Most experts believe that only 50,000 to 70,000 chirus remain, down from well over a million earlier this century. In 1975 a U.N. convention forbade all trade in the species. But that hasn't stopped the killing of thousands in recent years. Poachers armed with semiautomatics hunt the animal year-round, and not just when the chirus' coats are thickest. Despite the threat of seven years in jail or a $130 fine, poachers continue to pursue their prey.