flightdescending:Photo source [x]The saiga antelope that I included in the Pile Of Progress for the

flightdescending:Photo source [x]The saiga antelope that I included in the Pile Of Progress for the Sornieth Species Fund is a bit of a pet cause for me. I love these guys, their silly muppet faces are completely unreal looking and they are in BIG trouble. “The saiga antelope is a unique inhabitant of the vast plains of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. It is a relict of the ice age fauna that included mammoths and sabre tooth cats, and is evolutionarily distinct from other antelopes. It is also a symbol of the steppe for the nomadic people it shares its habitat with, and has been an important source of food and inspiration for centuries.In recent years saiga antelopes hold a sad record in the animal world – they are one of the fastest declining mammal species on our planet today. Since the early 1990s global saiga numbers have declined by over 95%. …  Poaching is the main factor driving the decline of saiga populations.”  - http://www.saiga-conservation.com/In addition, they’ve been hit hard by a mysterious illness outbreak in the past few years. “Nearly half of the global population of the critically endangered saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica) is feared dead in a mass die-off. Authorities in Kazakhstan, where the animals live, began to notice a spike in deaths in mid-May and losses quickly mounted to more than 120,000 in total.” http://www.nature.com/news/mysterious-die-off-sparks-race-to-save-saiga-antelope-1.17675These weird and awesome animals are at the very real threat of extinction! Consider contributing to the Saiga Conservation Alliance (linked above) or visit the Sornieth Species Fund and contribute to the WWF to improve conservation worldwide! Every little bit helps. -- source link

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