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| Subspecies: | Unknown |
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| Est. World Population: | 7250-8300 |
| CITES Status: | NOT LISTED |
| IUCN Status: | Near Threatened |
| U.S. ESA Status: | NOT LISTED |
| Body Length: | |
| Tail Length: | |
| Shoulder Height: | |
| Weight: | |
| Top Speed: | |
| Jumping Ability: | (Horizontal) |
| Life Span: | in the Wild |
| Life Span: | in Captivity |
| Sexual Maturity: | (Females) |
| Sexual Maturity: | (Males) |
| Litter Size: | |
| Gestation Period: | |
Habitat:
Saiga in Europe inhabit arid steppes and semi-desert plains and avoid mountains and rugged terrain. The population is no longer migratory but makes local movements in search of grazing. Saiga live in large herds. The rut takes place at the beginning of winter when males defend harems of females who give birth in April-May to one or two young. Females can breed in their first year. A wide range of plants is consumed.
Range:
In the 18th century, the European range of the Saiga extended across the south-eastern steppes from the Caspian to the foothills of the Carpathians, reaching about 25oE (Heptner et al. 1961). The range covered the territories of modern-day Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and probably the eastern part of Romania. Early reports of Saiga occurrence in Poland refer to the historic borders in the mid-1800s (Heptner et al. 1961) and the species has never been recorded within the current territory of Poland. The original range has been greatly reduced. Saiga became extinct in Moldova and Ukraine in the 18th century, and by the 1920s-1930s the European range was restricted to Kalmykia (Heptner et al. 1961). The northwest Caspian steppes in Kalmykia and adjoining parts of Astrakhan Region, Russia, still harbour the principal European population.
Beginning in 2015, small numbers of Saiga began to appear seasonally in Orenburg State Reserve, Russia, and later also in Saratov, Volgograd, and Astrakhan provinces on the eastern side of the Volga River, dispersing from the expanding Ural subpopulation in Kazakhstan. Saiga occur here from around April to September, with very few remaining in winter, except for a small sedentary population around Lake Bulukhta (Smelyansky et al. 2022/2023). However, as the Ural population increases, dispersal may result in Saiga numbers in the Russian part of the range also increasing and more becoming permanently resident.
There are four Saiga subpopulations outside Europe, three predominantly in Kazakhstan and one in Mongolia.
Beginning in 2015, small numbers of Saiga began to appear seasonally in Orenburg State Reserve, Russia, and later also in Saratov, Volgograd, and Astrakhan provinces on the eastern side of the Volga River, dispersing from the expanding Ural subpopulation in Kazakhstan. Saiga occur here from around April to September, with very few remaining in winter, except for a small sedentary population around Lake Bulukhta (Smelyansky et al. 2022/2023). However, as the Ural population increases, dispersal may result in Saiga numbers in the Russian part of the range also increasing and more becoming permanently resident.
There are four Saiga subpopulations outside Europe, three predominantly in Kazakhstan and one in Mongolia.
Conservation:
Saiga are legally protected in Russia but enforcement has been only partially effective. Anti-poaching efforts have been intensified over the last 10 years.
Protected areas
Most Saiga in the NW Caspian steppes are found in Chernye Zemli Biosphere Reserve (5,842 km²), established in 1990, and the adjoining Stepnoi Sanctuary (1,090 km²). On the eastern side of the Volga river, Saiga are present in Baskunchak Nature Park (395 km2), and seasonally in summer in Elton Nature Park (1,056 km2), Orenberg Reserve (382 km2), and Bogdinsko-Baskunchakskiy State Nature Reserve (185 km2).
Population Monitoring
Ground-based monitoring by staff of the Chernye Zemli Biosphere Reserve and Stepnoi Sanctuary provides expert assessments, supplemented by opportunistic monitoring to give information on distribution and herd sizes outside these reserves. Aerial surveys using drones have been trialled (Safronova et al. 2022/2023).
Captive breeding
Small groups of Saiga have been kept in zoos in Europe and the USA but the species is difficult to maintain in captivity. Small rescue and captive breeding centres exist in Russia. A workshop to review options for Saiga captive breeding and reintroduction took place in Moscow in August 2017 (SCA, SDZG, IEEM 2017). At that time, there were 117 captive saiga in four facilities in Russia and ca 600 at the Askania Nova centre in Ukraine, kept in extensive semi-captive conditions. Live animals from Askania Nova have been sold in recent years to raise income to fund the centre (CMS 2021). The status of these Saiga in Ukraine since the start of the conflict in 2022 is unknown.
CITES and CMS
The Saiga is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and Appendix II.of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). The CMS Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Concerning Conservation, Restoration and Sustainable Use of the Saiga Antelope came into effect in 2006 and has been signed by all five range states and 10 Cooperating Organizations (local and international NGOs). The MoU has an associated Medium-Term International Work Programme (MTIWP) setting out a framework for conservation action by all partners. Technical coordination for the MOU is undertaken by the Saiga Conservation Alliance and Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan in close collaboration with the CMS Secretariat. The MTIWP is reviewed and updated periodically at technical workshops preceding CMS MoU range state meetings. In April 2019, a joint CMS-CITES technical workshop was held to draft a revised Medium Term International Work Programme for 2021-2025 which was later approved by the range states.
