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Saiga Conservation Clash: Kazakhstan Aids China, Russia Struggles

Kazakhstan will transfer 1,500 saigas to China to help restore the species' population in the western regions of the People’s Republic of China. The announcement came during a bilateral meeting between President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Chinese President Xi Jinping. President Xi expressed gratitude for the initiative, reaffirming China’s commitment to restoring the population of this antelope species. Returning to Their Historical Habitat On June 18, Minister of Ecology Yerlan Nysanbayev elaborated on the decision, explaining that the move is part of an effort to support the long-term sustainability of the species by reintroducing it to its historical range. “Kazakhstan is currently home to 99% of the world's saiga population. Since 2003, when only 2,500 individuals remained, we have grown the population to more than five million,” Nysanbayev said. The minister emphasized that the transfer will proceed only after a joint scientific assessment by Kazakh and Chinese experts, who will evaluate potential resettlement zones, available food sources, and optimal transport methods. When asked whether the move aimed to reduce saiga numbers in response to farmers’ complaints, Nysanbayev dismissed the idea. "Can 1,500 animals really affect the overall population or solve issues like agricultural damage? This is absolutely irrelevant,” he stated. Nysanbayev also underscored the importance of international cooperation in biodiversity conservation. “The saiga population has historically extended beyond Kazakhstan, into Mongolia, China, Russia, and Turkmenistan,” he added. Ongoing Tensions Between Wildlife and Agriculture Despite conservation successes, conflicts between saigas and agricultural interests remain a serious concern. In 2022, farmers in the West Kazakhstan and Akmola regions reported significant crop losses and property damage caused by saigas, with some even calling for a state of emergency to be declared in the West Kazakhstan Region. In response to growing tensions, the government included saigas in the list of species subject to regulation in late 2023. Authorities initially planned to capture up to 200,000 animals, but logistical challenges led to the approval of a limited culling. This shift enabled meat-processing plants to begin producing canned saiga meat. However, in February 2024, the Ministry of Ecology suspended population control measures following President Tokayev’s public call to protect this iconic symbol of the Kazakh steppe. Nevertheless, in March 2025, during a meeting of the National Kurultai, President Tokayev acknowledged the strain on agriculture and raised concerns about potential epizootic risks and broader ecological pressures. “Agriculture is suffering. There are risks of a worsening epizootic situation. Overall, the burden on the ecosystem has increased,” Tokayev said. Minister Nysanbayev later confirmed that discussions about potential future regulation are ongoing. “It will take time for science to thoroughly study the situation again,” he said. Options under consideration include culling through corrals or selective shooting, with final decisions to be guided by scientific recommendations. Saiga Migration Threatens Saratov Farmers' Livelihoods In Russia, meanwhile, farmers and agricultural leaders in the Novouzensky district of the Saratov region have appealed to President Putin for help, citing a severe threat to their livelihoods from saigas migrating from the Kazakh steppes. They claim the influx of...

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Kazakhstan Weighs Legalizing the Culling of Female Saigas Amid Population Surge

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, Erlan Nysanbayev, has announced that the government is considering allowing the selective culling of female saiga antelopes in response to their rapidly expanding population. Once listed as an endangered species, the saiga antelope population in Kazakhstan plummeted to fewer than 40,000 by 2005 due to overhunting and habitat loss. In response, the government imposed strict hunting bans and conservation measures, which allowed the species to rebound significantly, reaching an estimated 1.3 million animals in recent years. However, by the end of 2024, the saiga population had reportedly reached 4 million, prompting renewed debate over population control. Farmers have raised concerns about crop destruction and the risk of disease transmission from saigas intermingling with livestock on shared pastures. “We have vast expanses of land, but not enough inspectors to monitor every hunter,” Nysanbayev said during a briefing at the Mazhilis, the lower house of parliament. “We had a negative experience previously, when hunting was permitted, the steppe was littered with saiga carcasses, their horns sawed off. So, we are now considering allowing hunting only for females, possibly exclusively for females. But the technical implementation is still under discussion with hunting organizations.” Processing Infrastructure Ready Nysanbayev also stated that meat from culled saigas would be sold in commercial outlets. According to the ministry, 13 meat-processing facilities across regions populated by saigas, West Kazakhstan, Atyrau, Aktobe, Kostanay, Akmola, Karaganda, and Pavlodar, are prepared to handle up to 3,700 animals daily following recent inspections. The final decision on the culling plan awaits a biological justification from the Institute of Zoology. Experts will assess the ecological viability of the measure before the government proceeds. Regional Conservation Efforts While Kazakhstan is considering population control measures for saigas due to their rapid rebound, neighboring Kyrgyzstan is focused on species recovery. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that in May 2025, Kyrgyzstan launched a conservation initiative to reintroduce the jayran, or goitered gazelle, a species also listed in the Red Book, along the southern shore of Lake Issyk-Kul.

