From the archive record
The Changthangi or Pashmina goat is a breed of goat from Tibet or neighbouring areas in the Ladakhi Changthang, usually raised for meat or cashmere wool (known as pashmina once woven).These goats grow a thick, warm fleece. They survive on grass in Ladakh, where temperatures plunge to as low as −20 °C (−4.00 °F). These goats provide the wool for Kashmir's famous Pashmina shawls. Shawls made from Pashmina wool are considered very fine, and are exported worldwide.The goat sheds its winter coat every spring. One goat sheds approximately 80-170g (3-6 ounces) of the fibre. See also Cashmere wool. To meet the demand, the goats are now commercially reared in the Gobi Desert area in Inner and Outer Mongolia. The region has identical harsh weather conditions to those of the Himalayan region and is t