Saiga (Saiga tatarica)
are about the size of a small goat—males weigh on average 90 pounds (41
kilograms) and females around 60 pounds (27 kilograms)—and live in the
steppes, the arid grasslands that encompass parts of Eastern Europe and
most of Central Asia.
Saigas, an endangered antelope species, are returning to Kazakhstani wildlife, thanks to conservation efforts.
Despite their awkward running gait, head down, stubby legs
on either side driving in tandem, they can clock 50 miles an hour (80
kilometers an hour) on their long migrations.
Saiga date back to the Ice Age—and they were once as
prolific in Central Asia as bison were on the plains of North America.
More than two million roamed the Eurasian steppes as recently as last
century.
But following the breakup of the Soviet Union, poaching and
other disruptions to their habitat led to a precipitous decline: In
just 15 years their numbers plunged by nearly 95 percent, making the
saiga antelope one of the world's most threatened animals.
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