins.) tall, weigh 25-30 kgs (55-66 lbs.) and are hornless. Coloration ranges from white on the belly to gray and reddish-brown; males display distinctive black markings on the face and legs in the winter. More than a million chiru may have roamed the Tibetan Plateau at the beginning of the century, but the population has been reduced by more than 90% -- principally due to poaching -- and has been estimated to number less than 75,000.

Habitat: Tibetan antelope primarily inhabit the Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Province, and Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. A couple of hundred move seasonally into the Ladakh region of northwest India. The geographical range of the chiru encompasses 600,000 sq. kms (232,000 sq. mis.) and extends 1,600 kms (1,000 mis.) across the Tibetan Plateau between the eastern limit in Qinghai to the western limit in Ladakh. Tibetan antelope prefer flat to rolling terrain, usually above 4,000 m (13,000 ft.), although their habitat ranges from 3,250 m (11,000 ft.) in the north to as high as 5,500 m (18,000 ft.) in Ladakh. Chiru favor alpine steppe, alpine meadow and desert steppe habitats characterized by below-freezing average annual temperatures and a brief growing season. The largest Tibetan antelope populations survive in the Chang Tang region of northwest Tibet, southern Xinjiang, and in southwestern Qinghai. Other endangered, threatened, rare or vulnerable species or subspecies in chiru habitat include wild yak, Tibetan argali sheep, Tibetan wild ass and Tibetan brown bear.

Biology: Tibetan antelope are one of the world's hardiest animals and can survive in -40 degree F temperatures. Chiru can tolerate these extremes due to a layer of dense, fine wool next to the skin, called "shahtoosh." Females typically give birth to a single calf in June or July after mating in late November or December. Survival of young in the first year of life is low -- at least two-thirds do not survive to age two; maximum lifespan is up to 8 years. Chiru are mixed feeders, favoring a diet of graminoid and forb species, with the percentage of plants changing seasonally. Livestock and chiru may compete for forage in overlapping range, since their diets are similar.

Behavior:Chiru reproduction is characterized by seasonal migration of females and yearlings. In May, male and female chiru segregate, and adult females and their female offspring migrate up to 300 kms (185 mis.) north to calving grounds, while males tend to remain near their wintering grounds. Chiru wintering areas are fairly well known, but most calving areas are still not adequately documented or protected, although they are regarded as essential for conserving chiru populations.

Protected Areas: Four protected areas in China have been set aside specifically to safeguard Tibetan Plateau wildlife species, including chiru populations and habitat: Chang Tang Nature Reserve and Xianza Nature Reserve (334,000 sq. kms and 40,000 sq. kms, Tibet Autonomous Region), Kekexili (aka "Kokoxili" or "Hoh Xil") National Reserve (45,000 sq. kms, Qinghai Province), and Arjin Shan (or "Altun Tagh") Nature Reserve (45,000 sq. kms, Xinjiang Autonomous Region). Due to a combination of remoteness, an influx of settlers and a lack of existing management capacity, these reserves are incapable of effectively protecting the chiru or its habitat.

Threats: The principal threat to the survival of the Tibetan antelope is organized, illegal poaching carried out by Hui and Han migrants, as well as Tibetan and Chinese locals in chiru habitat, which is causing critical overutilization of the species to supply the shahtoosh trade. Other threats to the chiru and its habitat include fencing and grazing encroachment by pastoralists, which interfere with chiru migration and foraging; extractive activities, including oil drilling and gold mining; and increasing human settlement.

Chiru Poaching and Shahtoosh Trade

Traditional Practices: Tibetans formerly hunted chiru on a subsistence basis, principally for their meat, using traps, dogs and muzzle-loading rifles, although Tibetan cultural practices traditionally discourage hunting. Use of Tibetan antelope horn has been documented in traditional Tibetan and Chinese medicine, although medicinal use accounts for a minority of chiru poaching.

Poaching: Shahtoosh (roughly translated from Persian as "king of wools") is the undercoat of the Tibetan antelope and is considered the world's finest and warmest wool, with a mean fiber diameter if 9-12 microns -- one-fifth the thickness of a human hair. The wool can only be collected by killing the chiru and plucking the pelts. Poachers are either Tibetan nomads or Chinese migrants who use jeeps and trucks to reach remote chiru habitat, often surrounding herds at night and blinding animals with vehicle lights, then gunning them down. One chiru yields approximately 120-150 gm of shahtoosh, necessitating the death of at least three Tibetan antelope to make a one- by two-meter ladies' shawl and up to five antelope for a two- by three-meter men's shawl. As many as 20,000 chiru are poached annually, based on estimates by China's State Forestry Administration.

Shahtoosh Smuggling and Manufacture: Shahtoosh is smuggled from China to India for manufacturing in Jammu and Kashmir state. Smuggling routes typically follow the high mountain passes between Tibet and India, or transit through Nepal. Chiru pelts may sell for up to $80 apiece, while prices of raw shahtoosh range from $1,500 to more than $2,000 per kilo. Poachers may barter shahtoosh with traders for tiger bones, bear gall bladders and musk pods, forming a lucrative, deadly two-way trade in endangered species products. Shahtoosh products have been manufactured for centuries exclusively in Jammu and Kashmir, where the entire trade is reportedly controlled by less than 20 influential manufacturers.

