Earth Island Journal , Vol. In springtime, herds of Tibetan antelope that may total 8,000 sweep across this wide-open expanse in their annual migration to birthing grounds in the north. It's an impressive sight, until you consider that less than a century ago tens of thousands of antelope could be observed in a single herd. Demand has risen alarmingly since the 1980s, when shahtoosh became more popular in Asia and an increasingly favored fashion item in Europe, the US and Australia. Males average four feet tall and 80 pounds, with sharp, tapering horns nearly two feet long and distinctive black markings on their otherwise grayish coats.
Females are smaller and hornless, with tawny coloration.
Despite designation of the 115,500 sq. In addition to local Tibetan and Chinese people involved in the illegal hunting and trade, a growing number of outsiders has started to come to the region specifically to shoot chiru. According to China's State Forestry Administration, as many as 20,000 Tibetan antelope are poached annually in the region. Wildlife agencies are too understaffed to effectively prevent the illegal hunting. He attributes the loss principally to poaching for shahtoosh.