The regulation of the saiga antelope population in Kazakhstan has not only provoked public outcry regarding the situation itself, but has also served as an additional pretext for certain individuals to realise, or at least attempt to realise, their own selfish goals.
The editorial board of FBRK feared from the very beginning of the saiga capture procedure that this backdrop would lead to arbitrary actions, poaching, fraud, and general anarchy among interested parties. One such example is the dubious activities of Batyr Seikenov, the owner of hunting grounds in the Kostanay region.
Batyr Seikenov has long been known to the public for his loud declarations about protecting nature and wildlife, while the media has repeatedly published scandals surrounding Seikenov's person due to his contradictory statements.
Thus, back in 2020, employee of the Ministry of Ecology A. Abdulayev filed a lawsuit claiming that Seikenov had deliberately spread false information on his social networks, defaming Abdulayev's honour and dignity and undermining his reputation.
As it turned out, Seikenov had published a video in which he claimed that Abdulayev, contrary to his official status, was allegedly engaged in entrepreneurial activities, was the head of some organised criminal group, was taking hunting grounds away from their legal owners and reselling them.
The court was unable to prove the accusations made by Seikenov against Abdulayev. However, the court also did not see in the hunter's statements a direct intent to tarnish the official's reputation, and therefore it was not possible to bring charges of slander against Seikenov.
In 2021, Seikenov became famous in Kazakh media for accusing the first Kazakh cosmonaut, Tokhtar Aubakirov, of poaching and abusing his status. On social networks, Seikenov wrote that Aubakirov intended to hunt near his hunting grounds outside the permitted season, and upon being refused, allegedly stopped on the territory of the 'Altyn Dala' reserve and hunted there.
Tokhtar Aubakirov himself later explained to journalists that he had come to the village of Torgay to see the places of his youth and added that he had not entered the reserve and had arrived without a weapon. Furthermore, the first cosmonaut noted that he had once been on good terms with Seikenov and did not understand why an old acquaintance had written such a post.
In that same year, 2021, Seikenov again made media headlines. At that time, social network users were shocked by video footage taken during a hunt by Kazakhs in Africa, in which a giraffe and a zebra were killed by compatriots for fun. It is difficult to say whether Batyr Seikenov himself was among those hunters.
However, he later recorded a video address in which he stated that the events in the video from the savannah were 'ordinary hunting' and that killing a giraffe was no different from killing a cow or chicken, whose meat Kazakhs regularly eat.
In the spring of this year, Seikenov stood as a candidate for deputy of the Mazhilis in single-mandate territorial constituencies, but the Central Election Commission cancelled his registration, prompting the hunter to file an appeal against the decision.
The CEC, for its part, ruled that the Department of State Revenues of Astana should additionally verify the accuracy of information on assets and liabilities declared by Batyr Seikenov and his wife.
SEIKENOV'S CONFLICT WITH THE INSTITUTE OF ZOOLOGY OF THE RK
One of the latest scandals involving Batyr Seikenov is a conflict with the Institute of Zoology of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Initially, Seikenov claimed in his videos that the Ministry of Ecology had instructed the Institute of Zoology to develop a biological justification for the management of saiga populations in Kazakhstan, for which the Institute in turn requested around 750 million tenge.
At the same time, the hunter asserted that, together with the West Kazakhstan Agrarian and Technical University named after Zhangir Khan and other biologists, he had completely free of charge developed and provided this biological justification to the Ministry. Furthermore, Seikenov made disparaging remarks about the activities of the Institute of Zoology of the RK in general.
However, it is known that Batyr Seikenov himself is not a research scientist and only has an economics education, and his involvement in the development of the biological justification was extremely indirect. Moreover, the Ministry of Ecology did not give any instructions to the Institute of Zoology at all.
In August of this year, Seikenov shared on social networks that he and the hunter Zhomart Baibekov had been allegedly the victims of an assassination attempt in the Korgalzhyn steppes. Shortly before this, Seikenov claimed that oligarch-poachers, hiding behind the Institute of Zoology of the RK, had started shooting saigas.
Seikenov explained the assassination attempt by saying that he 'had got to the bottom of the truth about who stands behind the idea of shooting 200 saigas in the Akmola region, supposedly for scientific purposes', once again hinting at the activities of the Institute of Zoology of the RK. At that time, the Institute had already filed a lawsuit for the protection of its business reputation.
The editorial board of FBRK contacted the organisation's lawyer, who stated that the whole situation with the saiga culling in August is heavily distorted. It was established that on that day, two employees of the Institute of Zoology travelled to the reserve to assess the situation and the migration of saigas, and they did not even have weapons with them.
However, Seikenov and his companion went to the location and met with the scientific staff. After verifying that the scientists were 'clean', the hunters proceeded to the territory belonging to the Rakhimbayevs, where a conflict arose, resulting in a shot being fired.
