Tibetan Antelope

Pantholops hodgsonii

Conservation Status

Vulnerable

Mammalia · Artiodactyla · Bovidae

About

The Tibetan antelope or chiru is a medium-sized bovid native to the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. Most of the population live within the Chinese border, while some scatter across India and Bhutan in the high-altitude plains, hill plateau and montane valley. Fewer than 150,000 mature individuals are left in the wild, but the population is currently thought to be increasing.

Fun Fact

Tibetan antelope (chiru) have hair so fine that shahtoosh shawls woven from it can pass through a wedding ring — this drove them to near extinction, but a Chinese poaching crackdown has quadrupled their numbers since 2000.

Quick Facts

Habitat

High-altitude plateaus

Diet

Herbivore

Lifespan

8-10 years

Threats

Human-Wildlife Conflict
Disease
Climate Change

External Data Sources

Recent sightings on iNaturalist IUCN Red List profile

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