Does anyone know the future of This endangered antelope in captivity? Is there a reason there are none in the US?
The future in captivity depends on how you define captivity. If you look at the way Astania Nova keeps them in almost semi-captivity, then there is a future for the species in captivity. In a more strict zoo setting with smaller enclosures then there will be not future for the species in captivity. At the moment there are no concrete plans to keep the species in the US and there are no concrete plans to keep the species by zoos out of their native range, but if some other ideas work out this might actually change.
Would be a good idea what Fernando Rodriguez, the maker of the most mythical TV series about fauna in Spain, purposed once. Here in Spain we have many natural pseudosteppes and cerealist plains. Using saigas, a species adapted to this habitat, for industry of meat and milk instead sheeps, would made a lifeguard for the species and would be much less impacting for the native ecosystem. The only problem would be the permit of get some starting breeding groups.
Intresting article about current captive status and possible re-wilding : The Whens And Wheres Of Saiga Antelope Re-Population
Update of the Askania-Nova population and the commercial use of it : https://www.svis.law.hku.hk/post/la...0x8dpGqHAsA617HGwuDmlY3ZS_515xn7YE0fJPY-72ykM
For further discussion about saiga antelope in captivity, see the following thread: History of saiga in captivity
Saiga antelopes are highly vulnerable to pathogenic microbes, in the wild they have to keep migrating for long-distance to avoid disease, the captivity can't provide such an environment. Many male Saigas die after the mating season, which also brings difficulty to captive breeding since it is impossible for zoos not in Saiga's habitat countries to keep fulfilling new males every year. This weird fact of Saiga can explain why the population of Saiga can't increase well even though their rate of giving birth to twins is so high compared to other bovines.
Holding them is possible but only in very specific places like the San Diego Zoo Safari Park which birthed over a hundred animals. The dry environment is as similar as you can get in the US which explains the animals successful heard. However as was brought up earlier keeping the heard healthy by supplying new animals is very difficult. To add to that Saigas require a lot of space, a lot herd members, and separation between males and females.
I rather fear that, given the current situation and the fact that Askania Nova is located within a Russian-held area, the status of the reserve and the saiga within stands on a knife's edge.....
Wouldn’t Askania Nova be on ok terms with Russia? I believe they were the ones to supply The Moscow zoo Breeding Centre their small group of Saigas, though I may be mistaken. However judging the current situation you may well be right as the animals may be killed for food and such or die without proper care.
My point is that the reserve is located in an active warzone, and therefore the occupants are at risk of being killed either directly or incidentally - the fact that the reserve was the original source for the Moscow Breeding Centre animals would be irrelevant either way, and in any case said export occurred well before tensions between the two countries ramped up.
Sadly @TeaLovingDave is right. There seems to be very little precision or care in this war and the chance that the reserve could have been shelled or attacked is high. Hopefully none of the animals won’t be injured or killed but an affiliation with Moscow zoo will not save Askania Nova.
"Holding them is possible but only in very specific places like the San Diego Zoo Safari Park which birthed over a hundred animals." I leave the Ukrainian issues for a while, but I'm very surprised that San Diego has managed to have so many births. It means that the Saigas can thrive in much warmer and milder environments than the steppes of Eastern Europe or Central Asia ??
The problem isn't breeding the species per se, as captive birth rates tend to be pretty high, and more that infant and adult mortality is even higher.
Did you not read the rest of the comment? Holding and breeding is possible but only in specific places like San Diego that have very similar climates. Saigas are extremely susceptible to disease causing the high infant mortality, this can be made worse in areas of different climate. This is why saigas are suffiering in the wild. It definitely is not as simple as they can be held in mild hotter climates.
That's the point. The climate in San Diego is a mediterranean-type climate, it's much warmer than the climates of the cold steppes of Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan or Mongolia where the winters are very harsh. If the Saigas could thrive in San Diego, it would be the same in other places where the climate is mediterranean or arid : I take in account the SW United States, Southern Europe and maybe even the Middle East, for example. It would have also been possible to keep them in countries like the plains of South-central Canada or North-western United States (as it's the case for the Pronghorn, sometimes compared to the Saiga for its behaviour and ecological requirements).
