If present trends continue, the species will survive as mere scattered remnants. After the wool is plucked from the hides of slaughtered antelope, it is smuggled by mule, yak or truck from Tibet into India and Nepal. The shahtoosh is destined for Srinagar, in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, where local weavers have produced shahtoosh products for centuries. While the total output of the industry is unknown, it clearly contributes to the deaths of thousands of chiru annually. In Jammu and Kashmir, shahtoosh sales are legal.
Shahtoosh items are now available worldwide.
Police have confiscated shawls and scarves in the US, Canada, Italy, the UK and France, as well as in major Indian cities, Nepal, Japan, China and Hong Kong. Despite these seizures, few violators have been successfully prosecuted under national or international laws. Interdiction of shahtoosh imports to the US has been hampered because the chiru is not listed as an endangered species. Alternatives to shahtoosh certainly exist. With the arrival of the Fall fashion season, shahtoosh sales will undoubtedly increase.