Saiga Success: Critically Endangered Antelope Population Doubles in 5 Years

Well it's about time I had some success to report about the saiga ( Saiga tatarica ), the critically endangered antelope species native to Kazakhstan and nearby countries in central Asia. Just a few decades ago saiga populations numbered in the millions. The fall of the Soviet Union brought uncontrolled poaching across the saiga's range, and 95 percent of the animals were slaughtered for their meat and horns, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine. By 2010, the first year I wrote about the saiga, the total population had fallen to an estimated 81,000 animals in five isolated populations.[caption id="attachment_3385" align="alignright" width="300" caption="These saiga horns can fetch a few hundred dollars each in China, where they are used as an aphrodisiac or to "treat" a variety of illnesses."] [/caption] [More]