Following catastrophic mass mortality events from Pasteurella, saiga surveillance programs have improved understanding of disease dynamics and early warning systems.
Mass Pasteurella die-offs cause acute sepsis affecting hundreds of thousands of individuals simultaneously — one of the largest acute welfare events affecting any wild species in recorded history. Individual saigas dying from septicemia experience progressive systemic failure over days. The 2015 event saw entire breeding herds collapse, leaving calves to die from starvation after their mothers died during calving season. Disease surveillance improvements allow earlier detection of potential outbreak conditions, enabling proactive management measures. The welfare of individual saigas in future potential mass mortality events depends on climate stability and the development of early warning and intervention capabilities.