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Overview
The Saiga antelope is a herding species found primarily in Central Asia. These nomadic ungulates are primarily found in the semi-arid deserts, grasslands and steppe ecosystems of Kazakhstan. This species typically feeds on native grasses and shrubs that are crucial to the ecosystem and are often considered a keystone species in steppe ecosystems for their role in altering vegetation composition.

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Past Status: Vulnerable (listed in 1996)
Current Status: Critically Endangered (as of 2002)

In 1996, the Saiga antelope was first listed as being Vulnerable based on a decline in the Russian population. In 2000, their status was changed to Lower risk/Conservation dependent as studies indicated that the population had not significantly declined. However, in 2002, studies showed that the total population had declined by at least 80% in the last 10 years, leading IUCN to list the saiga antelopes as Critically Endangered. Since then, they have maintained this listing due to factors such as disease outbreak, climatic changes, and poaching.

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Extrinsic Factor #1: Disease and Infection

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Extrinsic Factor #1: Disease and Infection

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In the past, Saigas have been impacted significantly by the presence of multiple diseases and infections including peste de petits ruminants (PPR), foot-in-mouth disease (FMD), and pasteurellosis. Outbreaks of these diseases in the saiga population have resulted in mass die-offs of up to 200,000 individuals. This factor had contributed significantly to the declines in the overall population and is the most pertinent factor in their Critically Endangered Status.

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As climate change has resulted in increasingly extreme temperatures, Saigas have been subjected to hotter summers as well as a more arid environment. This aridity has resulted in less available, healthy vegetation and dryer water sources, both of which Saiga antelopes rely on heavily for survival. The increased temperatures have also fostered an environment for disease and bacteria to spread, which has contributed to further population declines.

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A major threat to Saiga antelopes, particularly males, has been poaching. Although Saigas are hunted for their meat and skin, Saiga horns are often the main target of poachers as they are frequently utilized traditional medicine practices. For this reason, male Saigas are more frequently targeted by poachers, which has resulted in significantly skewed sex ratios in the overall Saiga population.

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In the Pleistocene, studies have shown that Saiga antelopes lost a significant portion of their mitochondrial diversity, likely due to fragmentation. Today, the genetic diversity of the Saiga population is significantly lower than in previous years. likely as a result of mass die-offs and general population fragmentation. Lower diversity makes the population much more unstable, which can lead to more frequent die-offs and greater disease susceptibility.

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Intrinsic Factor #2: Sex Ratios and Breeding Behavior

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Intrinsic Factor #2: Sex Ratios and Breeding Behavior

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Saiga engage in polygynous breeding in the form of harems, which are breeding groups that consist of one male and up to 50 females. The solo male typically mates with most of the females from his harem and must defend them from challenging males in battles, which can be deadly for the losing male. The skewed sex ratios of the saiga population is a contributing factor to the decline in their numbers.

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Saiga antelopes are seen as master migrations, as they are known to migrate up to 600 miles during the migration season (typically in the autumn months). This innate tendency to migrate is frequently interrupted by human disturbance, as many migratory routes have been blocked by roads, railways, fences, and other man-made objects. This can result in mass die-off of the herd as they fail to reach their winter grazing destination.

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One of the main interactions between extinction risks is between disease and climate. As previously noted in the disease section, one of the main contributors to the critically endangered status of the Saiga antelopes were the mass die-offs that resulted from disease outbreaks in the population. However, this confused many researchers as some of the bacterium that resulted in Saiga mortality, such as the bacteria Pasteurella multocida, does not typically affect healthy antelopes. Scientists concluded that it was actually environmental factors such as high temperature and humidity that allowed the bacterium to proliferate and become deadly to the Saiga antelopes. As the climate continues to grow warmer, disease and bacterial infection may become even more rampant in Saiga populations considering how susceptible they are to mass die-offs, resulting in further declines in the population as a whole.

