Saiga Antelope (Saiga tatarica)
2007 IUCN Red List – 2002 Photo Gallery
Saiga Antelope (Saiga tatarica) is a Critically Endangered nomadic herding species that generally inhabits the open dry steppe grasslands and semi-arid deserts of Central Asia. The species has undergone major population declines over the last decade as a result of poaching for meat and for export of horns for Chinese traditional medicine. In 1993 the total population was estimated at over one million. By 2000, the population had decreased to less than 200,000, and surveys for 2001-2002 indicate that less than 50,000 animals now remain in the wild. Photo © Anna Lushchekina. |
