Saving Saigas: Projects Around the World
Browse Our Projects
Steppe Wildlife Clubs
In 2012-2013, Steppe Wildlife Clubs were established thanks to the efforts of enthusiasts and with the assistance of the Saiga Conservation Alliance. Today Steppe Wildlife Clubs have formed across schools in many saiga habitat areas. In the city of Elista, the capital of the Republic of Kalmykia, a Steppe Wildlife Club named “Living Heritage” has formed, with the participation of the Centre for Wild Animals of the Republic of Kalmykia, and located at Yashkul’ school. Steppe Wildlife Clubs have been also formed near the ranges of the Betpakdala and Ural saiga populations in Kazakhstan, in the villages of Akkol, Azhibai and Nursai. In the Ustyurt saiga population in Uzbekistan, teachers and local community representatives have also supported the initiative, creating Steppe Wildlife Clubs at school № 54 in Jaslyk village, schools № 56 and 26 in Karakalpakia and school № 37 in Nukus.
Before starting up their clubs, teachers attended a seminar on the principles of ecological education, helping to ensure consistency in planning and action between groups. Madina Abdikarimova, a teacher from school 37 in Nukus, Republic of Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan, and one of the first supporters of Steppe Wildlife Clubs, says “It is surprising, but our children know so little about saigas! How can they learn about them, when it is easier to find out about Antarctic penguins and African lions from the TV and textbooks than it is to learn about a unique antelope that was found close to their villages and towns until quite recently?”
For generations, Steppe communities had been accustomed to herds of saigas grazing alongside
them. Today if you ask a schoolchild living in a steppe village whether they have seen a saiga, likely the answer will be no. At best, children know saigas from pictures in books or from stories related by elders. Today the saiga is in dire straits, and teachers provide a critical role in educating youth about the role of saiga as a vital part of the arid steppe ecosystem. The Steppe Wildlife Clubs are a key tool in that educational process.
News: Steppe Wildlife Clubs
Saiga Days 2023: Mongolia and Uzbekistan in review
In May 2023, Saiga Day was celebrated across Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, and Mongolia. We'll focus on two Saiga Day events: one in Muynak district, Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan, and another in Khukhmorit soum, Gobi-Altai, Mongolia. Saiga Day was initiated by the...
Saiga Day in Jaslyk, Uzbekistan. Youth festival “Saiga is a bridge between the past and the future” is rolling
The festival relay race, devoted to Saiga Day 2022, was picked up in the villages located near the Saigachi Reserve. The village of Jaslyk on the basis of school No. 54 hospitably received teams of young ecologists from neighboring villages - from school No. 31 in the...
Saiga Day 2022 in Liman, Astrakhan region
Saiga Day 2022 was celebrated in the Limansky district of the Astrakhan region (RU) with the participation of the Vozrozhdenie (Resurrection) steppe club. A part of the celebration was the regional environmental competition of campaign teams "Save the saiga together",...
Saiga Day 2022 in Nukus, Uzbekistan
In the spring, we again hold our favorite Saiga Day festival. Today we are starting a series of reports from Uzbekistan on the celebration of the revival of saigas and the steppe. Every year for Saiga Day we offer a special theme related to different aspects of saiga...
Trip report + photos. Nukus – Astrakhan – Elista.
Нукус – Астрахань – Элиста. Отчёт о поездке с фото. As the SCA’s new Project Manager I was recently, I was lucky enough to go on a fascinating trip, which allowed me to see a lot of interesting things, some of which I’d like to share with you… The first stop on the...
Meet Ersain- Saiga Champion!
Meet Ersain, growing up he and his family, and indeed his entire village, didn’t think twice about eating saiga meat from animals illegally shot and killed by poachers. A few years ago the Saiga Conservation Alliance launched Saiga Day celebrations and Steppe Wildlife...
Steppe Wildlife Clubs turn puppeteers!
On the eve of Saiga Day festival, children of Steppe Wildlife clubs in Karakalpakia learnt how to put on a puppet show! The show targeted primary and secondary school children as well as their teachers and parents raising awareness of wildlife conservation issues....
Saiga Day celebrations in Russia 2016
As part of the annual celebration of the Saiga Day Yashkul High School held a series of events dedicated to the conservation of saiga. The annual competition "antelopes" saw over 60 children taking part in an event to promote environmental awareness and saiga...
‘Saiga Day’ festival in Central Kazakhstan 2016
At the beginning of June a “Saiga Day” festival was organized for over 100 local schoolchildren aged between 7-11 from Korgalzhyn village in Central Kazakhstan. This exciting event was fully supported by the SCA and our generous funders Wildlife Conservation Network....
Supporting the Centre for Wild Animals in Kalmykia
Support for Leading Saiga Breeding Centre. This wonderful centre, run by professor Yuri Arylov was established in 2002 with funding from the local Kalmyk government in order to address the devastating decline in saigas across the region. The CWA was founded primarily...