In The Shadows: The Shahtoosh Story

Before a global ruling in 1975, the shahtoosh was the most luxurious fabric coveted by the ultra-rich and sold by leading international brands from Hermes to Yves Saint Laurent. But a campaign by international conservationists raised an alarm over the procurement of the shahtoosh wool. According to the Wildlife Protection Society of India, it takes the life of three Tibetan Antelopes to make one 2m x 1m woman's shahtoosh shawl, and the life of five to six of them to produce a man’s. And so, as the ban led to raids, arrests and destruction of shahtoosh products across the world, in South Asia, the halt in trade manifested in precarious ways. A recent crackdown called 'Operation Soft Gold', led by India's Wildlife Crime Control Bureau highlighted how the trade doesn't just continue, but is finding unique avenues to find mass consumers through the black market.

Shahtoosh trade is counted among the world’s most alarming wildlife crimes which continues to have an exclusive market, according to the 2024 World Wildlife Crime Report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. The CITES Illegal Trade Database, documented 245 Tibetan antelope specimen seizures between 2016 and 2021 in India, Nepal, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the UK and the US.

In this Asian Dispatch report, supported by the Earth Journalism Network, journalists from four countries joined hands to reveal new information on the illicit trade of shahtoosh, and show why authorities across the globe need to revisit the implementation of the ban.

Lead Reporters
Pallavi Pundir, India
Hashim Hakeem, India
Rajneesh Bhandari, Nepal
Sajjad Tarakzai, Pakistan
Wael Elghoul, United Arab Emirates
Project Manager
Preeksha Malhotra
Story Production
Anoushka Dalmia
Visuals
Mia Jose
Shashank Raj
Sharanya Eshwar
Editor
Asad Ali
Special Thanks:
Mike Shanahan, Project Director, Biodiversity Media Initiative (Earth Journalism Network)
Dr Mark Lee Hunter, veteran journalist, author and media educator