藏羚羊的英文简介,非常感谢!急需～

藏羚羊的英文简介,非常感谢!急需～
藏羚羊的英文简介,非常感谢!
急需～

藏羚羊的英文简介,非常感谢!急需～
Tibetan Antelope Conservation and the Shahtoosh Trade
Extensive global media coverage during 1999 and 2000 alerted the public to the critical status of the Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii).This magnificent animal is being relentlessly hunted for its wool,known as "shahtoosh." Unless consumer demand for shahtoosh can be eliminated,the species may be forced to the brink of extinction.
The slender,gazelle-like Tibetan antelope -- also called "chiru" -- is native to the Tibetan Plateau region,primarily in China.Chiru stand about four feet high and males have horns 20-23 inches long,while females are hornless; their coloration ranges from beige or light-grey to white.
The chiru's undercoat consists of shahtoosh (Persian for "king of wools"),the softest,warmest wool in the world.The fiber measures 9-12 microns in diameter -- 1/5th that of a human hair.Shahtoosh shawls are so fine they can be threaded through a wedding ring -- earning them the nickname "ring shawls."
The Tibetan antelope population was one million or more at the beginning of the century,estimates eminent wildlife biologist George Schaller,the Wildlife Conservation Society's director for science,but by the mid-90s chiru numbers had been reduced to less than 75,000,due principally to poaching for shahtoosh.As many as 20,000 Tibetan antelope are killed annually to supply the trade,with males,females and young slaughtered indiscriminately.
The only way to obtain shahtoosh is to kill the chiru -- three to five dead antelope yield sufficient wool for one shawl.The chiru are skinned and the raw shahtoosh is collected and smuggled to India,where it is manufactured into shawls in the state of Jammu and Kashmir,the only location in the world where shahtoosh possession and manufacture are officially legalized.Shahtoosh products are then illegally transported to fashion capitals worldwide,where they sell for $2,000-$8,000,and occasionally for up to $15,000 or more.
International trade in Tibetan antelope products,including shahtoosh,has been wholly banned since 1979 under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),which regulates the trade in endangered species products,and it is illegal to import shahtoosh into the U.S.and many other countries.Domestic trade is also illegal in China and India,except in Jammu and Kashmir.
Fashion-driven demand for shahtoosh in the U.S.has been increasing in recent years and shows little sign of waning.Shahtoosh seizures,as well as revelations published in the November 1999 issue of Vanity Fair magazine regarding the illegal trade,demonstrate that the U.S.is a key shahtoosh market.
Although there has been long-standing confusion over the true source of shahtoosh,there is now sufficient publicly available information for consumers to make informed decisions and to reject shahtoosh products.
Ironically,the deaths of thousands of Tibetan antelope and the entire shahtoosh trade are unnecessary,because attractive,fashionable alternatives are available,including products made from the finest Tibetan cashmere (also known as "pashmina") and from yak wool,another excellent shahtoosh substitute.By purchasing cashmere and yak wool products,consumers can contribute to the protection of the Tibetan antelope,as well as assist with supporting the livelihoods of traditional communities in the Tibetan Plateau region.
Photos 999 Xi Zhinong.
Protecting Tibetan Antelope and Halting the Shahtoosh Trade
Much remains to be done to enhance the effectiveness of international conservation management and law enforcement efforts to protect the Tibetan antelope and eliminate the shahtoosh trade.Although the import of shahtoosh is illegal in the U.S.,internal trade still needs improved regulation and enforcement.
Tibetan Antelope Information Resources
TPP offers one of the most extensive selections of information resources regarding the Tibetan antelope and the shahtoosh trade available on the Internet,including:
A Tibetan antelope fact sheet;
An endangered species proposal submitted by the Tibetan Plateau Project and the Wildlife Conservation Society to the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service; and
Links to articles dating back to 1998 on the issues of Tibetan antelope conservation and the shahtoosh trade.
The Tibetan Plateau Project and the Wildlife Conservation Society have submitted a formal proposal to the U.S.government to designate the Tibetan antelope as an endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA).An Endangered listing would outlaw the interstate sale and transport of shahtoosh -- a distinct problem where buyers cross state lines to purchase shahtoosh products.
TPP's Tibetan Antelope Conservation Campaign is working with wildlife experts and conservation organizations to:
Support a proposal for the U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service to classify the Tibetan antelope as an endangered species under the ESA
Coordinate information resources on the conservation of the Tibetan antelope and the shahtoosh trade with organizations in India,China,Nepal,East Asia and Europe
Educate the public and retailers about the adverse impacts of the shahtoosh trade and promote alternatives to shahtoosh,such as "shahmina," pashmina and yak wool products