The species’ (Saiga tatarica) category was changed from Critically Endangered to Near Threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The Saiga has two sub-species: Saiga tatarica tatarica (found in most of the range) and Saiga tatarica mongolica (found only in Mongolia).
The antelope were once found throughout the Eurasian Steppe, the great band of grassland that stretches from Hungary in Europe to Manchuria in Asia.
Saiga populations in Kazakhstan have recovered from a perilously low estimate of just 48,000 in 2005 to now over 1.9 million.
The Mongolian subspecies numbers 15,540 individuals, according to a November 2023 census.