Kazakhstan Reports Record Saiga Numbers, Advances Management Measures

Kazakhstan’s saiga population has reached a record 4 million animals, prompting the government to strengthen measures to manage the rapid growth, First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar said on Dec. 1, The Caspian Post reports, citing the The Astana Times.

At the meeting, Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Yerlan Nysanbayev and other officials reported on actions taken this year. According to the ministry, the number of saiga is expected to grow to nearly 5 million after the 2026 lambing season. To protect farmland and maintain ecosystem balance, the government followed scientific recommendations to regulate the population.

From July 1 to Nov. 30, around 196,000 saiga were culled, and the meat was sent to domestic processing plants, reported the Prime Minister’s press service.

The government also focused on safe storage and strict accounting of saiga horns. All horns have been labeled and placed under enhanced security at the Okhotzooprom state enterprise.

Officials discussed a new digital labeling system to enable full tracking of saiga derivatives. The project, created with Kazakhtelecom, received support at a CITES international conference and may help gradually lift export restrictions on legally obtained saiga products.