I had the honor of seeing Elena Bykova’s presentation on the saiga antelope at the 2012 Wildlife Conservation Network Expo held in San Francisco. Prior to this, I had no idea what was a saiga. When I saw a picture of them through WCN’s website I was struck by their odd looking nose.
Intrigued, I read more about them and was shocked to hear their numbers dwindled by 96% in the past ten years. It is the fastest decline ever recorded in a mammal species.
Naturally, her presentation about saiga was one that I had to see. What struck me about Elena was that she was extremely compassionate and passionate about her country’s native saiga.
Elena has a lot of challenges in the fight for the saigas and I hope the population may stabilize in the future. In May 2010, 12,000 saigas were found dead from a deadly disease. Most were females who had recently given birth, and both mother and calve perished. In 2012, another 1,000 saigas were found dead in May as well. It’s numbers like these that can be disheartening and hopeless.
Other hardships include the gas pipeline that is being built right through their migratory route and the massive fence border between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. These are all hindering saiga’s main migratory route. With these blockades, they are exposed to the dangers of poachers. Male saigas are especially in danger, since their horns are poached for traditional medicine.
While there are a lot of challenges, there is still hope. A new nature reserve will be designated within saiga population in Kazakhstan. The new reserve, Altyn Dala, will be over 500,000 hectares, roughly 1,931 square miles, of steppe habitat, sandy areas, and wetlands. This area is very important for the saigas as this is where they raise their young.
In addition, the fate of the saiga antelope is in the hands of future generations. Saiga Day is held in April and celebrated in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia. Hundreds of children participate in events educating them about saigas and what they can do to help.
Some quick facts about these unique looking creatures:
The saigas live in the steppe and semi-desert of Central Asia and Russian, specifically: Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
Their unusual and almost comedic shaped nose is believed to filter out dust particles during their summer migrations and to warm cold winter air before it reaches their lungs.
The saiga’s lifespan is an average of 6-10 years. This is another reason why it’s hard for the population to stabilize.
They live in a herd consisting of 30-40 saigas, but during migration tens of thousands travel together.
They migrate in the summer and winter.
Saigas can run up to 80 km per hour (50-55 miles per hour).
They are about the size of a goat or sheep, around 28 inches (or 70 cm).
Saigas are herbivores, eating grass, herbs, and shrubs found at the steppes.
What you can do about the Saiga:
The best way is to spread awareness. Tell your friends, co-workers, and family about their plight and visit the Saiga Conservation Alliance website to learn more about the Saiga antelope and what you can do to help. Their Saiga Spotlight newsletter is a great read.
Another useful site to learn more about earth’s wildlife is Arkive.org.
Check out Saiga Conservation Alliance's page on WCN Wildlife Conservation Network: http://wildlifeconservationnetwork.org/
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