It is worth noting that soon after the criminal case was opened, Zhomart Baibekov wrote a statement requesting the case be closed. As of today, the assassination attempt case has been dismissed.
It is assumed that the reason for Batyr Seikenov's attacks on the activities of the Institute of Zoology was the fact that previously he advocated for the capture and export of live saigas to China, where the horns of these ungulates are in high demand. This was met with a ban.
Furthermore, there is information that Seikenov wanted to organise hunting trips for foreigners targeting argali on the territory of his farms, and now plans to similarly organise hunting trips for saigas, and therefore opposes the removal of these animals for scientific purposes.
It is also known that Seikenov published videos regarding the activities of the Institute of Zoology which showed violations of Article 174 of the Criminal Code of the RK (Inciting ethnic hatred). The publications were subsequently deleted, but representatives of the Institute of Zoology have certified copies of these publications.
Previously, Seikenov openly stated that hunting tourism could generate substantial income. Among the main problems hindering the development of hunting in the country, he cited the absence of the concept of 'weapon rental', noting that the authorities refuse to legalise weapon rental, citing terrorism risks. However, Seikenov himself believes that by fearing terrorists, Kazakhstan is losing foreign tourists.
Furthermore, in the hunter's opinion, the state takes on too many business functions. For example, Seikenov is confident that the start dates of hunting seasons and their duration should be determined by the owner of each reserve.
WHAT BATYR SEIKENOV'S FAMILY OWNS
Batyr Seikenov began his career in state bodies. In 2004, he moved to the private sector, where he gained extensive entrepreneurial experience in various fields: aviation, construction, restaurant business, real estate, agriculture, processing of animal products. He previously served as the head of the State Enterprise on the Right of Economic Management 'Reserve' of the Committee for State Material Reserves of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Currently, Seikenov appears in such companies as the Public Association 'National Chamber of Hunters and Fishermen "Ayala"', Ayala Trans Group LLP, Torgay Invest Group LLP, TPK Centre for Technical Light.kz LLP, Ak-Boken Public Foundation, Kazakhstan Wildlife Foundation Public Foundation and Hunting & Fishing Yrgyz LLP. In November of this year, Seikenov joined the Republican Public Association 'Ecological Alliance "Baitak Bolashak"'.
Batyr Seikenov's wife – Aigerim Seikenova – is involved in the management of companies such as A La Prima LLP, Astana Baiterek Technology LLP, Arlan-Engineering LLP, Arlan-Air Airline LLP, Kokzhal-NS LLP, Ular LLP and Khakim LLP.
Batyr Seikenov is registered as the owner of two land plots in the village of Kosshy, Tselinograd district, Akmola region: with an area of 4.2 hectares and 2.5 hectares. In addition, in the rural district of Kabanbai Batyr, Tselinograd district, the Seikenovs own land plots with an area of 320 hectares, 0.12 hectares and 0.08 hectares.
Furthermore, in the same district, they own a non-residential building. And beyond all this – a land plot of 0.3 hectares in the city of Shchuchinsk, Akmola region, on which the 'Svetly' sanatorium is located.
The Seikenovs have a 19-year-old son – Berik Batyruly – who is one of the founders of Miyat-NS LLP and owns a car wash with office premises in Astana. The Seikenovs' 27-year-old daughter, Abel Seiken, is one of the founders of Eco-Astana LLP. Registered under Abel's name are an apartment in the capital's residential complex 'Eden Palace', an apartment in the capital's residential complex 'Highvill Park' and an apartment in Kosshy.
In addition, she also appears in such companies as Torgay Invest Group LLP, Eco Astana Hunting and Fishing LLP, Dau-Kaskyr LLP, Orlan-2000 Airline LLP, Torgai Aluminium and Hunting JSC and the Housing Construction Cooperative 'Alemettik Senim'.
Batyr Seikenov's brother – the hunter Ramazan Seikenov – is the founder and director of Zhanartau-XXI LLP. Together with his niece Abel, in the village of Kabanbai Batyr, they own three land plots with a total area of 0.07 hectares and a plot of 0.5 hectares for the construction of a guesthouse in Kosshy.
It is obvious that Batyr Seikenov is not just a hunter who owns a couple of hunting estates in the Kostanay region. Promoting himself as a blogger who actively advocates for the protection of nature and wildlife, Seikenov is not for the first time sowing distorted information that differs from reality among the masses.
Despite this, there are those who believe the words of Batyr Seikenov. However, it is worth noting that his statements lack an evidence base and often, like his hunting activities themselves, contradict the message of animal protection. In this regard, it can be assumed that Seikenov pursues selfish goals far removed from the preservation of the national heritage.