Markets: Finished shahtoosh products are illegally exported from Jammu and Kashmir and readily find markets in India and wealthy countries, where they have become a fashion rage in the last decade. Shahtoosh shawls typically sell for $2,000-$8,000, with prices occasionally as high as $15,000, depending upon size and quality. A number of instances of shahtoosh sales have been reported in the U.S., including shawls openly advertised in the June 1998 issue of Harper's Bazaar for sale at the New York retail outlet of the Italian company Malo. However, the market appears to be moving underground in most developed countries, where the public is increasingly aware of the illegality of the shahtoosh trade. Shahtoosh shawls can now found for sale worldwide, either under the counter at retail stores, at private events hosted by unscrupulous dealers or individuals, or over the Internet.

Regulatory Status

International: The Tibetan antelope was listed as an Appendix II species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1975; it was moved to Appendix I in 1979, making all international trade in chiru parts and derivatives illegal. The species is currently listed as "Vulnerable" in the 1996 International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Animals.

National: The Tibetan antelope is designated a Class I protected species in China, and a Schedule I species both in India and Nepal -- hunting and/or trade are prohibited in all of these countries.

State: In India, the chiru is listed under Schedule II of the Jammu and Kashmir Wild Life (Protection) Act; trade in Tibetan antelope products is permitted within the state. J&K is the only region in India that has an independent wildlife law and the only location in the world where shahtoosh possession and manufacture are officially legalized. Since processing of raw shahtoosh and weaving of shahtoosh products take place in J&K, the state has become a safe haven for the illegal trade.

United States: The Tibetan antelope has not yet been added to the federal list of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants under provisions of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) permitting the listing of foreign species. The Tibetan Plateau Project and the Wildlife Conservation Society have submitted a formal proposal to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to designate the Tibetan antelope as an Endangered species. An Endangered listing would outlaw the interstate sale and transport of shahtoosh -- a distinct problem where dealers and buyers cross state lines to sell or purchase shahtoosh products. The importation of Tibetan antelope products, including shahtoosh, is already illegal under ESA provisions implementing CITES. Penalties for violating the Act include one year in jail and fines up to $100,000 for individuals and $200,000 for corporations.

Enforcement and Seizure: Although the international shahtoosh trade has been illegal under CITES since 1979, products are difficult to detect and identify, making seizure and prosecution sporadic. Raw shahtoosh and finished products have been seized in Belgium, China and Hong Kong, France, India, Italy, Nepal, the U.K. and the U.S. Although numerous Tibetan antelope poaching and shahtoosh trafficking cases have been prosecuted in China (with sentences of up to 12 years in jail), as of year-end 1999 only three cases of shahtoosh smuggling had been successfully prosecuted in consumer regions -- all in Hong Kong and all involving Indian nationals.

Regulatory and Enforcement Recommendations

(The recommendations for international action are based on the "Xining Declaration," developed by the consensus of government agencies and conservation NGOs from China, France, India, Italy, Nepal, the U.K. and the U.S. at the October 1999 International Workshop on Conservation and Control of Trade in Tibetan Antelope, held in Xining, China.)

• All nations should ban internal trade in shahtoosh

• Range, manufacturing and consumer states should coordinate international law enforcement actions and investigations, recognizing and responding to the development of black markets created as a result of trade bans

• The international community should provide support to range, manufacturing and transit states to assist with protecting the Tibetan antelope and cracking down on the shahtoosh trade

• Governments should support the efforts of non-government organizations to halt shahtoosh trading

• Agencies and NGOs should establish and implement public education programs regarding the illegal shahtoosh trade

U.S. -- Endangered Species Act Listing

Implementation of CITES alone is inadequate to prevent the sale of shahtoosh products in the U.S. TPP recommends that the Tibetan antelope should be listed as Endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). An Endangered ESA listing would:

• Prohibit the sale of shahtoosh in interstate and foreign commerce

• Provide the additional mechanism of banning interstate and foreign transport of shahtoosh in the course of commercial activity

• Reinforce the CITES ban on importation of Tibetan antelope products

• Create opportunities for the USFWS to provide financial and technical support to China for chiru conservation, as well as to conduct overseas law enforcement investigations.

Management and Monitoring Recommendations

• Develop and improve habitat and conservation management plans for the Tibetan antelope in China

• Implement effective anti-poaching measures

• Manage protected areas on an ecosystem/landscape basis to accommodate chiru migration

• Restrict human access to nature reserves, creating special zones for key Tibetan antelope mating and birthing areas

• Establish a policy to eliminate long fences that restrict chiru populations

• Prevent further immigration into nature reserves

• Provide settlers and nomads in Tibetan antelope habitat with opportunities to increase their incomes from livestock activities

• Monitor chiru populations and extractive activities around reserves; prevent natural resource disruption within chiru reserves.

Conservation Organization Contacts