Tibetan antelope now listed as endangered

The Wildlife Conservation Society is praising a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision to list the Tibetan antelope as an endangered species.

The New York-based society said it has conducted a series of expeditions to China's Chang Tang Reserve during the past 20 years to bring attention to the c decline in the number of the animal due to poaching.

The WCS said the antelope's wool, considered the finest in the world, is used for shawls that are sold on the black market for as much as $15,000 each, resulting in tens of thousands of Tibetan antelope being slaughtered.

The U.S. listing of the Tibetan antelope, also known as chiru, under the Endangered Species Act reinforces protection for the animal that's already safeguarded under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. That prohibits the international commercial sale of any parts or products of the species.

The U.S. action, published Thursday in the Federal Register, takes effect April 28.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International