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Chiru (Tibetan Antelope) — printable fact sheet
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Chiru (Tibetan Antelope)
Pantholops hodgsonii
The chiru is being killed for the fineness of its underwool. Shahtoosh — literally "king of wools" — has fibres of around 7 to 10 microns, finer than cashmere, fine enough that the finished shawl can be pulled through a wedding ring, and the animal cannot be shorn or combed: it …
Did you know?
- Despite living in such remote areas, the Chiru population declined drastically due to illegal hunting for their prized wool, leading to significant conservation efforts in recent decades.
- The Qinghai-Tibet railway was built with dedicated wildlife underpasses specifically so that migrating chiru could still reach their calving grounds, and the animals took several years to learn to use them. A chiru was one of the official mascots of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Its dense coat is made of hollow guard hairs over the fine underwool, and the animal digs shallow pits in the ground to shelter from the plateau wind.
What I learned
Draw the chiru (tibetan antelope)
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