Cases / Law, regulation and treaties · Kazakhstan · 2023

Kazakhstan plans saiga antelope cull as population recovers

Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.

Nature's voice · report

No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.

Did nature suffer? Not measured.

Not on record

The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.

What the record lacks: 2 none on record · 1 insufficient · 1 not measured See the gaps

Kazakhstan planned to cull up to 337,000 saiga antelope after the population recovered to about 2.8 million, citing crop damage. The carcasses were to be sold to meat plants.

What?

Kazakhstan planned to cull up to 337,000 saiga antelope to limit crop damage, with the carcasses sold to meat plants. RFE/RL

Where?

Kazakhstan RFE/RL

When?

Plan reported November 2023; official cull reported to have begun later. nur.kz

Who?

Gained

Meat processing plants — Planned buyers of culled saiga carcasses RFE/RL

Lost

Saiga antelope — Up to 337,000 animals planned for culling RFE/RL

Harmed

None on record

Why?

Crop damage caused by saiga, as the stated reason for the cull. RFE/RL

How?

Culling of saiga antelope, with the carcasses sold to meat factories. RFE/RL

6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

RFE/RL reported in November 2023 that Kazakhstan planned to cull up to 337,000 saiga antelope, citing crop damage, and that the animals would be sold to meat factories.

Caspian Policy Center and nur.kz reported that the saiga population grew from about 21,000 to 2.8 million, and that an official cull began after farmers reported crop damage.

In court and with insurers

Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

Lawsuits and rulings

No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

Insurers

No insurer decision on record.

What we don't know

Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

Nature

Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

Record

Insufficient Reported but not verified: 42,000 saiga were culled in 2023.
None on record The sources reviewed do not say how many saiga were culled in total, or whether the 337,000 ceiling was reached.
None on record The sources reviewed do not name the meat plants or buyers.