The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is listing the Tibetan antelope as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act, reinforcing protection for an animal already protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The listing, published in todays Federal Register, takes effect April 28, 2006 .
The species has been listed since 1975 under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), an international treaty to which the United States and 168 other countries are signatories. Since 1979, the Tibetan antelope has received the highest level of protection from CITES, which means that the species, including its parts and products, is prohibited from international trade for commercial purposes.
Although CITES prohibits the importation of Tibetan antelope and its products into the United States for commercial purposes, a black market persists, particularly in shahtoosh shawls. Shahtoosh, "the king of wools," is made from the extremely fine underlayer of hair that is removed from the animals after they are killed. Shahtoosh shawls sell for thousands of dollars and are considered status symbols.
The antelope is endemic to the Tibetan Plateau of China , India and Nepal and has suffered a dramatic population decline in the past 30 years. This decline has been attributed largely to poaching for the wool. China and India have endorsed the latest U.S. action, which reinforces CITES protections by prohibiting interstate and foreign commerce of the Tibetan antelope and its products, in addition to import and export.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 95-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System, which encompasses 545 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 69 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 81 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Assistance program, which distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
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