12,000 critically endangered Saiga antelope found dead in Kazakhstan

Mass mortality among Saigas in Kazakhstan: 12,000 dead; the cause of the deaths is still unclear and under investigation.

June 2010. Nearly 12,000 Critically Endangered Saiga antelopes have been found dead in the Ural population in western Kazakhstan; Wild Extra news wrote.

"This is a tragic and shocking event. It's particularly unfortunate that the population was just emerging from an unusually harsh winter, and that those struck down are mostly females and this year's calves," said Prof. E.J. Milner-Gulland, Chair of the Saiga Conservation Alliance and a member of IUCN Species Survival Commission Antelope Specialist Group.

Tags: Saiga, mass mortality, Kazakhstan