At the turn of the last century there were about one million Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii) or 'chiru' on the Tibetan plateau; now there are 75,000, possibly fewer. Up to 20,000 of this protected species are killed each year by poachers to supply the trade in shahtoosh wool shawls which can cost $15,000 each in the West. Tibetan antelope hair is 20 per cent finer than human hair and four or five pelts are needed to make one shawl. Each spring the females make a 322km trek north to calve in a barren region of southwest China, possibly to avoid packs of wolves that roam the Tibetan plateau.
.jpeg "Tibetan Antelope In Warrior King (2023).jpeg (497 KB)")
