By 2025, the Ministry of Ecology plans to amend the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and obtain permission to sell saiga horns abroad.
At the end of last year, the editorial team of FBRK questioned where the state intended to dispose of saiga horns obtained through both criminal and legal means. When asked what would happen to the horns confiscated from offenders, the Ministry of Ecology responded that the fate of such property is determined by the court. In most cases, the court decides on the destruction of the derivatives.
Meanwhile, horns obtained through the population regulation of saigas are marked and handed over for storage to RSE «Okhotzooprom». The Ministry of Ecology also reminded that the sale of horns is impossible due to CITES restrictions on the commercial trade of saigas and their derivatives.
At the same time, it is reported that preparations are underway to submit an application for the removal of the zero quota on international trade in saigas for subsequent consideration by the parties to the CITES Convention. The next meeting is expected in 2025.
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For reference: The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international governmental agreement signed as a result of a resolution of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1973 in Washington.
It is known that steppe antelope horns are in high demand in Eastern countries. They are used in traditional medicine. In December 2019, an article protecting saigas was introduced into the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Currently, offenders who sought to profit from these sacred animals are serving their sentences.
At the same time, the head of the Ministry of Ecology, Yerlan Nysanbayev, has not only legalised poaching, hiding behind a dubious «biological justification» for culling, but also intends to push for the legal sale of horns abroad.