Since 2002 both CMS and CITES have worked in close cooperation, with Saiga as one of their joint target species. The CMS-CITES Joint Work Programme 2015-2020, adopted at the 42nd meeting of the CMS Standing Committee and the 65th meeting of the CITES Standing Committee, outlines the current joint activities on Saiga. These focus on the implementation of the MTIWP, joint meetings and fundraising efforts (CMS 2021).
At CITES COP18 in August 2019 the following decisions related to Saiga were adopted (Decisions 18.270-274). 1. To direct Range States, important consumer and trading countries to implement the CMS Medium-Term International Work Programme for the Saiga Antelope for 2016-2020 and for 2021-2025; 2. To encourage the range States to establish internal market controls for Saiga parts, (including registration of stockpiles, labelling of parts and products, and registration of manufacturers and traders). 3. Subject to funding, the CITES Secretariat should consult with, and support, Range States and major consumer and trading states to manage their stockpiles and improve stockpile management. 4. CITES Parties also adopted a zero quota for wild specimens traded for commercial purposes, which entered into force on 16th November 2019 (CMS 2021).
Other projects
The Saiga Conservation Alliance (SCA) is a network of researchers and conservationists formed in 2016 to study and protect the Saiga antelope. SCA maintains the online Saiga Resource Centre and publishes Saiga News one or twice a year in English, Russian, and all other range state languages. SCA also provides small grants for research and awards for saiga protection and young conservationists. Saiga Day is an international initiative developed by SCA as a focus for rural communities to promote the conservation of Saiga and its habitat. It takes take place each spring in Russia and other range countries to mark the birth of the first Saiga calves of the year.
Protected areas
Most Saiga in the NW Caspian steppes are found in Chernye Zemli Biosphere Reserve (5,842 km²), established in 1990, and the adjoining Stepnoi Sanctuary (1,090 km²). On the eastern side of the Volga river, Saiga are present in Baskunchak Nature Park (395 km2), and seasonally in summer in Elton Nature Park (1,056 km2), Orenberg Reserve (382 km2), and Bogdinsko-Baskunchakskiy State Nature Reserve (185 km2).
Population Monitoring
Ground-based monitoring by staff of the Chernye Zemli Biosphere Reserve and Stepnoi Sanctuary provides expert assessments, supplemented by opportunistic monitoring to give information on distribution and herd sizes outside these reserves. Aerial surveys using drones have been trialled (Safronova et al. 2022/2023).
Captive breeding
Small groups of Saiga have been kept in zoos in Europe and the USA but the species is difficult to maintain in captivity. Small rescue and captive breeding centres exist in Russia. A workshop to review options for Saiga captive breeding and reintroduction took place in Moscow in August 2017 (SCA, SDZG, IEEM 2017). At that time, there were 117 captive saiga in four facilities in Russia and ca 600 at the Askania Nova centre in Ukraine, kept in extensive semi-captive conditions. Live animals from Askania Nova have been sold in recent years to raise income to fund the centre (CMS 2021). The status of these Saiga in Ukraine since the start of the conflict in 2022 is unknown.
CITES and CMS
The Saiga is listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and Appendix II.of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). The CMS Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Concerning Conservation, Restoration and Sustainable Use of the Saiga Antelope came into effect in 2006 and has been signed by all five range states and 10 Cooperating Organizations (local and international NGOs). The MoU has an associated Medium-Term International Work Programme (MTIWP) setting out a framework for conservation action by all partners. Technical coordination for the MOU is undertaken by the Saiga Conservation Alliance and Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan in close collaboration with the CMS Secretariat. The MTIWP is reviewed and updated periodically at technical workshops preceding CMS MoU range state meetings. In April 2019, a joint CMS-CITES technical workshop was held to draft a revised Medium Term International Work Programme for 2021-2025 which was later approved by the range states.
Since 2002 both CMS and CITES have worked in close cooperation, with Saiga as one of their joint target species. The CMS-CITES Joint Work Programme 2015-2020, adopted at the 42nd meeting of the CMS Standing Committee and the 65th meeting of the CITES Standing Committee, outlines the current joint activities on Saiga. These focus on the implementation of the MTIWP, joint meetings and fundraising efforts (CMS 2021).
At CITES COP18 in August 2019 the following decisions related to Saiga were adopted (Decisions 18.270-274). 1. To direct Range States, important consumer and trading countries to implement the CMS Medium-Term International Work Programme for the Saiga Antelope for 2016-2020 and for 2021-2025; 2. To encourage the range States to establish internal market controls for Saiga parts, (including registration of stockpiles, labelling of parts and products, and registration of manufacturers and traders). 3. Subject to funding, the CITES Secretariat should consult with, and support, Range States and major consumer and trading states to manage their stockpiles and improve stockpile management. 4. CITES Parties also adopted a zero quota for wild specimens traded for commercial purposes, which entered into force on 16th November 2019 (CMS 2021).
Other projects
The Saiga Conservation Alliance (SCA) is a network of researchers and conservationists formed in 2016 to study and protect the Saiga antelope. SCA maintains the online Saiga Resource Centre and publishes Saiga News one or twice a year in English, Russian, and all other range state languages. SCA also provides small grants for research and awards for saiga protection and young conservationists. Saiga Day is an international initiative developed by SCA as a focus for rural communities to promote the conservation of Saiga and its habitat. It takes take place each spring in Russia and other range countries to mark the birth of the first Saiga calves of the year.