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Two antelope species occur in Kazakhstan, goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) and saiga (Saiga tatarica).  Both species have undergone reductions in range and numbers during this century and have since recovered to varying degrees thanks to improved protection. Goitered gazelles formerly had an unbroken range throughout the semidesert and desert zones of Kazakhstan.The gazelle population was estimated to be more than 200,000 in the 1930s, but declined steadily and only about 10,000 remained at the end of the 1970s (Afanasiev et al. 1953; Sludskii 1977; Zhevnerov and Bekenov 1983).The main factors in this decline were overhunting, development of the habitat, and adverse climatic conditions. The government harvested gazelle meat intensively during 1942–1950; for example, in 1944, soldiers shot 14,000 gazelles in the Ili Depression alone (Sludskii 1963; Zhevnerov and Bekenov 1983).In addition to the legal harvest, poaching was completely uncontrolled. As a result, gazelle numbers decreased rapidly and they disappeared from most areas of their habitat. During the 1940s and 1950s, there was rapid opening up of new lands and development of industry.Following constant expansion of the area under cultivation, the area of available rangeland decreased and numbers of domestic livestock increased.As a result of overgrazing, as much as 63–64% of the pastures became degraded (Kurochkina et al. 1986).Goitered gazelles are also susceptible to the effects of winter dzhuts that cause periodic mass mortality (every seven to eight years on average). Improved protection led to a gradual recovery, and numbers currently stand at 30,000–50,000, though populations are fragmented.Largest numbers occur in Mangistau District in western Kazakhstan, and Altyn-Emel National Park in the Ili Valley of the east.Current population trends are varied, with a gradual increase in the two main populations and a decrease in the smaller fragmented populations. Factors beneficial to the larger populations are: low human 135population of these areas; regulation of oil and gas production facilities; creation of new protected areas in Mangistau; improvement of protection in Altyn-Emel National Park; and reduction in grazing by domestic livestock.Factors adversely affecting the smaller populations include a rise in illegal hunting, creation of farming enterprises without taking account of nature conservation, and transformation of the habitat.

In March 1951, hunting of goitered gazelles was prohibited (Smirnov 1965).Goitered gazelles were classified as Endangered in the first edition of the national Red Data Book (Fadeev 1978).The second edition of the Red Data Book noted that the status of goitered gazelles had improved, but new negative factors had appeared in addition to poaching and it was listed as a threatened species (Blank 1991a).Because of its inclusion in the national Red Data Book, goitered gazelles have a specially protected status under the current law on protection, breeding, and utilisation of wildlife. The main categories of protected areas are nature reserve (zapovednik), nature sanctuary (zakaznik), national park, and state hunting reserve. Nature reserves are the most strictly protected, while nature sanctuaries are partial reserves, created for a set period of time, or where some economic activities may be allowed.National parks have a mix of objectives, including tourism and amenity use, as well as wildlife conservation.Hunting reserves are managed for one or more game species, and although controlled hunting is allowed, they are generally well protected. Currently, eight nature reserves, 52 nature sanctuaries, two national parks, and several hunting reserves have been established.Goitered gazelles occur in the following protected areas: Ustyurt Nature Reserve (227,000ha, established in 1985) in Mangistau District; Altyn-Emel National Park (250,000ha, established in 1991) situated on the right bank of the Ili Valley, north of the Kapchagai Reservoir; and Buzachinsk Wildlife Sanctuary (85,000ha, established in 1985) in Mangistau (formerly Mangyshlak) District.A few also occur in Almaty Nature Reserve (15,000ha).Barsakelmes Nature Reserve (30,000ha), established in 1939 on the island of the same name in the Aral Sea has introduced populations of goitered gazelles and saiga.However, falls in sea level have left the former island connected to the shore, and thus

Species accounts  Goitered Gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa)

Distribution and population: Formerly inhabited all semidesert and desert zones of Kazakhstan, with a continuous range from the Caspian Sea to the Ili Basin on the Chinese border, reaching north to 460 –480 N (Zhevnerov and Bekenov 1983).Since the 1930s, this range has decreased considerably and has become fragmented into several large populations and many small ones (Fig.26.2).Populations in the Ili Basin, Taukum, Muyunkum, Kyzyl Kum, and Ustyurt-Mangistau have all become isolated (Blank 1991a). Currently, the most important areas are the Buzachi and Mangyshlak Peninsulas on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, and the Ili Valley in eastern Kazakhstan.In the mid- 1930s, estimated numbers were 200,000, of which as many as 100,000 occurred in the Ustyurt and Mangistau area.A sharp decline followed and, by the end of the 1970s, fewer than 10,000 remained (Zhevnerov and Bekenov 1983).Current numbers are 30,000–50,000, of which almost half live on the Buzachi Peninsula and other parts of Mangistau District, an area encompassing only 1.5% of their natural habitat (Blank 1991a; 1991b).The second largest population is found in Altyn-Emel National Park in the Ili Valley. During summer, 5,000–6,000 gazelles occur here (compared to 2,000–3,000 in the mid-1980s) and in winter numbers may increase to 10,000.The two main populations in Mangistau and Altyn-Emel National Park are currently increasing slowly, but the smaller fragmented populations are decreasing.

Habitat, food and reproduction: Goitered gazelles are widespread in semideserts, sand, clay, and salt deserts, dry riverbeds covered with groves of saxaul (Haloxylon) or other shrubs, open hilly areas, and mountain foothills (Blank 1991a).Basic habitat requirements are the availability of water, shallow snow cover in winter, and broken terrain or groves of saxaul for use as cover.More than 70 species of plants (grasses, forbs, shrubs, and lichens) have been recorded in their diet.Composition of the diet varies seasonally and according to the region.Daily intake of food is up to six kilograms of green matter (Sludskii 1977; Zhevnerov and Bekenov 1983).They can tolerate saline water of concentrations up to 20g of salt per litre.Goitered gazelles follow a semi-nomadic way of life, undertaking limited but regular seasonal movements.Males hold individual territories during the rut in November–December (Blank 1985).Some females conceive at six or seven months of age; most at one and a half years.Males may breed at one and a half years of age, but most do not before the age of two and a half years.Gestation lasts five to five and a half months.One or two young are born from the end of April to the beginning of July, with most births occurring between 15–25 May (Zhevnerov and Bekenov 1983; Blank 1992).

Status within the country: Vulnerable.Listed as Threatened (Category II) in the latest edition of the national Red Data Book (Blank 1991a).Numbers are stable, but gazelles are threatened by new economic development and poaching.

Conservation measures taken: Hunting of gazelles has been prohibited by law since 1951.Goitered gazelles are listed as a threatened species in the national Red Data Book.They occur in Altyn-Emel National Park (250,000ha; 5,000– 6,000 gazelles in summer, 10,000 in winter),Ustyurt Nature Reserve (227,000ha), Aktau-Buzachinsk Wildlife Sanctuary (85,000ha),