Investigating Shahtoosh Sellers in Europe
In November 2001, IFAW and the Italian animal advocacy group, Lega Anti Vivisezione (LAV), conducted an undercover investigation in Rome, Italy, that documented the availability of illegal shahtoosh shawls in a boutique in Rome.
The details of the investigation, as well as film footage of the operation taken
with a hidden camera, were given to CITES officials in Rome.
Acting on the information provided by IFAW and LAV, Italian authorities raided the boutique and seized two shawls woven of pure shahtoosh.
"The findings of this investigation are alarming – they prove that the trade continues in spite of the huge effort being put in by enforcement officers," said Shibani Chopra, Endangered Species Campaign Officer in IFAW’s UK office. "For each successful arrest, we fear many traders continue untouched. It takes several animals to make one shawl, and as the species approaches extinction, each shawl represents an ecological tragedy. Followers of fashion simply have to reject this garment before it’s too late."
We’re pleased that we were able to help authorities shut down an outlet for shahtoosh in Rome, but the results of this operation -- and IFAW investigations conducted in London and New Delhi earlier in 2001 -- make it clear that shahtoosh continues to make its way illegally into Italy, and that law enforcement worldwide must be improved.
To help legal authorities halt the trade, IFAW and New Scotland Yard/UK have produced Shahtoosh Identification Kits that will enable investigators to distinguish shahtoosh shawls from other woollen fabrics. Smugglers often try to pass off illegal shahtoosh shawls as legal "pashmina" shawls. The Identification Kits are being distributed to airports, border posts and wildlife crime enforcement units around the world.
Acting on the information provided by IFAW and LAV, Italian authorities raided the boutique and seized two shawls woven of pure shahtoosh.
"The findings of this investigation are alarming – they prove that the trade continues in spite of the huge effort being put in by enforcement officers," said Shibani Chopra, Endangered Species Campaign Officer in IFAW’s UK office. "For each successful arrest, we fear many traders continue untouched. It takes several animals to make one shawl, and as the species approaches extinction, each shawl represents an ecological tragedy. Followers of fashion simply have to reject this garment before it’s too late."
We’re pleased that we were able to help authorities shut down an outlet for shahtoosh in Rome, but the results of this operation -- and IFAW investigations conducted in London and New Delhi earlier in 2001 -- make it clear that shahtoosh continues to make its way illegally into Italy, and that law enforcement worldwide must be improved.
To help legal authorities halt the trade, IFAW and New Scotland Yard/UK have produced Shahtoosh Identification Kits that will enable investigators to distinguish shahtoosh shawls from other woollen fabrics. Smugglers often try to pass off illegal shahtoosh shawls as legal "pashmina" shawls. The Identification Kits are being distributed to airports, border posts and wildlife crime enforcement units around the world.
