Latest news with #saiga
Khaleej Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Russian farmers appeal to Putin for help against antelope invasion
Farmers in Russia's Saratov region have appealed to President Vladimir Putin for help in dealing with an invasion of saiga antelopes that have migrated from Kazakhstan and devastated their fields. The appeal, posted on several popular farmers' channels on Telegram, said that the saiga population has grown uncontrollably in recent years, reaching up to one million in Russia alone. Saratov, located along the Volga River, is the country's sixth-largest grain-producing region, with an annual harvest of about 4 million metric tons, accounting for 3.5% of Russia's total grain harvest. Farmers reported that about 500,000 saigas crossed into Russia from Kazakhstan at the end of May. They said that thousands had drowned in local rivers, contaminating the water supply. "We hope for your understanding and assistance in resolving this situation, which threatens the very existence of agriculture in our region," the farmers said in their appeal. Culling or hunting saigas, which were nearly extinct in the 1990s, is prohibited in Russia. A separate letter to Putin, signed by heads of the region's leading farms and obtained by Reuters, said that crop losses from saigas are not covered by insurance because the animal is not yet listed as an agricultural pest. The Saratov regional Ministry of Agriculture said on Tuesday that it has set up damage assessment commissions and is developing a mechanism to support farmers. The surge in the population of saigas, easily recognised by their trunk-like nose that filters sand particles from the desert air, is considered a global conservation success story. Evgeny Karabanov from Kazakhstan's Grain Union lobby group told Reuters that an estimated 4.0-4.5 million antelopes are currently roaming in the Central Asian country, compared to only 25,000 in the 1990s. "Their migration area has significantly expanded... No one is asking them for passports," Karabanov said.
Arab News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Russian farmers appeal to Putin for help against antelope invasion
MOSCOW: Farmers in Russia's Saratov region have appealed to President Vladimir Putin for help in dealing with an invasion of saiga antelopes that have migrated from Kazakhstan and devastated their appeal, posted on several popular farmers' channels on Telegram, said that the saiga population has grown uncontrollably in recent years, reaching up to one million in Russia located along the Volga River, is the country's sixth-largest grain-producing region, with an annual harvest of about 4 million metric tons, accounting for 3.5 percent of Russia's total grain reported that about 500,000 saigas crossed into Russia from Kazakhstan at the end of May. They said that thousands had drowned in local rivers, contaminating the water supply.'We hope for your understanding and assistance in resolving this situation, which threatens the very existence of agriculture in our region,' the farmers said in their appeal. Culling or hunting saigas, which were nearly extinct in the 1990s, is prohibited in Russia.A separate letter to Putin, signed by heads of the region's leading farms and obtained by Reuters, said that crop losses from saigas are not covered by insurance because the animal is not yet listed as an agricultural Saratov regional Ministry of Agriculture said on Tuesday that it has set up damage assessment commissions and is developing a mechanism to support surge in the population of saigas, easily recognized by their trunk-like nose that filters sand particles from the desert air, is considered a global conservation success Karabanov from Kazakhstan's Grain Union lobby group told Reuters that an estimated 4.0-4.5 million antelopes are currently roaming in the Central Asian country, compared to only 25,000 in the 1990s.'Their migration area has significantly expanded... No one is asking them for passports,' Karabanov said.
Asharq Al-Awsat
29-05-2025
- Health
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Kazakhstan to Allow Hunting Once Endangered Antelopes
Kazakhstan said Wednesday it will authorize the hunting of saiga antelopes, once an endangered species that the government says is now threatening farming in the vast Central Asian country. The country previously backtracked on lifting a hunting ban on the species, recognizable by their long, trunk-like rounded snout. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev had called the antelopes "sacred animals for the Kazakh people". The saiga was massively poached in the 1990s. State media cited Kazakhstan's deputy minister of ecology as saying the decision to hunt them was "necessary due to the rapid growth of their population" and "complaints from farmers". A spokeswoman for Kazakhstan's ecology ministry told AFP Wednesday that "according to scientific research, it is possible to eliminate up to 20 percent of the total population without harming the species". The exact number of animals allowed to be culled and the start date of the hunt are yet to be determined, she added. Farmers complain that saigas have stomped thousands of square kilometers of farms, where crops are also threatened by climate change. According to the latest estimates, there are 4.1 million saigas in the former Soviet republic, representing almost the entire global population, a number that could rise to five million by the end of the year. An attempt to lift the ban was met with opposition in 2023, a rare occurrence in Kazakhstan, where freedom of expression is limited. The authorities reversed the decision a few months later. Poaching of the antelopes exploded after the collapse of the Soviet Union, particularly as their horns are used in traditional medicine. Water shortages and disease had also endangered the species before the Kazakh authorities introduced a policy to protect them.
