Saiga in Kazakhstan the Problem of Survival

Saiga in Kazakhstan, the Problem of Survival
Saiga (Saiga tatarica L.) is a herd migrating animal of arid zones of Eurasia. Most of its population area nowadays is located on Kazakhstan territory. Out of its borders Saiga is met in not big amounts in Russia (Kalmykia) and Mongolia (is registered in the Red Data book).
From Kazakhstan some part of population migrate to Bordering regions of Uzbekistan (Karakalpakiya) and Turkmenistan for wintering, and in spring animals return in the opposite direction. Besides, in some seasons it stays between Ural and V olga rivers on the territory of Astrakhanskaya and V olgogradskaya regions of Russia. Those peculiarities of territorial habitat tell us to consolidate with the countries involved in Saiga conservation.
In Kazakhstan during more that 40 years Saiga was the main subject of national commercial hunting (by licenses), and was main source of meat, leather-processing raw material and horns export. In the beginning of 90s its population number (in spring, before breeding began) was 800-900 thousands of specimen, 100 thousands of which were hunted for yearly during the hunting season. But closer to mid-90s situation begins to change in a worse way. Because of the hard economic situation nature protection system weakens. Massively expands illegal hunting (poaching) for horns, which are used as a medicine raw material in Tibetan medicine.
Reasons that help increase poaching, are social: people don't have money and jobs, especially in country areas, and find the source of money and food in Saiga hunting. Males' horns become the subject of smuggling, which stimulates animals' disappearing. To suppress illegal horns trade this species was put in 1994 in addition 2 of "Convention about International Trade of Endangered Species"(CITES). This of course helped to decrease horn trade by official ways, but didn't stop their smuggler's trade. Saiga population number, starting from mid-90s, from year to year continued to decrease and in spring of 2000 was 150 thousands of specimen - it reduced 6 times. In some geographical regions this decrease was even larger, between Ural and V olga
rivers - 10 times, in Betpak-Dala desert - approximately 20 times. And only on Usturt because of the small population number and not plain geography Saiga population decreased only in 1.5 times. Besides smuggling, main limiting factors for Saiga are: lots of snow, when it is impossible to get food, and illnesses. Winters with lots of snow were observed twice - in 1993/94 in Betpak-Dala and in 1996/97 between V olga and Ural rivers. In the first case more that 200 thousands of Saiga died, and in second - several dozens of thousands. We need to point out that before after cases of mass dying population grew to the normal in 3-5 years because of Saiga's high prolificacy.National hunting was minimal in sizes (from 29 thousands in 1995 to 7 thousands in 1998), was controlled and wasn't the main factor of species population dynamic. Never the less, when the population number began to decrease, hunting was officially prohibited in 1998 - in Betpak-Dala region, and in 1999-2000 - on the whole Kazakhstan territory (by Government decree). But this official prohibition was not supported by real measures and Saiga population continues to decrease. Besides, Uzbekistan continues to have commercial trade for Saiga on its territory - there is no consolidation between countries in this. If this situation stays the same, Saiga can disappear in nearest years.
For effective protection of this species and its habitat area it is necessary to make a system of measures that would include ecological, legal, social-economical and organizational-cultural points. Main acts that should be done in this are increasing of protected territories system (with different status and protection ), firstly in mass breeding areas, main migration ways and wintering places of Saiga, developing security measures when building different cultural establishments, doing biotechnical acts for making habitat better, developing standard - methodical acts that would help protections organization, making observations and counting the number of population, strengthening sheriffs' work for effective anti - smugglers' protection, counting Saiga's population regularly, firstly counting numbers, sex and age contents, breeding and habitat conditions (plants, snow, epizootological conditions, etc.). This question is of interest to several countries, its solution is seen in making a regional (international) project with participance and for support of international funds and organizations.
Y.A. Grachov,Kazakhstan - Middle-Asian zoological society, Almaty, Kazakhstan。