Saratov authorities proposed to exclude saigas from the Red Book of the Russian Federation

The authorities of the Saratov region, where there is a critical situation with the migration of saigas from neighboring Kazakhstan, propose to exclude these animals from the Red List of Russia. This was announced on June 4 by Alexander Gavrilov, Minister and Chairman of the Committee of Hunting and Fisheries of the region.

He cited statistics according to which 20-35 thousand saiga antelopes came to the Saratov Region in 2021, about 80 thousand in 2024, and this year the region is experiencing an "invasion" of almost a million animals.

"The way out in this situation is to consider the status of the Volga-Ural saiga population, the exclusion of the saiga from the Red List of the Russian Federation, with consideration of the possibility of further use of this species," Gavrilov said in the committee's Telegram channel.

The minister added that due to the "explosive growth" of the saiga population, residents of the region and agricultural producers are suffering, and agricultural land in the region is also being damaged.

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On May 30, Saratov Region Governor Roman Busargin announced that there was a mass migration of saigas from Kazakhstan in the region. He also stressed that the authorities plan to develop support measures for agricultural producers in order to minimize the possible negative consequences of saiga migration.

Bataar Ubushaev, director of the Chernye Zemly Nature Reserve in Kalmykia, told Izvestia that the mass migration of saigas from Kazakhstan to the Saratov region indicates the return of animals to their former habitat, it is also associated with active reproduction. He added that now this population is about 3 million individuals and needs to be controlled. In Russian regions, animals knock out crops, consume a lot of vegetation and compete for pastures with domestic animals, the expert noted.