Dubai : The Dubai government seized 90 shahtoosh shawls and 10 shahtoosh scarves from Kashmiri owned shops on 31 st July. The seizure was effected using a kit designed and developed by the Metropolitan Police, UK and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to identify shahtoosh from similar products.Shahtoosh shawls have reportedly appeared in Dubai during the last few years. Though there exists an international ban on shahtoosh trade, it has been spotted by tourists in prominent shopping malls in Dubai like the City Centre early this year.   Shahtoosh shawls are made from the wool of the Tibetan antelope, an endangered species accorded the highest protection in the country by the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

John Sellar, Senior Enforcement Officer, CITES on a recent mission to Abu Dhabi and Dubai spotted shahtoosh on sale. This led the government to take action. Sellar added, “ the authorities there are now in the process of confirming identification of all the shawls. Though they have been able to do some identification using the kit prepared by the Met (UK Metropolitan Police). But some have to be taken to specialized laboratories and I am giving advice in this regard. It’s good to see this action.”

Shri Ashok Kumar, Senior Advisor and Trustee of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) said,” I had myself seen one in Dubai earlier this year and had conveyed this information to CITES MA of UAE. The problem they said was identifying shahtoosh shawls from Pashmina shawls.” CITES is an international agreement between Governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.

Like John Sellar, Ashok Kumar too suggested that the government obtain an identification kit from the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), UK made with assistance from Intenational Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). When Ashok Kumar met the UAE delegation again at the CITES Asian Regional Meeting in Manila in July 2004, he was informed that the Dubai Government had obtained the kit. The seizure followed very soon thereafter.

The kit for identification of shahtoosh was developed by IFAW and the UK Metropolitan Police to assist enforcement officials to distinguish shahtoosh from similar products. The kit provides an overview of the illegal trade, details on microscopic and DNA identification techniques and a sample of the wool. IFAW has been running an international campaign to save the Tibetan antelope, which is run by its partner, the Wildlife Trust of India as the ‘Say No to Shahtoosh’ campaign in India .