701 Differentiating Fine Hairs from Wild and Domestic Species: Investigations of Shatoosh, Yangir, and Cashmere Fibers CLAUDIO TONIN, MICHELA BIANCHETTO, AND CLAUDIA VINEIS Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Istituto per lo Studio delle Macromolecole, Biella, Italy MARCO FESTA BIANCHET Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Québec JIK 2R1, Canada ABSTRACT The fine undercoat fibers removed from wild goats hunted for meat and trophy, principally belonging to subspecies of Capra ibex, are used as an alternative to Shatoosh, the hair of the endangered Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii). Although currently legal, the large-scale use of these fibers (known as "Yangir"), and hybridization of ibex with domestic goats to improve fiber fineness and yield, would severely threaten the conservation of wild ibex. A SEM investigation shows morphological differences in the cuticle cell patterns of fine fibers from the domestic Cashmere goat, the wild Yangir goat, and the Tibetan antelope. A study of the DSC traces reveals differences in the enthalpy of denaturation of the crystallites. This information enables identification of these fibers, including those from lots submitted to dehairing processes, such as are commonly found in the animal fiber trade. Fine, soft, warm fibers from the undercoat of several wild and domestic mammals of the genera Capra, Bos, Camelus, and Lama are primarily used by the fashion industry for manufacturing high-quality, luxury textiles. Among these &dquo;speciality fibers,&dquo; Cashmere, the fine down fibers produced by a domestic goat indigenous to Asia and known as the Cashmere goat (Capra hircus laniger), is currently the most known and requested by higher-end customers; thus, cashmere garments are sta- tus symbols of the fashion industry. Shatoosh, made from the hair of the Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii), called &dquo;Chiru&dquo; in Tibetan, prob- ably represents an extreme aspect in the value of pre- mium fibers. Shatoosh means &dquo;king of wools&dquo; in Urdu [3], is one of the world’s finest hairs, and is used to manufacture the famous &dquo;ring shawls.&dquo; The most com- mon way to obtain shatoosh is to kill wild Tibetan antelopes, and at least five Chirus must be killed and skinned to produce a single shawl. A traditional market for Shatoosh shawls has existed for centuries in northern India. In recent years, however, rising demand from the Western market, together with easier access to Chiru habitat by poachers in motorized vehicles [ 14], has caused a drastic decline of this species, which is now to the point of extinction. According to expert estimates, fewer than 75,000 Tibetan antelopes remain in the wild, and as many as 20,000 may be killed this year (2001 ) by poachers [8]. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) classifies the Tibetan antelope in Appendix I, its highest level of protection, which bans all international trade on this species. Internal trade in Shatoosh and other Tibetan antelope products is also illegal in many countries, and recently, the Shatoosh issue has gained considerable visibility in the media. Thus, environmental organiza- tions, law enforcement authorities, and fashion industry leaders are working to reduce the demand for Shatoosh and to publicize alternatives. Potential alternative textile fibers include cashmere and domestic yak hair. but also hair from wild animals, especially wild goats, which are slaughtered for this purpose. The wild species most commonly exploited for textile fibers is probably the Asiatic ibex (Capra ibex sibirica), also called the &dquo;Yangir&dquo; mountain goat. Although named after Siberia, the Asiatic ibex lives in mountainous areas from India to Mongolia: these animals are widely dis- tributed and are hunted by local populations, as well as foreign trophy hunters [ 13). Recently, several lots of dehaired wild goat fibers have been offered for sale in the Western markets, under the name of &dquo;Yangir&dquo; or &dquo;Wild Cashmere,&dquo; allegedly removed from animals killed for meat. Experts believe that to obtain 1000 kg of these dehaired fibers, it would be necessary to kill 15,000 animals. These lots contain mostly hair of the Asiatic