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THE CHIRU
The Tibetan Antelope - Pantholops hodgsonii - is commonly
referred to as the chiru. It lives above the tree line
in Tibet, at an altitude of over 14,000 ft. Its natural environment
is one of harsh bitter winds, minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter,
with occasional snowstorms even during the short summers. The chiru's
home remains one of the least travelled and least known corners of the
world, and one would have thought that chiru populations would be safe
from man’s greed. Alas this is not the case.
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| The Tibetan Antelope- Pantholops
hodgsonii - is commonly referred to as the chiru. It lives above
the tree line in Tibet, at an altitude of over 14,000 ft. |
‘Shahtoosh’ is the name given to wool derived from the chiru. The fabric
woven from this wool carries the same name and is worn by the fashionable
worldwide. The chiru's natural habitat is Tibet - with populations ranging
into Ladakh. Nature has provided it with a two-layered fur, to give
it the warmth that it requires for survival. The visible coat is the
second coat and is coarse. The short, fine haired under layer hugs the
chiru’s skin. Shahtoosh is derived from the undercoat.
Once we know that shahtoosh is derived from an untamed animal, which
roams wild on the Tibetan plateau desert, it takes little imagination
to realise how this wool is harvested.
Technological societies of the 20th century offer huge discretionary
incomes to growing numbers. With the growth of wealth, advanced communication,
and travel, little known products from remote parts gained currency
worldwide. The needs of the wealthy changed to embrace products like
shahtoosh shawls and scarves. As a result, where an estimated 1,000,000
animals roamed in the Tibetan Plateau in the earlier part of the last
century, current estimates of the chiru population range between 50,000
and 75,000. Chinese government sources state that approx. 20,000 animals
are poached annually.
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| As many as three
chirus are gruesomely slaughtered to stitch together one shahtoosh
shawl. Less than 70,000 chirus exist today and 20,000 of these
are butchered every year. |
Traditionally, the animal is trapped prior to killing. However, with
today’s increasing demand, contemporary poachers have devised innovative,
cost and time effective ways to kill. At night, they shine bright lights
at whole resting herds. The innocent animal, baffled by this new experience
freezes, and thereby signs it’s own death warrant. The poachers let
loose their automatic weapons at these sitting targets.
Since the master weavers are based in Kashmir the wool moves from Tibet
(sometimes via Nepal) to India. The shawl is woven in Jammu & Kashmir
and then smuggled to international markets across the world and also
sold clandestinely in the domestic market.
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The Chiru
