May 5 – International Saiga Day
2025-05-05 10:00:00 / News
The saiga antelope or saiga is a rare species on the brink of extinction. It is listed in the Red Data Book of Uzbekistan, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, and Appendix II of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora).
Once abundant, saiga populations have declined by 99.5% since the 1990s. Today, their range includes several countries: Kazakhstan, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. To help restore the population, the “Saigachy” complex (landscape) reserve was established in 2016 in the Muynak and Kungrad districts of Karakalpakstan, covering a total area of 848,100 hectares, including a 219,800-hectare buffer zone.
In addition, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of saiga antelopes, as well as an Intergovernmental Agreement on their protection and reproduction.