Kazakhstan to Reintroduce 1,500 Wild Saiga Antelopes to China After 75-Year Absence
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📰 The quick summary: Kazakhstan plans to donate 1,500 wild saiga antelopes to China, enabling the species to return to part of its historic range after 75 years of local extinction.
📈 One key stat: Saiga antelopes have rebounded from fewer than 30,000 individuals in 2003 to an estimated 4.1 million today, highlighting the remarkable success of conservation efforts.
💬 One key quote: “For the reintroduction to succeed, it’s crucial to identify habitats for saiga in China,” Jiang said. “Open steppe and semi-desert ecosystems, with low human disturbance and migratory space, will support large herds of saigas.“
1️⃣ The big picture: Kazakhstan has announced plans to donate 1,500 wild saiga antelopes to China, aiming to reintroduce the species to areas where it went extinct 75 years ago. The unique-looking antelopes, recognizable by their large otherworldly noses, once roamed from Eastern Europe to China but saw their range dramatically contract since the 1800s. After facing a historic population low in 2003 due to disease and poaching, conservation efforts led by Kazakhstan have helped the population rebound to an estimated 4.1 million individuals today. This international collaboration marks a significant step toward restoring the ancient mammal across its former territory.
2️⃣ Why is this good news: The reintroduction represents a milestone in international wildlife conservation cooperation between neighboring countries. Bringing saiga back to China helps restore ecological balance in the region’s steppe and semi-desert ecosystems where these antelopes once thrived. The transfer builds on Kazakhstan’s remarkable conservation success story, where saiga populations recovered from near-extinction to flourishing numbers within two decades. Unlike previous unsuccessful attempts using limited captive populations, this approach transfers genetically diverse wild individuals, giving the reintroduction effort a much stronger chance of success. Restoring saiga to their historic range helps preserve one of Earth’s most ancient living mammals that survived alongside woolly mammoths.
3️⃣ What’s next: Chinese conservation experts must now identify optimal habitats with open steppe, low human disturbance, and sufficient migratory space to support the incoming saiga herds. The physical transfer of the 1,500 antelopes is projected to begin in 2026, following the June 2025 announcement. Several potential regions beyond the Junggar Basin where they were last seen in China have been identified as possible reintroduction sites.
Read the full story here: Mongabay – Kazakhstan to donate 1,500 wild saiga to China after 75 years of local extinction
