A Brief Introduction to the Tibetan Antelope's Plight

Excerpted from a letter from FON founder Liang Congjie to British Prime Minister Tony Blair, on tbe occasion of the latter's visit to China last October, appealing for Britain's help in stopping the trade shahtoosh.

running antelopes

The Tibetan antelope is found almost exclusively in western China, living at height of over 4,500 meters. In 1979, it was included on the list of species for which trade is strictly forbidden under CITES, but despite this international ban,shahtoosh (the name given to the fur taken from the neck of the Tibetan antelope) became very fashionable in the mid-1980s, and the international market has thrived since. Shahtoosh can now be bought in markets in a number of European and other countries, all of which are signatories to CITES. In London ih 1996, a shahtoosh shawl could fetch up to ¡ê3,500. And prices such as these in European markets have of course escalated prices of the fur imported illegally from China for processing in India.

Traders have spread the myth that the fur is shed naturally with the changing seasons, and collected by local herdsmen. But this simply is not true. The reality is that all the fur is taken from the bodies of Tibetan antelopes poached in China, with each animal yielding a mere 125-150 grams. Over the last few years, the Chinese authorities have caught nearly 100 groups of poachers and confiscated thousands of Tibetan antelope hides. One policeman was killed in the process. In 1997, the Tibet Forestry Bureau intercepted over 1,000 kilograms of shahtoosh destined for export. Given the vast area of land involved, this can only represent a small proportion of the total.


Little antelopes can't be alive after their mothers death.

Because of the poaching, the numbers of Tibetan antelope are falling drastically. It is estimated that there are now no more than 75,000-100,000 left alive - just one-tenth of the number a century ago. Estimates of the amount of shahtoosh processed in India suggest that more than 20,000 antelopes are killed each year for their fur. If poaching continues on this scale, there is a risk that the Tibetan antelope will be extinct within 20 years.

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