From January 17 to 29, 2009, IUCN researchers conducted field investigations in the Shajin Gobi, Kusin Gobi and Dergen Grasslands in western Mongolia. The main goal of the field survey was to estimate the size of the saiga population using fixed samples. The Mongolian Academy of Sciences and WWF-Mongolia participated in this assessment.
The Saiga antelope is a medium-sized hoofed mammal in the family Bovidae. It was once widely distributed in areas from Poland to western Mongolia, inhabiting the treeless grasslands in Siberia. Due to heavy hunting, the number has decreased sharply and it no longer exists in eastern Europe. Since 1919, the then Russian government has strictly prohibited the hunting of saiga antelopes. It was also from that time that the number of saiga antelopes in Siberia began to increase. Saiga antelope is also an endangered species and must be protected.
During the survey, the researchers counted 234 groups of 1,205 saiga . Saiga group sizes range from 1 to 62 animals. In addition to Mongolian saiga , they also counted 19 groups of 113 goiter gazelles . Surprisingly, we also found 2 groups of 7 Mongolian gazelles in the Shajin Gobi, which is the first recorded sighting in the area. Locals say heavy snow and bad weather have forced Mongolian gazelles to migrate 300 kilometers south from their current range to find food and escape blizzards. For the researchers, it was incredible to see these three species of antelope in the same area.
Dzud is Mongolian and refers to various winter conditions that disrupt or prevent grazing, preventing animals from eating and thus surviving the winter months from October to May. Conditions that lead to blizzards include heavy snow (white blizzards). Blizzards kill large numbers of livestock in Mongolia. Mongolian saigas also experienced dramatic population declines during the blizzards of 2000 and 2001. During this period, the saiga population dropped by 80%. Forecasters predict another possible snowstorm in Mongolia. But the situation in the Sajin Gobi is better than researchers expected, with much of the area covered in sporadic snow and no dead saigas yet.
Quishin Gobi has poor winter conditions, with thick snow in the southern region (the depth of snow reaches 50 cm in some areas). In the Kuising Desert, researchers encountered more than 10 dead horses. According to locals, three consecutive days of snowstorms and freezing temperatures (minus 40°C at night) caused the death of horses in particular. Fortunately, the researchers saw no saiga carcasses either. But if it snows again conditions will turn into a blizzard.
Saiga antelope has always been a famous species in traditional Chinese medicine because of its pair of transparent, vertical horns. It was once widely distributed in the semi-arid grasslands of Central Asia, with a population of more than 1 million. However, in the past ten years, due to uncontrolled hunting, the number of this animal has dropped by more than 95%, destroying the natural nature of the population.
Due to hunting in China, there were no wild records of this animal as early as the 1960s. Taking into account the needs of species diversity protection and the development of national medicine, starting in 1987, with the support of relevant national departments, the Wuwei Wildlife Reproduction Research Center in Gansu Province launched a reintroduction project for saiga antelopes. Since 1993, the saigas raised at the center have been kept in a 27-hectare enclosure.
The environment in the enclosure is taken from nature and is similar to the wild habitat of the Saiga antelope, providing a semi-natural activity space for this animal. This environment is the intermediate link between breeding and the natural environment in the wild. Observing the behavior of the saigas living there is an important transitional step in reintroducing conservation projects. This is also the original intention that prompted the implementation of this study.
At the same time, the reproductive behavior of animals is crucial to the survival and continuation of individuals and populations. Moreover, measuring individual differences in reproductive behavior is more helpful than other behaviors in understanding the impact of environmental changes on behavior. Therefore, this study focused on the behavioral performance of saigas, especially females, during the main breeding season.It is hoped that through this study, we can gain a first glimpse into the reproductive strategy of Saiga antelope from an behavioral perspective and understand the behavioral adaptation of Saiga antelope in a semi-natural environment.
The traditional Chinese medicine community should participate in the protection of saiga antelopes. In the short term, the demand for saiga antelopes in proprietary Chinese medicines is unlikely to disappear immediately. Clinical studies are also demonstrating the pharmacological benefits of antelope horn. At the same time, normal demand and supply will not lead to the extinction of the Saiga antelope. This was confirmed when the Soviet Union implemented strict state control of hunting. Unrestricted selective hunting is a key reason for the decline of saiga antelopes’ current numbers in the wild. The selectivity of hunting is mainly due to the demand for antelope horns in traditional Chinese medicine.
If antelope horn substitutes can be used, it can indirectly inhibit the smuggling of antelope horns without reducing the supply of related products. Because reduced demand reduces supply, smuggling becomes unprofitable. This also reduces hunting pressure on wild populations, especially males. At the same time, people in the traditional Chinese medicine community can also help law enforcement officials and conservation workers to strengthen monitoring of the antelope horn trade market and regulate the market demand for antelope horns, thereby reducing pressure on wild populations.
