Saiga Saga

                                                               
Well to begin with I must make a confession. While this post may be about saiga antelope it is not really a saga, even though it makes a catchy title. While this is not a saga it is a fascinating and mysterious situation. Saiga antelope are an interesting and ancient species that currently face threats of human and microscopic origins.

Saiga antelope are a unique speceis that are recognizable due to their bulbous nose, spiral horns, and chestnut-colored pelts. Saiga have been around since the Ice Age and once roamed the steppes and tundra with wooly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers. They have been found in the fossil record ranging from Europe to Alaska. Currently saiga atelope are only found in central Asia in countries such as Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzebekistan but the majority of individuals are located in Mongolia and Kazakhstan. While there exist two subspecies of saiga they are look very similar and are distinguished only by genetics and location. The unique nose of the saiga antelope is functional because they can move and inflate it to breathe clean air in the dusty summers and  warm air during cold winters. The pelt of the saiga changes with the seasons; in the summer it is thin with the chestnut color and in the winter the coat is thick and white. Saiga participate in one of the largest migrations on Earth where tens of thousands of saiga form herds.



While saiga antelope are fascinating and look like nothing else, they face great threats from humans and disease.  There have been people who poach saiga for their pelt and horns. It is believed that saiga horns have medicinal uses in traditional eastern medicine. Saiga have also lost habitat to farming. One of the greatest problems facing saiga antelope is a bacterial infection that has high mortality. In the 1990's there were over a million saiga in the wild and now it is around 50,000. One key aspect that is killing these animals is this bacterial infection. Last year the bacteria killed 120,000 individuals. The bacteria has been determined to be Pasturella. Pasturella is usually found in cattle, bison, and buffalo but have a much lower mortality rate in those animals. Pasturella causes the animals to hemorrhage. The disease has symptoms such as depression, diarrhea, and frothing at the mouth. Within a couple of hours of showing signs of disease the animals die. The disease is usually most prevalent when females gather to birth. This is when the females and calves usually become infected and die.

The government of Kazakhstan had been working hard to find the cause of the disease and had hired veterinarians from Europe to work on it. They have also been enforcing poaching laws more heavily. Saiga are an important species for the steppe landscape and are a unique species.

                                  

Articles

Mass Deaths of Saiga

WWF Saiga Antelope Description

FWS Saiga Description

Mysterious Die-off

Saiga Antelope Death Toll Reaches 85,000 

Scientists Probe Mysterious Wave of Antelope Deaths

Saiga Mysteriously Die-off

Ministry of Agriculture Continues to Relict Animal Protection

Kazakhstan Government


Pictures

Male, Female, Calf

Herd

Dead Pile