The current state of saiga habitats in the North-Western pre-Caspian region

In the past decades, the North-West pre-Caspian saiga population has been
extremely small. According to the survey conducted by WWF in 2020, it consisted of only about 6,350 individuals (otr-online.ru/news/krasnoknizhnyh-saygakov-poschitali-s-pomoshchyu-bespilotnikov-152138.html). The low number explained why saigas hardly made long-distance migrations, preferring to stay throughout the year in protected areas (Chernye Zemli Reserve in the Republic of Kalmykia and the Stepnoy Zakaznik in Astrakhan province) or near them, in an area of about 2–3,000 km2. However, the improvement in the sex and age structure of the population observed in recent years may just suggest the end of this long period of population depression.