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Appeal
for Rescuing Tibetan Antelopes
May 24, 1999 was an unforgettable day for the people of Hoh Xil,
an area 4,600 meters above sea level in Qinghai Province. In front
of the Hoh Xil Nature Protection Center, 373 Tibetan antelope hides
confiscated from poachers were burned to ashes by Liang Congjie, president
of the Chinese non-governmental organization－Friends of Nature.
Liang said, "What we have done here is to show to the world
that China will not tolerate the illegal killing of wildlife."
Friends of Nature was founded in 1994, becoming the first non-governmental
organizing campaigns to protect golden monkeys in Guizhou Province
and to protect the environment at the source of the Yangtze River.
In addition, its members regularly plant trees and hold forums on
afforestation. This organization is enjoying an increasing reputation
among the Chinese people.
Friends of Nature's work to protect tibetan ante lopes
on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau has aroused great attention nationwide.
These animals, which live only in the uninhabited region 4,500 meters
above sea level where Qinghai Province and the Tibet and Xinjiang
Uygur autonomous regions meet, are on the verge of extinction. Over
the past two years, about 10,000 to 20,000 antelopes have been killed
each year.
From the mid-1980s, Shahtoosh-brand Tibetan antelope cashmere products
became fashionable in European and American markets. One Shahtoosh
shawl would cost US $10,000 to US $40,000 for its lightness, softness
and warmth. The material is so supple that it is said that a large
shawl made from it can slip through a finger ring, thus becoming known
as a "ring shawl." However, a woman's shawl will cost the
lives of three Tibetan antelopes, while one for men will cost lives
of five antelopes.
Britain is one of the biggest buyers of these products. In October
1998, Liang wrote a letter to British Prime Minister Tony Blair while
the latter was in China, informing him how Tibetan antelopes were
brutally killed for their pelts, and appealing to the people of Britain
to help put a stop to the illegal trade in cashmere products. "I
would like to ask you to let the British people know the tragic fate
the Tibetan antelopes are facing, and to use your personal influence
on the British people and people in the European countries,"
Liang wrote, "and to work with us in saving these rare animals
from extinction." He continued, "I sincerely hope that Britain
will serve as a vanguard in the efforts to stamp out the international
trade in Tibetan antelope cashmere products."
After reading the letter, the prime minister met Liang, who handed
him a set of photos showing how some of the animals had been brutally
slaughtered. Blair was moved, and promised to use his influence in
Europe to help put an end to the illegal trade. The fact that a state
leader had contacted a non-government organization like Friends of
Nature aroused great attention among the international media at the
time, and raised worldwide concern about the plight of the Tibetan
antelope.
Liang's efforts paid off. Prime Minister Blair gave orders to his
official in charge of environmental protection and asked him to work
with China to help stop the trade in Tibetan antelope cashmere products.
In fact, China is waging a full-scale battle in this regard. Liang
worked with the IFAW office in Beijing and raised funds for rangers
who were fighting against poachers in Tibet. Liang bought for them
two Beijing jeeps, spare parts, and a radio set with the fund raised.
He then submitted a report to the State Forestry Bureau and General
Administration of Environmental Protection, proposing that Qinghai,
Tibet and Xinjiang take united actions to stamp out antelope slaughter.
The government adopted his proposal and immediately hundred Tibetan
antelope hides had been confiscated from poachers. Almost overnight,
people all over the country learned about the problem of the tibetan
antelope from CCTV reports.
The burning of the hides showed China's determination to get rid
of the market in Tibetan antelope cashmere. But this is not enough,
and it is necessary to mark greater efforts to prevent the illegal
sale of cashmere products, and make everyone, especially those who
have bought Tibetan antelope cashmere shawls, aware that what they
are wearing cost the lives of rare animals.
Meanwhile, at the urging of Liang Congjie, Xinjiang has established
regular gatrols for protection of the precious animals.
To commend Liang for his work, the State Environmental Protection
Administration and the Friends of Nature organization based in Hong
Kong bestowed on him the Earth Award. At the award-issuing ceremony,
he said he hoped everyone would show his or her concern for the fate
of tibetan antelopes and the wild yak. "We should take what measures
we can to allow the rare animals survive from generation to generation,"
he said. |
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