Saving Saigas: Projects Around the World
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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 Day 2016 Celebrated in Uzbekistan
The ecological festival drew a huge audience in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan, from kindergarten and primary school kids to adults of all ages. This year, Uz-Kor Gas Chemical workers in Ustyurt joined the festival as well. As a part of the Saiga Day, they planted saxaul...
Schools in Uzbekistan celebrate Migratory Species Day
It’s became an annual event for schools in the saiga regions of Nukus and Ustyurt to host Migratory Species Day events just before the Christmas break. This year, the the SCA team visited the Steppe Wildlife Club “Hope” which the first to celebrate. [gallery...
Saiga Day Celebrations in Russia 2015
This year Saiga Day is in its 5th year of celebrations in Kalmykia, Russia and the Steppe Wildlife club Living Heritage help put on some wonderful celebrations. In the month preceding the celebrations they organized "environmental watch" devoted to stories about the...
Saiga Day in Uzbekistan in 2015
A traditional Saiga Day was held in Uzbekistan in early May. This spring celebration gathered together a lot of people caring for the fate of the steppe antelope from Nukus city and remote villages of Karalpakstan in Uzbekistan. This year's festival has acquired a...
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...
An interview with Aigul Aitbaeva 2014 SCA Young Conservation Leader
Aigul Aitbaeva is 25 and works as the saiga project manager at the Centre for wild animals of the Republic of Kalmykia, Russia. Her Young Conservation Leaders award allowed her to develop a colourful booklet about saigas, specifically aimed at children. I wanted to...
How Can We Best Engage People in Saiga Conservation?
How do you make conservation more appealing? In 2014, as part of their Masters courses at Imperial College London, Katie Mabbutt and Sophie Elliott travelled to Kazakhstan to carry out research into topics critical to the conservation of the saiga antelope. The...
Young people celebrate the saiga antelope
Steppe Wildlife clubs join in with Saiga Day celebrations. SCA’s latest initiative to involve teenagers in the conservation of their environment and in particular the saiga antelope is really taking off. A network of ‘Steppe Wildlife clubs’ has been rolled out across...
Read moreA diversity of representatives of the animal world regularly embark on risky and exhausting travels just to survive as a species. So many dangers and obstacles are encountered by migratory animals on their way. And many of them have been created artificially, by human hands. The saiga is a champion long-distance migrant.
The Day of Migratory Species is one more reason to become closer to nature – 2014
A diversity of representatives of the animal world regularly embark on risky and exhausting travels just to survive as a species. So many dangers and obstacles are encountered by migratory animals on their way. And many of them have been created artificially, by human...
Saiga Day in Uzbekistan in 2014
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