Global Fashion Threatens Rare Tibetan Antelope

Fall 1998 Earth Island Journal, Vol. 13 No. 4, Page 10

The high grasslands of the Tibetan Plateau, known as the Chang Tang, appear to stretch limitlessly in every direction, devoid of fences, bounded only by snowcapped mountains and a turquoise sky. In springtime, herds of Tibetan antelope that may total 8,000 sweep across this wide-open expanse in their annual migration to birthing grounds in the north.

It's an impressive sight, until you consider that less than a century ago tens of thousands of antelope could be observed in a single herd. Tibetan Plateau antelope populations are rapidly declining, reduced by poaching for meat and hides. Ironically, the endangered antelope face their greatest threat not from subsistence hunting, but from international demand for "shahtoosh," their highly-prized wool.

Shahtoosh (aka "shahtush") shawls and scarves are considered the finest and warmest in the world. Demand has risen alarmingly since the 1980s, when shahtoosh became more popular in Asia and an increasingly favored fashion item in Europe, the US and Australia.

The Chang Tang ("northern plain" in Tibetan), a high-altitude steppe averaging 16,000 feet in elevation, dominates the northern region of the Tibetan Plateau, covering more than 200,000 sq. mi. (an area larger than Germany or California). Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) share the Chang Tang with wild yak and argali sheep, as well as large predators such as snow leopards, Tibetan brown bears and wolves.

The antelope is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau regions of India and China. Males average four feet tall and 80 pounds, with sharp, tapering horns nearly two feet long and distinctive black markings on their otherwise grayish coats. Females are smaller and hornless, with tawny coloration.

Despite designation of the 115,500 sq. mi. Chang Tang Reserve in 1993 (the world's second-largest protected area), these antelope (called "chiru" in Tibetan) face a devastating threat from poachers. In addition to local Tibetan and Chinese people involved in the illegal hunting and trade, a growing number of outsiders has started to come to the region specifically to shoot chiru. Local officials estimate that at least 2,000-4,000 animals are poached annually in the Chang Tang region. Wildlife agencies are too understaffed to effectively prevent the illegal hunting.

"With chiru wool now a lucrative commodity, the animals are being relentlessly hunted," said George Schaller, the Wildlife Conservation Society's director for science. Schaller, who has studied Tibetan Plateau wildlife for more than a decade, estimates the remaining antelope number only 75,000, with "all populations no doubt in decline." He attributes the loss principally to poaching for shahtoosh.

Schaller believes that while subsistence hunting in the reserve did not pose a threat to wildlife in the past, commercial exploitation clearly imperils the survival of the species. "Chiru cannot long endure such unrestrained killing. If present trends continue, the species will survive as mere scattered remnants."

An investigation published last year by the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI), "Fashioned for Extinction," revealed the intricacies of the shahtoosh trade. After the wool is shorn from the hides of slaughtered antelope, it is smuggled by mule, yak or truck from Tibet into India and Nepal. The shahtoosh is destined for Srinagar, in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, where local weavers have produced shahtoosh products for centuries.

In India, shawls sell for as little as $2,000, but they can bring even more in the US and Europe -- sometimes selling for as much as $10,000-30,000. While the total output of the industry is unknown, it clearly contributes to the deaths of thousands of chiru annually.

The Tibetan antelope is on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Animals and is protected under Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a treaty that prohibits international commercial trade in endangered species. The chiru also receives nominal protection under the national wildlife laws of China, Nepal and India -- with one exception. In Jammu and Kashmir, shahtoosh sales are legal.

Shahtoosh items are now available worldwide. Police have confiscated shawls and scarves in the US, Canada, Italy, the UK and France, as well as in major Indian cities, Nepal, Japan, China and Hong Kong. Despite these seizures, few violators have been successfully prosecuted under national or international laws. In May, 1998, police in New Delhi working with WPSI on a sting operation seized 46 shahtoosh shawls worth almost $250,000.

Interdiction of shahtoosh imports to the US has been hampered because the antelope is not listed as an endangered species. The US Fish and Wildlife Service requires a complicated and lengthy "petition" process before the species can receive protection. While the antelope is protected by CITES, the USFWS claims that the burden of proof necessary for successful prosecution of violators is difficult to meet.

Alternatives to shahtoosh certainly exist. Pashmina, a fine cashmere wool, is almost as high-quality as shahtoosh, and manufacturers are working on a new Tibetan cashmere product to meet the demanding standards of the high-fashion industry.

With the arrival of the Fall fashion season, shahtoosh sales will undoubtedly increase. Since import controls will continue to be inadequate until the chiru officially becomes an endangered species, consumer vigilance will be the strongest disincentive. With this in mind, the Tibetan Plateau Project (TPP) has begun a campaign to educate the public and retailers about the adverse impacts of the antelope trade.

TPP is working with other conservation organizations to submit a petition to the USFWS to list the Tibetan antelope as an endangered species, a process that could take more than a year. In the meantime, research on the shahtoosh trade will continue, along with efforts to coordinate TPP's work with conservation organizations and authorities in India, China and Nepal.

Photos by Xi Zhinong.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1) Join TPP's Tibetan Antelope Alert email update list for the latest news on the Tibetan antelope and the international trade in shahtoosh. Send an email message to: tppei@earthisland.org

2) Report any sightings or suspected sales of shahtoosh to TPP. We'll forward the information to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

3) Relinquish any shahtoosh products in your possession to the US Fish and Wildlife Service as soon as possible (even samples are forbidden). Importation of shahtoosh products into the US is illegal under international and domestic law, regardless of how they were acquired. For more information, contact TPP.

4) Support the Tibetan Plateau Project and its initiatives to save the Tibetan antelope with a tax-deductible donation and receive a year's subscription to the award-winning Earth Island Journal. Click here for membership information.

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