Wednesday, April 9, 2003
The wool of the Tibetan antelope, also known as the chiru, is prized as a luxury textile and sold worldwide. But dwindling antelope populations has prompted authorities to outlaw the collecting of the wool.
Yet the law remains a weak deterrent as is evident in this week's discovery and seizure of over 200 kilograms of the wool. Scientists estimate that the seized wool could represent the slaughter of over 3000 antelope, a devastating blow to an already dwindling population.
Garments made from the prized wool, called shahtoosh, sells for tens of thousands of dollars. The economic incentive to create such textiles often overpowers the protected status of the endangered antelope.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare is pushing for the issuance of deterrent sentencings to those who participate in the trade of shahtoosh, and states that improvements to customs enforcements must also improve.
The future of the Tibetan antelope, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, looks grim. With killings totalling 20,000 each year, the estimated 50,000 antelope in the wild are feared susceptable to extinction within two years.
