Saiga antelopes, included in the International Red Book, are dying on the roads of Kalmykia, the press service of the Black Earths State Natural Biosphere Reserve reported on June 28.
“On the road between the village of Yashkul and the village of Komsomolsky, two saigas died under the wheels of cars”says the message.
According to the reserve staff, the incidents occurred on different sections of the route. According to experts, this means that the number of saigas has increased and they have begun to actively reclaim their former habitats, actively migrating from the Black Lands ecoregion in different directions in search of better pastures.
The Kalmyk steppes are not yet equipped with ecological channels, bridges or tunnels that would allow animals to safely pass through roads. The reserve staff therefore asks drivers to be careful on roads through saiga habitats, especially at night and in the early morning, and to also respect the established speed limit.
“As a rule, wild ungulates, due to their mobility, appear in front of a car on the road even more unexpectedly than domestic animals. Therefore, it is even more difficult to avoid colliding with them at night.”“, the press service of the reserve stressed.
The Black Earth Nature Reserve has applied to the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Road Facilities of the Republic of Kalmykia to install signs for vehicles with the message “Wild animals” on certain sections of the Komsomolsky – Ulan-Khol, Yashkul – Komsomolsky and – Astrakhan highways, where there is a possibility of unexpected appearance of wild animals (saiga) on the roadway, as well as to equip certain sections of the road, which are important migration corridors for saiga, with road lighting elements at night.
However, in order to eliminate the risk of collision between a car and a representative of wildlife, it is necessary to equip roads with ecological channels in places where animals migrate. This will save the lives of both humans and animals. According to Rosstandart, the number of deaths from collisions with animals is 2-3 people per 100 collisions. For animals, road accidents are in most cases fatal.
It should be noted that with the collapse of the Soviet Union, poaching of saigas for their horns has reached unprecedented proportions. This led to the fact that by the beginning of the 2000s the number of saigas was greatly reduced. In 1990, the Black Earth Nature Reserve was created in Kalmykia to preserve these animals. Today this is the main habitat of the saiga in the country. Despite the fact that the saiga population has recently increased, it is listed in the International Red Book as a species on the verge of extinction.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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