Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.theweathernetwork.com/ne...of-saiga-antelope-population-wiped-out-/51955
More than a third of saiga antelope population wiped out
Leeanna McLean
Digital Reporter
Saturday, May 30, 2015, 5:47 PM - The recent sudden death of more than 120,000 saiga antelopes have left scientists bewildered. Recent rains may have lowered their immunity to infection, conservation experts confirm.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has called the drastic decline of the endangered species "catastrophic."
"This is a major blow for conservation efforts given that saigas have in the past ten years only just started to recover from a global population size of less than 50,000 animals following a 95 per cent crash in numbers," UNEP reports.
Scientists predict the cause is a combination of environmental and biological factors. It is believed a bacterial infection known as pasteurellosis may be responsible for the deaths, according to Kazakhstan's Agriculture Ministry...
More than a third of saiga antelope population wiped out
Leeanna McLean
Digital Reporter
Saturday, May 30, 2015, 5:47 PM - The recent sudden death of more than 120,000 saiga antelopes have left scientists bewildered. Recent rains may have lowered their immunity to infection, conservation experts confirm.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has called the drastic decline of the endangered species "catastrophic."
"This is a major blow for conservation efforts given that saigas have in the past ten years only just started to recover from a global population size of less than 50,000 animals following a 95 per cent crash in numbers," UNEP reports.
Scientists predict the cause is a combination of environmental and biological factors. It is believed a bacterial infection known as pasteurellosis may be responsible for the deaths, according to Kazakhstan's Agriculture Ministry...