Species for Sale: Saiga Antelope

The saiga antelope (Saiga tartarica) is a medium-sized, herbivorous mammal found on the steppes of Central Asia. Instantly recognisable by its trunk-like nose (which helps with thermal regulation and filtering dust), it is a nomadic animal that undertakes long seasonal migrations (Hoffman et al, 2008). Their sex ratios are heavily skewed, with adult males typically comprising only 25 per cent of individuals even in healthy populations (Milner-Gulland et al, 2001). Item on Sale: <img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:700/1*uoCAQtowN_p0apDBmAxfOA.jpeg" style="height:469px; width:700px" /> Photo credit: Hartmut Jungius The horns of the male saiga are prized in China and other Asian countries for traditional medicine (under the trade name ling yang jiao) and, to a lesser extent, for making collectibles. Saiga horn products are one of the most commonly observed items in online wildlife markets in China and can come in liquid, tablet or powdered form (for medicines), or as jewellery, tools or ornaments (for collectibles) (Lam, 2018; Wendle, 2018). Horns can fetch up to US$3,000 per kilogramme and one kilogramme of powdered horn equates to roughly three dead saiga (Devitt, 2017). <a href="https://medium.com/wwfhk-e/species-for-sale-saiga-antelope-e8b26df4b632">Website</a>