Saiga antelopes have experienced catastrophic population crashes from disease epidemics and poaching, and the welfare of surviving populations requires urgent conservation attention across Central Asia.
Saiga welfare is dominated by two catastrophic threats: infectious disease die-offs and illegal poaching. The 2015 epidemic, caused by Pasteurella multocida bacteria likely triggered by unusual weather conditions, caused mass suffering across an enormous geographic area in an extremely compressed time period. Individual welfare during epidemic die-offs is severe, with affected animals experiencing acute respiratory distress and rapid systemic failure. Poaching for horns, targeting primarily males due to their horn value, severely skews sex ratios and disrupts reproductive success. Conservation programs that protect calving grounds, reduce poaching through anti-trafficking measures, and monitor population health represent the most important welfare interventions for this species.