In a body of water in the West Kazakhstan Region, 30 dead saiga antelopes were found, which caused concern among local residents.
According to 24.kz, the latest incident occurred in the Bokeyorda District. Staff from the Republican State Enterprise 'Okhotzooprom' and other authorised agencies arrived at the scene. Specialists removed and disposed of the animal carcasses.
The forestry inspection described their death as natural selection. According to experts, a large herd of saiga had passed through the area, and some animals were unable to overcome the obstacle.
Meanwhile, the head of the territorial inspection for forestry and wildlife, Nurlan Rakhymzhanov, noted that since the beginning of the year, 290 steppe antelopes have been found and disposed of.
"This is with the current saiga population standing at around 2 million 300 thousand. The maximum lifespan of a saiga is 7 years, and in the wild it is 5 years. So they die of old age. Also, the hunting season will start soon. Weak individuals may die then too. We have all this under control," Rakhymzhanov stated.
Recall that earlier it was reported that hundreds of dead saiga were found in the Karaganda Region and Ulytau — authorities cited unfavourable weather conditions, a lack of food, and deaths while crossing rivers on thin ice as the reasons for the mass die-off.
Shortly before that, the akimat of the Ulytau Region reported the disposal of more than 3,000 saiga after footage of dead animals at the Kengir Reservoir circulated online.