Tibetan antelope

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Extensive global media coverage during 1999 and 2000 alerted the public to the critical status of the Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii). This magnificent animal is being relentlessly hunted for its wool, known as "shahtoosh." Unless consumer demand for shahtoosh can be eliminated, the species may be forced to the brink of extinction. The slender, gazelle-like Tibetan antelope -- also called "chiru" -- is native to the Tibetan Plateau region, primarily in China. Chiru stand about four feet high and males have horns 20-23 inches long, while females are hornless; their coloration ranges from beige or light-grey to white. The chiru's undercoat consists of shahtoosh (Persian for "king of wools"), the softest, warmest wool in the world. The fiber measures 9-12 microns in diameter -- 1/5th that of a human hair. Shahtoosh shawls are so fine they can be threaded through a wedding ring -- earning them the nickname "ring shawls."