About saigas
Population history & threats
Saigas have experienced extraordinary recoveries and devastating setbacks. Discover how their populations have changed, what threatens them today, and why continued conservation matters.
Over the past century, saiga populations have changed dramatically, shaped by human activity, disease, and conservation efforts. Their remarkable recoveries show what is possible, but ongoing threats mean their future cannot be taken for granted.
The numbers
Estimated global saiga population over time
Saiga numbers have changed dramatically over time, with periods of steep decline followed by strong recovery. This graph shows the combined total across all five populations, which can hide the fact that some remain much smaller than others.
| Year | Estimated number of saiga |
|---|---|
| 1981 | 1,251,000 |
| 1982 | 1,236,000 |
| 1984 | 835,000 |
| 1988 | 824,000 |
| 1993 | 1,124,000 |
| 1994 | 952,000 |
| 2000 | 178,000 |
| 2006 | 69,669 |
| 2010 | 108,496 |
| 2015 | 103,889 |
| 2020 | 348,120 |
| 2024 | 2,889,440 |
Source: CMS COP9 II/6 historical population estimates; CMS Saiga MOS5 Overview Report (2025).
Pressures
The threats saigas face
Saigas face a range of threats that vary across their range and evolve over time. These pressures can also interact, making their combined effects particularly serious. Understanding them is essential to protecting saigas and sustaining their recovery.
Disease
Saigas are vulnerable to disease outbreaks, particularly when large herds gather during calving. In 2015, a mass mortality event in Kazakhstan killed more than 200,000 saigas in just a few weeks, demonstrating how quickly populations can be affected.
Climate and extreme weather
Saigas are adapted to harsh conditions, but severe winters, droughts, and other extreme events can affect their survival and access to food and water. Climate change may increase the frequency or severity of some of these pressures.
Poaching and illegal trade
Illegal hunting threatens saigas across their range, driven by demand for meat and horns. Horns are traded internationally for use in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Because only males have horns, targeted poaching can severely disrupt breeding.
Human-wildlife conflict
As saiga populations recover, large herds increasingly share grazing areas with livestock and farmland. Competition for pasture and damage to crops can create tensions with local communities, making effective approaches to coexistence increasingly important.
Barriers to movement
Saigas need access to large areas of seasonal habitat. Roads, railways, fences, and other infrastructure can obstruct migrations, restrict access to grazing and water, and increase the risk of populations becoming isolated.
What will it take to protect saigas?
Protecting saigas requires sustained action, even when populations are recovering. Conservation must adapt as challenges change, combining effective protection and monitoring with research, education, and cooperation across borders.
By building on what has been achieved and responding to new challenges, we can help ensure that saigas continue to thrive in the wild.
A century of change
The saiga’s population history
Explore the key events that have shaped saiga populations, from historic declines to recent recoveries
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Recent years
A fragile recovery
After 1991, weakened law enforcement, economic hardship, and increased poaching caused another catastrophic decline, with some populations falling by more than 90%.
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1990s
Post-Soviet collapse
After 1991, weakened law enforcement, economic hardship, and increased poaching caused another catastrophic decline, with some populations falling by more than 90%.
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1950s–1980s
Soviet-era recovery
Under tighter protection and management, saiga numbers rebounded dramatically, reaching hundreds of thousands and supporting regulated harvests in parts of their range.
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Early 1900s
Near collapse
By the early 20th century, intensive hunting for meat, hides, and especially horns had driven saigas close to extinction across much of their range. Hunting restrictions and stronger protection later allowed populations to recover.
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