Saturday, November 26, 2005

Shawls of Death

Yes it's a melodramatic title to the post, but... Do people really need to be reminded that indulging in a type of fur that is scraped off the skin of an endangered and very beautiful animal is a bad bad thing...Shops here are still trading in Shahtoosh...and people are enabling them by buying it and pretending to be cool and fashionable by wearing it...and I am sick of the 'oh it's soooo soft and warm and it fits perfectly into a small handbag' crap..There are alternatives and it's against the law so enough with the stupid excuses.

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"International trade in shahtoosh has been prohibited under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) since 1979.." Traffic Network
Which Kuwait Ratified in 2002
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"with today’s increasing demand, contemporary poachers have devised innovative, cost and time effective ways to kill. At night, they shine bright lights at whole resting herds. The innocent animal, baffled by this new experience freezes, and thereby signs it’s own death warrant. The poachers let loose their automatic weapons at these sitting targets." Shahtoosh Campaign
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What can we do?
  • Do not Buy Shahtoosh in any form-your money tells smugglers that it is ok to trade in endangered Chiru wool.
  • Discourage the sellers who offer you Shahtoosh from trading in it
  • Tell people about the terrible way it is poached
  • Report any shopkeepers who sell Shahtoosh to CITES and their representatives in Kuwait
  • Encourage alternatives and push for them being fair trade alternatives

4 comments:

Jewaira said...

Very important topic and one that needs more awareness amongst people who mindlessly buy furs without regard for these lovley animals and international regulations.
Thank you for writing about it.

kwtia said...

Thanks for coming by Jewaira, and for the support :) It really gets my goat when people don't take the harm done to living beings seriously...

Shemsi said...

Wow, I've never heard of Shahtoosh. Thanks for the info! Not that I would ever wear fur anyway. Yuck!

kwtia said...

Hi Shemsi, Thanks for coming by...yes fur is baad..especially if you have access to alternatives.