Tibetan Antelopes live on the Tibetan plateau and their wool protects them from the region's sub-zero temperatures. If this protective coat of wool is removed, the animal cannot survive.

Q: How do we know that shahtoosh shawls are made from the wool of the Tibetan Antelope?
A: The hair and/or the wool, of every species of animal, is structurally different from that of another species. By microscopic examination, a pattern can be seen on the surface of the hair and also in the core. These are called cuticular and medular structures, respectively. Hair samples taken from shahtoosh shawls have been tested under the microscope, and it has been established that they have patterns that are found only in the hair of the Tibetan Antelope or chiru.

Q: Is it necessary to kill the Tibetan Antelope to obtain its wool?
A: Yes. Tibetan Antelopes live on the Tibetan plateau and their wool protects them from the region's sub-zero temperatures. If this protective coat of wool is removed, the animal cannot survive. There is ample evidence to show that Tibetan Antelopes are killed in large numbers. Samples of wool taken from shahtoosh shawls have pointed ends, called apical points. This shows that the wool was never sheared.

Q: Shahtoosh manufactures say their people collect shahtoosh wool from rocks and bushes where chiru wool gets entangled.
A: There is no evidence to show that the wool of the Tibetan Antelope is collected from rocks and bushes. Shahtoosh traders were not able to give evidence of collection either to the Government of India committee appointed in 1995, or to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. Collection of shahtoosh wool from rocks and bushes is nothing but a myth. In fact the terrain that the chiru inhabits is devoid of rocks and bushes.

Q: Does a Tibetan Antelope shed its wool after winter?
A: Many animals shed a part of their winter coat of wool. Domestic dogs and cats also shed hair seasonally. This is called moulting. Tibetan Antelopes also do the same in springtime; moulting taking place slowly over a period. In the wind-swept plains of Tibet there are no rocks and bushes to which wool could cling and from which wool can be collected. There is no evidence of collection of shed wool, whereas there is plenty of evidence of chirus being killed and their wool being plucked for trade.

Q: How does the shahtoosh wool reach Kashmir from Tibet?
A: The wool is separated from the skins in Tibet, and then smuggled to India largely through Nepal. There have been a number of shahtoosh wool seizures in Delhi. One seizure took place in Darjeeling district. In another seizure, the accused party was a company called A to Z Handicraft of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir. The seized wool had come from Kathmandu to Delhi by air. Shahtoosh wool has also been seized in Nepal and last year approx 250 kgs of wool was seized in Delhi.

Q What are the population figures for the Tibetan Antelope?
A: The population has declined from upwards of a million of 40-50 years ago, to as low as 65,000-75,000. The Chinese government estimates for the current rate of poaching is upward of 20,000 animals per year. At this rate the species should be extinguished in five years.

Q What about the population of Tibetan Antelopes in Jammu and Kashmir?
A: The committee appointed by the Government of India recorded that about 200-500 Tibetan Antelope migrate from Tibet's Chang Tang region to Ladakh in the summer months and return back thereafter. There is no evidence to show that the wool of Tibetan Antelopes has ever been collected from these seasonal migrants.

Q: What laws are violated in weaving and selling of the shahtoosh shawl?
A: The Tibetan Antelope is a fully protected species in China, Nepal and India. Killing the animal in China's Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) results in violating Chinese law. Smuggling its wool to Nepal violates Nepalese wildlife law and the international treaty called CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). China, Nepal and India are signatories to this treaty. Smuggling Tibetan Antelope wool to India violates CITES and India's import-export policy, regulated by the Customs Act. The Tibetan Antelope is fully protected by the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972, which includes the Tibetan Antelope in Schedule I and therefore prohibits the killing of, and trade in this animal. The state of Jammu and Kashmir has its own law, which was amended in September 2002 to include the chiru in Schedule I of the state Act. Hence, in India the weaving and trade is also carried on in violation of both the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India (1972) and the Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife Protection Act, 1978.

Q: Is the trade in shahtoosh shawls legal in Jammu & Kashmir?
A: No. The Jammu and Kashmir government, shahtoosh traders and many others used to believe that this trade was legal in that state. In reality it was not, and the Jammu and Kashmir High Court ruled in its judgement dated 1 May, 2000, that trade in shahtoosh contravenes both the Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife (Protection) Act, as well as CITES. The very fact that the raw material needed for making shahtoosh shawls is obtained in contravention of CITES, and, India's import-export policy makes shahtoosh shawls illegal in Jammu and Kashmir. Moreover since September 2002, the Tibetan Antelope has been upgraded to Schedule I of the Jammu and Kashmir Wildlife Protection Act, thus giving the animal complete protection in Jammu and Kashmir as well. Hence the trade is completely illegal in Jammu and Kashmir.

Q: What is the connection between shahtoosh shawls and tiger conservation?
A: The bulk of the cross border trade between India and Tibet is by barter. Many Indian products like bear bile, tiger and leopard bones and skins are bartered for the wool of Tibetan Antelopes. Travelers to Tibet have recorded exchange of Tibetan Antelope wool for such items.

Q: What is the view of the rest of the world?
A: In all, 161 countries of the world are signatories to CITES. The list includes all the major nations of the world. shahtoosh shawls are illegal in all these countries and seizures have taken place in UK, USA, France, Italy and Hong Kong, apart from India. Governments aside, non-government organisations and conservationists worldwide, strongly oppose trade in shahtoosh.

Q: What about the livelihood of shahtoosh weavers and traders?
A:The weavers do not exclusively weave shahtoosh shawls. They also weave pashmina shawls. With pashmina shawls having become extremely popular in Western countries, both weavers and traders are now capitalising on this growing market through increased sales. WTI suggests that a brand of origin be created for all handcrafted pashmina emerging out of Kashmir, along with a logo which will guarantee the following
i) That the product is handcrafted using traditional techniques.
ii) That it is made of the highest quality pashmina and that can rival shahtoosh.
iii) That it is made exclusively by traditional craftsmen of the Kashmir valley.

This will ensure that workers who were earlier involved with shahtoosh weaving will continue to work with almost as fine a fibre and would do what they were traditionally doing. It will also guarantee employment to the large work force of women engaged in the two stages of separation and spinning in the manufacture of shahtoosh shawls.

Q: What about old shahtoosh shawls in homes?
A: Strictly by the letter of the law, anyone owning a product of a Schedule I species should have declared it to the government and obtained an ownership certificate within 30 days of promulgation of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Failure to do so has rendered these shawls illegal. However, it is also a fact that scientific evidence that shahtoosh shawls are made from the wool of Tibetan Antelopes became available in India only in 1993. The government has, as per a gazette notification dated April 18, 2003, declared a six month amnesty, so as to register privately owned shahtoosh shawls, and issue ownership certificates. Owners of shahtoosh shawls can download the registration form from this site and submit it at the Chief Wildlife Warden's office in the city they reside in.

Q: What if the government of Jammu and Kashmir does not ban the production and sale of shahtoosh shawls?
A: : They will be in contempt of court after the judgement of September 2002 by the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir. They must realise that shahtoosh shawls are illegal everywhere in the world. Where would these shawls be sold even if manufactured?

Q: Will illegal weaving and trade in shahtoosh shawls still continue?
A:For some time, probably yes. This is an enforcement issue in Jammu and Kashmir as it is in the rest of India, and in other countries. But as the old shawls get registered and legalized, it will become increasingly difficult to bring the new illegal shawls into the trade. Besides, as per the amendment of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India 1972, no trophy or wildlife article can now be transferred by any other means except through inheritance. Hence, trade in all wildlife articles including shahtoosh shawls, will necessary have to come to an end.