Srinagar: Captive breeding of Chiru may be difficult due to the inhospitable terrain and the need for large financial resources, the Power Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Nuwang Rinjin Joora, a native of Ladakh, said.

The minister was speaking at a one-day workshop “Shahtoosh: Myths and Realities” organized by the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) in Srinagar last week.

He rejected the claims that shahtoosh shawl was being produced from shed hairs of Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii), and said: “There is no evidence to prove that the hair of the animal is collected from rocks and bushes.”

“Population figures of Chiru alone are not sufficient for a captive breeding programme in the Ladakh region, more information about the ecology and the behaviors of the animal will be vital,” Mr. Joora said.

Various stake holders including the artisans, handicraft associations, Kashmir Chamber of Commerce (KCC), wildlife experts and government officials participated in the seminar. The livelihood issues of shahtoosh workers in the aftermath of the shahtoosh ban were also discussed.

Ashok Kumar, Vice Chairman of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) who was the keynote speaker at the meeting said “The government has finally put to rest the myth surrounding the source of chiru wool.”

“Laboratory tests have proved that they are not made from shed hairs – patterns and the presence of apical points of the fiber have established that the wool is plucked,” said Kumar.

However, the ban on shahtoosh was also a livelihood issue, which thousands of families have been dependent for many decades.

Mubeen Shah, Chairman of KCC said, “In the nineties, trade on shahtoosh had touched Rupees 120 crore and was a big boost for the economy. Women and poor widows, who constituted the shahtoosh workforce have lost their income and were left helpless after the ban.”

He argued that till date no one could prove whether the wool used for making shahtoosh shawls are from dead animals, hence, it was unjust on the part of the government to ban shahtoosh. Workers should have given fair chance to defend their case.

Widespread killing of the animal due to the shahtoosh trade has resulted in sharp decline of their population in Tibet and experts fear that they might become extinct in the future, if immediate actions are not initiated for their conservation. In India, about 150 to 200 antelopes are said to migrate to Ladakh from Tibet every year.

Ashok Bhan Director of IIPA, Ashish Kumar Srivastava, (Chief Wildlife Warden), C. M. Seth, Director, State Forest Research Institute (SFRI) and Dr. G. N. Qasba also presented their views.