Following the chiru entails a dangerous journey across Tibet's Chang Tang, widely considered the world's most inhospitable …
Following the chiru entails a dangerous journey across Tibet's Chang Tang, widely considered the world's most inhospitable environment. Each year the herd travels across this high-altitude rangeland to its breeding ground. After traversing endless miles of remote plain, a treacherous canyon, an arid desert, and a 17,000-foot ascent to a plateau, the four men are rewarded for their efforts—they become the first explorers to witness the chiru giving birth.
The expedition was both unprecedented and urgent. Already vulnerable to predators, the chiru's most formidable threat is human vanity—they are hunted for their fur, which is woven into the world's finest and most expensive wool, shatoosh. The discovery of these birthing grounds provides the information needed to convince the Chinese to safeguard the chiru's habitat within a nature reserve.
