Dead saiga discovered in apartment yard near Volgograd

In the satellite city of Volgograd, Volzhsky, in the yard at Olomoucka Street, 14, local residents found a dead saiga in the morning. Witnesses thought it was a pregnant female, but according to experts, the animal is a male that might have come from Elton.

The discovery in the yard of a regular apartment building surprised witnesses. Looking at the roundness of the animal«s belly, some speculated it could have been a pregnant female. According to witnesses, police arrived at the scene, and later the saiga»s body disappeared, leaving only fur frozen in the snow.

Biologist Victoria Faiper, after reviewing photos from the site, doubted it was a pregnant female saiga and noted that Volzhsky residents encountered an extremely non-standard situation.

— Judging by the horns, this is a male saiga with a swollen belly. The appearance of a saiga in the territory of Volzhsky is an unusual phenomenon. Usually, saigas are noted in several districts: Staropoltavsky, Pallassovsky, and Svetloyarsky districts. Most likely, the deceased animal belongs to the Volga-Ural population, — commented Victoria Faiper, assistant at the Department of Biology and Bioengineering of Volgograd State University (VolGU).

Victoria Faiper«s colleague, biologist Nikolai Onistratenko, agreed that the animal is a male and even suggested what could have caused its death.

— An adult male. It appears to have died from the consequences of an injury. A veterinarian will say for sure. On its back — traces of impact. Perhaps a large bird of prey with its claws. Maybe it injured itself on an obstacle, for example, while running under a metal-profile fence. Maybe a person intentionally injured it. From the photo, one can only guess. A doctor will identify the cause.

The biologist also clarified that wild animals sometimes enter cities and even stay to live in them.

— This is called return urbanization. It is characteristic of a huge number of plant and small animal species — insects, birds, rodents, — explained the scientist. — Large animals remain in the city or return to former habitats that have turned into urban landscapes less often. Usually we talk about hedgehogs, foxes, wolves, badgers. In recent years, bears and even tigers in the Far East have been drawn to city outskirts and garbage dumps. Hoofed animals usually do not settle in cities: they need freedom, space. Small hoofed animals are usually timid, which prevents them from establishing themselves permanently in a noisy, hurried city.

In the city, saigas face many dangers to which the animal is unprepared.

— They are threatened by high-speed transport, tin and wire fences, manholes, and stray dogs. People often show aggression as well. Therefore, roe deer and saigas that wander into the city usually panic and rush through the streets, trying to escape to freedom. And often die under wheels, in chain-link fences, or in dogs« teeth. The surrounding steppes and ravines — their natural habitat, so they often end up on the outskirts. And Olomoucka Street is just located on the periphery of Volzhsky, — adds Nikolai Onistratenko.

It is worth noting that the saiga is a red-listed animal, for killing which criminal liability and serious punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to four years are threatened. Illegal keeping, transportation, sale, and acquisition of saiga are also grounds for criminal prosecution.

The editorial office of V1.RU is clarifying with the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Volgograd Region whether police arrived at the specified address, and with the regional veterinary committee — the further fate of the animal«s body.

Recall that a year and a half ago, migrating thousands of saiga herds crossed the border with Russia from Kazakhstan and descended on farm fields and semi-desert steppes of Zavolzhye. Red-listed animals trampled everything in their path, drank rivers dry, and deprived farmers of their harvest. Experts, however, claimed: the benefits from saigas are much greater than the harm, just not everyone knows about it.