Tell Beijing Tibetan Antelope is not a Chinese Symbol!

On Friday the Tibetan antelope (commonly known as "chiru") was picked to be one of the five mascots for the 2008 Beijing Oympics. Collectively named "Friendlies," the Olympic Organizing Committee claimed the mascots "reflect the cultural diversity of China as a multi-ethnic country." This is a transparent attempt to convince the world that Tibet is a part of China by using the Tibetan antelope as a propoganda tool. Please take action now and tell the Chinese authorities the Tibetan antelope is NOT a Chinese symbol.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: Tibetan Antelope is not a symbol of China.

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

Dear Mr. Liu Qi,

I am extremely disappointed to learn that China's Olympic Committee has adopted the endangered Tibetan antelope as one of the five mascots for the 2008 Olympic Games. Claiming a uniquely Tibetan animal as a symbol of Chinese nationalism is clearly a political move to further China's claim that Tibet is a part of China. This is blatant propaganda and goes against the Olympic spirit.

China had an opportunity to present the world with a mascot that would be recognizable as Chinese and reflect a commitment to the Olympic values of peace and respect. Instead you chose to co-opt the Tibetan antelope as a propaganda tool to attempt to legitimize China's illegal occupation of Tibet.

Rest assured, your efforts will fail. Tibet will be free.

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
November 11, 2005

Background Information

In a transparent effort to convince the world that Tibet is a part of China the endangered Tibetan antelope (commonly known as "chiru") was picked to be one of five mascots for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Collectively named "Friendlies," the Olympic Organizing Committee claimed the mascots "reflect the cultural diversity of China as a multi-ethnic country." The four other cartoon mascots chosen represented a panda, a swallow, a fish and the spirit of the Olympic flame. The Chinese named the stylized Tibetan antelope cartoon "Yingying" and called it a source of inspiration for all the world.

The Chinese authorities plan to use the Tibetan antelope as a propaganda tool to distract from the reality that China has illegally occupied Tibet for more than 50 years.

Background on the Tibetan antelope/chiru:

The chiru has been on the World Conservation Union's "endangered" list since 2000. Endangered is defined as "very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future."

The chiru is believed to have numbered approximately a million at the turn of the 20th century, but thousands were slaughtered for sport and meat by Chinese soldiers in the 1950s, ‘60s and 70s. In the 1980s, when the antelope’s fine wool, called shahtoosh, became popular internationally, Chinese and Tibetan poachers began taking a large toll, up to 20,000 animals per year. The total number is estimated to have dropped to under 100,000 in the mid 1990s.

Though trade in chiru wool has been illegal since 1979, poaching continues to threaten the ever-diminishing chiru population. As the undercoat is the only source of shahtoosh wool and cannot be sheared, the animal must be killed in order to harvest it. Although it has since recovered slightly, the animal is still in danger of extinction.

Under its Wildlife Protection Law, the People's Republic of China (PRC) gives the chiru its highest level of protection. The Greener Beijing Institute (a state sponsored non-governmental organization) has even had a "Save Tibetan Antelope" campaign since 1999 using the slogan "Just Save It." Despite this, the Chinese government's record on protecting it remains poor.

The railway currently being constructed from Golmud to Lhasa may endanger the Tibetan antelope further. While tunnels have been built to allow the chiru to cross the railway line, the railway will bring many more people – and potentially more poachers - closer to the antelope’s breeding grounds and habitat. The persistent influx of Chinese settlers and poor management of resources has also rendered areas protected for the chiru inadequate.