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Saiga in Kazakhstan.

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“We know nothing at all. All our knowledge is but the knowledge of schoolchildren. The real nature of things we shall never know” 

Albert Einstein.

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The saiga is the emblem of Kazakhstan nature. This small representative of bovids from the order of hoofed mammals - a typical inhabitant of desert and semi-desert landscape. The body length of 150 cm, height of about 80 cm, weight up to 50 kg.
Centuries ago it was inhabited by arid and steppe - from Kazakhstan to the black sea. However, in the beginning of XX century the area of its habitat and the number has declined sharply and now, after a sharp rise in the number of 60 - 70 years, when it reached more than 1 million head, the saiga is only preserved in the arid zone of the Caspian sea region and Kazakhstan (less than 100 thousand). In winter it moves to the saiga desert Betpak-Dala, Sands Aryskum, Aral Karakum, on the Ustyurt.
Live herds in which each male has several females. With a total life expectancy of 10 - 12 years sexual maturity in males occurs in about one and a half years, and females in six months.
After 5 months of pregnancy, the female bears one or two (rarely three) cubs, out of which in the harsh conditions of the desert survives no more than one. Very dangerous for saiga jute - winter starvation caused by snow and ice.
Many males are killed in the spring after the rut, when their corpses dot the desert like a field of battle. A dangerous enemy for the saiga is the wolf, which number in the deserts of Kazakhstan periodically increases significantly.
And finally, the main reason for the sharp fall in the numbers of this relic of the beast is often the person extracting it beyond measure, both for their meat and horns, which are highly valued in Tibetan medicine.
Poachers produce up to 50 - 70 saiga for a "hunt". Known cases in Kyzyl-Orda region detained the trucks loaded 200 - 250 saiga carcasses, and in airports accumulated tons of saiga horn detained by customs.
Only the emergency measures can save this unique animal in the fauna of Kazakhstan.

From information sources.