Among the major consumer nations, only in Japan is domestic trade in tiger parts still legal. Tiger bone is believed to prolong life, improve general weakness, and cure lower back pain, headaches and illnesses such as rheumatism and arthritis. It comes in many forms such as pills, plasters and tiger wine. Practically every part of the tiger is valued in traditional Chinese medicine and home remedies 42 . The authors have no doubt whatsoever that it will be impossible to control the tiger bone trade if the shahtoosh trade is not brought to a halt.
Few people know the true story of shahtoosh.
It is the intention of this report to bring together all the known facts and to raise public awareness about the crucial connection between shahtoosh with the fate of the Tibetan antelope, and the tiger. It was not an easy task. Knowledge of the relationship between the trade name 'shahtoosh' and the Tibetan antelope or chiru, and criteria to identify the wool, was then in its early stages. The investigation in France was carried out with the assistance of the French Customs Investigation Department, the French Natural History Museum, and the Management Authorities of India and Nepal. Reputedly five to seven times thinner than human hair, earlier research had established that shahtoosh down fibres have a MFD of 10 to 12 microns.