More than 200 kilograms of shahtoosh wool skinned from endangered
Tibetan antelopes were seized this week in the largest ever
smuggling case of its type.
About 3,000 Tibetan antelopes, or chiru as they are known locally,
are believed to have been slaughtered for the 215 kilograms of
high-priced wool, seized by Indian officials on Tuesday, He Yong,
an official with the International Fund for
Animal Welfare (IFAW) China office, told China Daily
yesterday.
The wool seized was being transported in a truck along with dozens
of bags of sheep wool from Pithoragarh in Uttaranchal of India. The
wool was to be taken to Kashmir to be woven into shawls. Three
people have reportedly been arrested, according to the New Delhi
wildlife department.
The case greatly shocked international wildlife conservation groups
including the IFAW and the Wildlife Trust of India, which have
worked over the years to protect these rare antelopes from
extinction.
"It was estimated that 6 per cent of the entire population of the
Tibetan antelope has been wiped out in this one instance alone," He
said.
A
century ago, more than 1 million Tibetan antelopes roamed the
highlands of Tibet and Qinghai. Today it is estimated only 50,000
remain in the wild, official statistics show.
It
is estimated that poachers kill 20,000 Tibetan antelopes each year
to feed the demand for shahtoosh. "At the current rate of
population decline, the antelopes will become extinct long before
the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008," He said.
The wool from the Tibetan antelopes is known as shahtoosh, "the
king of wools," for its fine texture. It is woven into luxury
shawls which can sell for up to US$17,500 each on the international
market.
(China Daily April 11, 2003)