Thousands of goats that provide finewool for Kashmir's famous Pashmina shawls are facing death because of heavysnow in India's mountainous Ladakh region.

Nearly 100,000 Pashmina goats have beenaffected by a shortage of food because winter pastures near the Chinese borderhave been covered after unexpected heavy snowfall.

"Over 90,000 goats arefacingshortage of food and many of them will die if fodder could not be providedimmediately," said Tsering Dorjay, a government official in Ladakh.

Pashmina goats, which grow a thick warmfleece, survive on grass in Ladakh where temperatures plunge to as low as minus20 degrees Celsius.

Local newspapers reported stocks ofwinter fodder provided by the government had already been exhausted.

"We have requested the army toairdrop fodder into areas which are cut off due to unexpected heavysnowfall," Dorjay said.

After a ban on shahtoosh, the world'sfinest wool derived from the hair of an endangered Tibetan antelope, shawlsmade from Pashmina wool are considered some of the world's finest and they areexported worldwide.

Reuters