Chiru or Tibetan Antelope

The Chiru is found in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir. The Chiru or Tibetan Antelope is a medium sized deer. The fine hair of this Antelope is used to make woolen shawls. This wool is known as Shahtoosh and is one-fifth of the thickness of human hair.

The Chiru live on high altitude mountain slopes of Jammu and Kashmir. Chiru fed on grasses and plants found on the Tibetan and Ladakh plateaus. It is estimated that around 60-75,000 Chiru's can be found worldwide.

This has led to the decimation of the Chiru in Tibet because several Chiru are killed to harvest the wool from their underbellies from which these shawls are woven. That's why, trade in Shahtoosh is banned.