Agriculture Saigas Nature Environment

Kazakhstan Now Home to 99% of the World’s Saiga Population

The Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan, Yerlan Nysanbayev, has announced that the number of saigas in Kazakhstan has risen to around four million, equivalent to 99% of the global population. Just over half of the population - 2.8 million- resides in West Kazakhstan Oblast and the overall figure takes into account those born during May's birthing season. The presence of such large numbers of this type of antelope has not however, always been welcomed. As referenced by Nyanbayev, to lessen their damage to agriculture, Kazakhstan had previously taken measures to regulate the population. As recently as 2023, 42,000 saigas were seized, with their meat sold through processing plants in four regions. Under instruction of the Head of State, the practice has been stopped and commending the move, Nysanbayev reported, “No other state today has such a population. This is thanks to the efforts that the state: Money was spent, specialized enterprises were organized, and many legislative measures were taken." Saigas are one of the oldest breeds on the planet, dating back 250,000 years. Capable of reaching speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour, and with unique nasal filters to help clean the air of dust and keep cool in the heat, the saiga migrate great distances, traveling up to 1,000 kilometers in search of food. A ban on shooting and hunting saigas in Kazakhstan was introduced in 1999. This decision was part of a conservation effort to protect the animals, whose population had been significantly reduced by poachers intent on seizing their horns, highly valued in traditional medicine. In December 2023, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) updated the status of the Saiga from Critically Endangered to Near Threatened, but estimated the global population at 1.9 million, up from a low of 39,000 as recently as 2005. An April 2024 survey conducted by the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative, however, recorded a population of 2,833,600 in Kazakhstan prior to the birthing season. The figure 4.1 million, therefore, falls within the range of the recent average increase in numbers of 48%. Saiga Antelopes – which migrate in excess of 1,000 kilometers between their summer and winter ranges because of “extreme variations” in climate - remain acutely susceptible to sudden mass deaths from pasteurellosis, an acute bacterial disease which killed up to 200,000 of the species in a three-week period in Kazakhstan in 2015.

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Kazakhstan Reports Another Big Jump in Saiga Antelope Numbers

The number of saiga antelopes in Kazakhstan has surged to an estimated 2,833,600, an increase of well over 40% since last year, according to an aerial survey conducted between mid-April and May 1. The total number is likely to be much higher because the study was done before the calving season in May The new data represents another step in the extraordinary comeback of a species whose numbers were estimated at 20,000 in 2003 and then, after a period of growth, suffered another big population crash because of a bacterial disease outbreak in 2015. A reduction in poaching and the expansion of land earmarked for conservation helped the species recover in Kazakhstan, though saigas are vulnerable to several diseases and extreme weather. Some farmers say ballooning saiga numbers threaten their crops and the government has explored mass kills and other ways to regulate the population. Helicopters were used to count the antelopes over an area of about 150,000 square kilometers this year, logging 215 flight hours as they flew at a steady altitude of 120 meters, according to the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative, which aims to restore the Kazakh steppe ecosystem. It said state agencies were involved and the science - survey route plans, data collection and result processing – was carried out by the Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan. “These annual figures are made using the same methodology which is well established,” the conservation initiative said on June 3. “They are derived by extrapolation and primarily reflect the trend in the species’ numbers, i.e. an increase of over 40%, and the approximate number. These data were obtained in April 2024, before calving, which took place in May, so now, by the beginning of June, considering the successful breeding season, the number of the species will have almost doubled.” The surveys were carried out in the regions of West Kazakhstan, Mangistau, Akmola, Aktobe, Kostanay, Karaganda, Ulytau, Pavlodar and Abay. The dry steppe grasslands and semi-arid deserts of Central Asia are the saiga’s natural habitat. The vast majority of saigas are in Kazakhstan; Russia and Mongolia have small populations. Saigas from Kazakhstan have migrated in and out of Uzbekistan, sometimes reaching Turkmenistan. But such cross-border movements have dropped. The number reaching Uzbekistan has declined, partly because a border fence was built, and saigas haven’t been seen in Turkmenistan for several years, according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN stands for International Union for Conservation of Nature, a group based in Switzerland. Last year, the saiga’s conservation status on the red list was upgraded from “critically endangered” to “near threatened” because of its population gains. Saiga females start to breed when they are only eight months old and they often give birth to twins.

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Residents of Central Kazakhstan Village Arrested For Trying To Halt Saiga Killings

The shooting of saiga antelopes has resumed in Kazakhstan, which has angered many in the country, including residents of a village in the central Ulytau region, Kyzylzhar. According to the Interior Ministry, on January 10 a group of Kyzylzhar residents deliberately prevented hunters from a company called Okhotzooprom from shooting the saigas. The persons were arrested and are currently in custody. According to local ecologist Almasbek Sadyrbayev, the female saigas were carrying calves. The local authorities have pointed out that the saiga shootings were carried out lawfully, and that the villagers used physical force against Okhotzooprom staff. Andrei Kim, deputy chairman of the Ministry of Ecology’s forestry and wildlife committee, confirmed at a press conference that the moratorium on saiga shooting in Kazakhstan, in force until 2024, will not be extended. However, saigas have been introduced to western Kazakhstan as part of a program to regulate their population. Commercial hunting will continue until February 29.