Saiga population set to reach 2.6mln in Kazakhstan
The country observes rise in the Saiga population, Kazinform correspondent reports.
“As known, due to a sharp decline in the Saiga population in Kazakhstan in 1999, a ban on the use of Saiga till 2024, except for scientific purposes, was introduced,” said Andrey Kim, deputy head of the forestry and wildlife committee.
He went on to say that according to the air survey conducted this spring, the Saiga population numbers 1,130,000 in Ural region, and reaches 1,915,000 in Kazakhstan.
Premilitary estimates indicate their total number taking into account lambing is to stand at around 2.6mln by the end of the year.
It was noted that the rising Saiga population is causing rivalry with farm animals for pastures and water, leading to damage to agricultural crops, which is the result of a social tension in West Kazakhstan region in the last three years.
Earlier, Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry’s Geology Committee Chairman Yerlan Akbarov spoke about the amount of groundwater reserves Kazakhstan holds.
