SHAHTOOSH TRADE ALIVE, CHIRU DYING

Shahtoosh trade alive, Chiru dying 

By Prerna Singh Bindra, in Shrinagar
The Pioneer
Sunday, November 2, 2003

One of the most endangered animals in the world, the
Chiru is slaughtered for its wool, called Shahtoosh,
shawls made of which fetch up to $20,000 in the
international market. Also known as the Tibetan antelope,
Chiru numbers have fallen from an estimated million at
the turn of the twentieth century to less than 70,000 at
present.   

Chiru wool on the way to becoming a Shahtoosh shawl 
  - Pioneer Photo
 
Recognising its vulnerability, the Chiru has been granted
the highest protection. It is listed under Appendix I of
the Convention of International Trade in Endangered
Species (CITES), and is a Schedule I species under the
Wildlife Protection Act in India, 1972. The Jammu and
Kashmir Wildlife Protection Act, 1978, upgraded the
endangered Chiru to Schedule I by an amendment in June
2002. 

While the Chiru is found at high altitudes on the Tibetan
plateau, shahtoosh shawls are woven only in Kashmir. Now,
a sustained campaign - supported by fashion designers
like Ritu Kumar and Rina Dhaka - seeks to end this bloody
trade and save the Chiru. But the law is only on paper,
and Chirus are still being slaughtered to feed a
flourishing Shahtoosh trade as an undercover
investigation by The Pioneer reveals. Posing as an
exporter, this correspondent discovered a vibrant
underground Shahtoosh industry in the bylanes of old
Shrinagar where it is sifted, dyed and woven for sale in
the main market. Though dealers say about 5,000 shawls
are still being made annually, even a conservative
estimate of 1,000 shawls annually would push the Chiru to
extinction in five to seven years. That's because five
Chirus must die for one shahtoosh shawl to be made.

The task was risky, and required covering tracks
carefully - most traders are wary of the Central Bureau
of Investigation or wildlife officials posing as buyers.

First stop, Shahjee Arts Emporium. This establishment's
business card, and the placard outside, unashamedly
announce that Shahtoosh is available, though the owners
get edgy and defensive when asked to show a shawl. After
a while, tactical money-flashing included, the owner,
Ghulam Mohammed, is convinced he has a customer and
produces a shahtoosh scarf. This is just an example, says
Ghulam Mohammed, pronouncing that there is an unlimited
supply of all Shahtoosh varieties - men's and women's
shawls, blankets, in natural colours and dyed,
embroidered and otherwise - beginning at Rs 25,000.

Assured of a sizeable order, this correspondent is later
introduced to the main dealer, Imran. A young Delhi-based
trader, he is vary of disclosing any information about
himself. No surnames, no contact numbers, no address, no
photographs.But he insists that any demand of Shahtoosh
shawls will be met, and delivered at your doorstep. Urged
by Ghulam Mohammed, he agrees to show a place where
Shahtoosh is woven.

The weaving is being carried out in a dingy room in
double-storeyed house at Zoonimer, in the bylanes of old
Shrinagar, where most of the weavers live. There are two
toosh shawls in the looms, and more thread awaits its
turn. Another weaver nearby has Shahtoosh in different
colours; Imran says it is for a check design much in
demand in the UK and US. The weavers say this is their
trade, professing ignorance of the ban or the fact that
wild animals are killed for the wool. It is clear that
they have been warned not to talk about their vocation.
This is not even their traditional vocation - they used
to weave Pashmina - but Shahtoosh offered better money so
they took it up instead. It is learnt that about 1,000
weavers and an equal number of cleaners (those who sift
the wool) are currently employed in the trade.

On the way back, Imran is open about information
regarding the trade. He insists that there is no ban in
Jammu and Kashmir, but the India ban has had a positive
impact on the trade, for demand has shot up pushing
prices up before it. Are the shawls smuggled? Child's
play, says Imran. "By road, by train or by air, we can
send as many as we want. There is no checking and who
will recognise shahtoosh, anyway?" he points out. 

Imran cannot put a figure to the number to the number of
shawls produced every year, but says there are "very
many," maybe 5,000. These figures are disputable -
dealers are known to mix Pashmina and other wool with
Shahtoosh to deceive buyers. But Imran's estimate is
enough to realise that the Chiru is in its last lap, if
something more is not done immediately. 

According to Imran, the supply has declined, but because
of the ban and not a fall in Chiru population. "The
market in Kashmir is negligible, so we get shahtoosh from
Tibetans who bring it in from Nepal and Tibet. Shrinagar
is the only place it is woven. Shawls are then taken to
Delhi, which is the hub of the trade. Besides the
domestic market in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata, most of the
shawls are smuggled to the UK, USA and UAE," he explains.

Later, Imran leads the way to his house in Soura where he
shows us a few shahtoosh shawls. The offer is open: If
shawls are required in Delhi, an order can be placed
through the Shrinagar contact number. 

The next day, this correspondent visits the place where
shahtoosh is sifted, a job mainly managed by young girls.
This is at Wanganpura, close to Idgah in the old city.
Two girls, Rukaya and Tasmin, who are doing sifting do
not know of any ban. They are paid one rupee to clean one
gramme of wool. Each girl cleans about 100 gramme a day,
and there are at least 1,000 such girls employed in
cleaning shahtoosh in the city. Shahjee was not the only
shop that traded in shahtoosh. Entering other shops at
random revealed that Shahtoosh was readily available; one
only had look like a genuine buyer. Clearly, the law is
just on paper, not enforced. As this investigation
proves, the illegal trade in Shahtoosh is rampant and
flourishing indicating extinction not just for the Chiru
but also for the tiger. It is an established fact that
Shahtoosh is used as barter for tiger skins and bones in
the illegal wildlife trade. According to wildlife
investigators, traders from Tibet offer the wool in
exchange for tiger bones in India. 

Read the complete news at:
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