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1. Reduce Poaching - Poaching is a major direct and indirect cause of decline in the population of Saiga antelopes. Directly, Saigas are poached for meat and skins, with males being targeted the most for their horns. Indirectly, the decline in males in the Saiga population has resulted in intensely skewed sex ratios and reproductive collapse as there are not enough males to mate with females. Reducing poaching will prevent the direct killing of males in the Saiga population, which will allow the population to reproductively recover and begin to increase

2. Create Corridors for Saiga Migration - Migration is a crucial part of Saiga ecology and can frequently be disrupted by man-made objects such as fences and railroads. If the Saiga herd is prevented from moving forward by one of these objects, they may not reach their winter destination and can die from starvation and exposure. Taking Saiga migration into consideration when building man-made structures may allow more of them easier passage. Although railroads may be a more difficult issue, wildlife-friendly fencing exists to allow the passage of large ungulates. If we make attempts to make migrating easier for Saiga, less will die on the route to their winter home and be available to breed in the spring.

3. Fight to Stop Climate Change - As the changing climate has been shown to contribute significantly to Saiga health and disease transmission, it is crucially that we attempt to mitigate the effects of climate change in order to save this population. As their habitat becomes more arid, Saiga antelopes may not be able to withstand the increasing temperatures. The aridity may also reduce their food source, which can result in starvation. If we attempt to stop the progression of climate change, we may be able to help the Saiga population recover and adapt to these new conditions. Reducing the impacts of climate change will allow us to protect species all across the globe whose populations are being devastated as a result of our actions.

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Interaction #2: Breeding Behavior and Poaching

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Interaction #2: Breeding Behavior and Poaching

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Another interaction between extinction factors is the interaction between breeding behavior and poaching. As previously stated, during the breeding season, Saigas tend to form harems of one male and many females that he mates with. During this time, male Saigas frequently engage in potentially deadly battles with each to win the females from the opposite males harem. However, this breeding structure becomes challenged when poachers are present. Although some poachers are interested in meat and hide, the most valuable part of the Saiga is the horns, which only males possess. Over time, poaching has resulted in extremely skewed sex ratios for Saigas where there are many females and much fewer males. This can be especially detrimental during the breeding season, since the poachers may seek out harems just to kill the males and leave the females. In recent years, targeting of males has resulted in an overall lack of males in the population to lead harems and breed with females. Poaching in combination with the natural male mortality due to harem battles has resulted in reproductive collapse for the Saiga antelopes.

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- Fereidouni, S., Freimanis, G. L., Orynbayev, M., Ribeca, P., Flannery, J., King, D. P., Zuther, S., Beer, M., Höper, D., Kydyrmanov, A., Karamendin, K., & Kock, R. (2019). Mass die-off of Saiga Antelopes, Kazakhstan, 2015. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 25(6), 1169–1176. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2506.180990

- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. (2018, February 16). https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/19832/50194357

- Milner-Gulland, E. J. (1994). A population model for the management of the Saiga Antelope. The Journal of Applied Ecology, 31(1), 25. https://doi.org/10.2307/2404596

- Milner-Gulland, E. J., Bukreeva, O. M., Coulson, T., Lushchekina, A. A., Kholodova, M. V., Bekenov, A. B., & Grachev, I. A. (n.d.). Reproductive collapse in Saiga Antelope Harems. Nature News.        https://www.nature.com/articles/422135a#:~:text=This%20seems%20to%20be%20a,male%20per%20106%20females%3B%20Fig.

- Morgan, E. R., Lundervold, M., Medley, G. F., Shaikenov, B. S., Torgerson, P. R., & Milner-Gulland, E. J. (2006). Assessing risks of disease transmission between wildlife and livestock: The saiga antelope as a case study. Biological Conservation, 131(2), 244–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2006.04.012

- Nature Publishing Group. (2018, January 18). Mass die-off of rare antelope linked to heat. Nature News. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-00959-w

- Saiga: The World’s weirdest antelopes. Fauna & Flora. (2023, October 3). https://www.fauna-flora.org/species/saiga/#:~:text=In%202015%2C%20the%20largest%20of,population%20in%20just%20three%20weeks.

- Wildlife Saiga antelope. WCS China. (n.d.). https://china.wcs.org/Wildlife/Saiga-Antelope.aspx