American actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio noted the success of the Kazakh government in restoring the saiga population. According to him, in 2005 there were only 48 thousand saigas in Kazakhstan, but by now their number has increased to 1,9 million individuals in the wild. TASS reports this with reference to the actor’s account on the social network.
DiCaprio noted that the government of Kazakhstan has invested heavily in combating poaching, ensuring law and order and creating new protected areas. He also praised the government's cooperation with environmental organizations, universities and scientists.
There are three populations of saigas in Kazakhstan: Betpak-dala, Ural and Ustyurt. According to the 2019 census, there were more than 334 thousand saigas on the territory of the republic. In 2022, the saiga population exceeded 1,3 million individuals.
