DEMAND FOR THE SHAHTOOSH SHAWL IS BRINGING TWO ENDANGERED SPECIES, THE CHIRU AND THE TIGER, TO THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION.
FOR ONE SHAHTOOSH SHAWL, BETWEEN THREE AND FIVE CHIRU (ALSO KNOWN AS THE TIBETAN ANTELOPE) ARE KILLED. THEIR SOFT UNDER-FUR IS STRIPPED FROM THEIR HIDE, PRODUCING JUST 150 GRAMMES OF WOOL FROM EACH ANIMAL.
The Chiru (Pantholops hodgsoni) is a rare and endangered animal found only in the Tibetan Plateau. The survival of this magnificent species is threatened by hunting on a massive scale - hunting for its wool to make shahtoosh shawls in response to the demand from the fashion industry.
BACKGROUND
For centuries shahtoosh shawls have been made in and around the city of Srinagar in Kashmir, but in small quantities. From the late 1980's there has been a dramatic increase in demand from the international fashion industry and this demand is now escalating at an alarming rate.
AS A DIRECT CONSEQUENCE OF THIS DEMAND THE CHIRU POPULATION HAS NOW FALLEN FROM AN ESTIMATED 1,000,000 AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY TO FEWER THAN 75,000 IN 1999.
The Chiru is a protected species under the Convention in Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) and all hunting and trade in any part of the species is banned, but the smugglers and poachers have no respect for the law.
INDIAN TRADERS USE TIGER BONES AND THE PRODUCTS OF OTHER ENDANGERED SPECIES TO BUY SHAHTOOSH. THE TRADE KILLS NOT ONLY THE CHIRU BUT TIGERS, BEARS, MUSK DEER AND OTHER THREATENED WILDLIFE.
Despite the protection shahtoosh shawls are still available in private and government outlets throughout India and, indeed, are traded under the counter all over the world.
It is not just the trade in shahtoosh shawls that is deplorable but even wearing one should be condemned.
IT IS AS IRRESPONSIBLE TO WEAR A SHAHTOOSH SHAWL AS A FUR COAT MADE FROM ANY OTHER ENDANGERED SPECIES.
The chiru are endemic to the plains of the Tibetan Plateau, they roam an area that stretches from the Chinese Qinghai province in the East to Ladakh, India in the West.
Reports indicate the chiru continues to be heavily poached in all areas of China in which the species occurs. Most of the poaching takes place in the winter months when the chiru's undercoat is at its thickest.
Traditional hunting methods include foot traps but the increased demand for shahtoosh has provoked a variety of even more barbaric methods. Hunters shoot herds of chiru from moving vehicles killing as many as 500 in a hunt and it has been reported that mass slaughter takes place at the breeding grounds.
The shahtoosh wool is plucked and pulled from the hides of the carcasses at the point of this carnage.
The trade in shahtoosh from Tibet to India is well established. But for the past decade, the preferred barter items for shahtoosh from Tibet have been bones, bear gall bladder and musk deer pods from the Indian sub-continent, all valued ingredients for traditional oriental medicine.
THERE IS NO DOUBT WHATSOEVER THAT IT WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE TO CONTROL TIGER BONE TRADE IF THE SHAHTOOSH TRADE IS NOT BROUGHT TO A HALT TOO.
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"The Chiru's numbers may have declined to no more than 75,000. It is everyone's duty and an act of conscience to stop this illegal trade and ensure the chiru's future in its remote realm". Dr. George Schaller.
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IN THE UK IT HAS BEEN ILLEGAL TO SELL, BUY OR IMPORT SHAHTOOSH SINCE 1997. THE MAXIMUM PENALTY IS UP TO A £5,000 FINE, 2 YEARS IN JAIL OR BOTH.
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SHAHTOOSH SHAWLS SHOULD NOT BE CONFUSED WITH PASHMINA SHAWLS WHICH ARE MADE FROM PERFECTLY LEGAL PASHMINA WOOL AND SILK.
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Pashmina wool, of which cashmere is the premium grade, comes from the domestic goat (Capra hircus) which is found in India, Nepal, China and Mongolia. There is no slaughter involved in extracting the wool and, indeed, it is beneficial to the economies of these countries.