The migration of saiga herds has created problems for farmers in the Volgograd region.

Herds of saiga antelopes migrating from Kazakhstan are destroying crops in the Volgograd region, causing multi-million dollar losses, farmers complained. The number of endangered saigas has grown from tens of thousands to several million, the scientist explained.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in 2009, Kalmykia authorities banned commercial and sport hunting of saigas for four years due to declining populations.

Farmers have complained about the invasion of thousands of saiga herds in the Volgograd region, V1.ru reports today. Thus, Vasily Frolov, the founder of a grain producer, told the publication that herds of saigas had trampled his fields. "In 2025, they ate approximately 2,000 hectares of standing crops: winter wheat, spring wheat, and barley. We lost almost 18 million [rubles]. We didn't even drive a single combine harvester into these fields because they destroyed everything," he said.

We don't know what to do: should we sow or not? They're simply eating us.

According to the farmer, only small herds had been observed previously. "But they weren't visible in the fields. And now... In a day, I can see 3,000-5,000 freely. They come to the livestock farms, drink some water, and run away. They're not afraid of anything, not even people. [...] We've already planted winter crops. They're already destroying the winter crops. Now it's time for spring sowing, we've plowed the land, bought the seeds, bought the fuel, and repaired the equipment. But we don't know what to do: should we sow or not? They're simply devouring us. I'll just bury the money again along with the seeds," the farmer complained.

According to Frolov, he appealed to the head of the district and the head of the agricultural department to take action. "Even culling, in my opinion, won't save them. Who will cull them, under whose supervision, where will we dispose of the meat? They're listed in the Red Book. They start giving birth in early May. Just imagine: there are thousands of them now, and there will be twice as many. What will remain of the fields? Dust. They have already begun to eat the melons. "All our neighbors are complaining," he said.

We can't kill them, otherwise we'll face criminal liability.

A government source reported that regular saiga incursions into the Leninsky district began two years ago, and now there are about 2,000 of them in the district. "They're mostly in the steppe, but they've also started appearing in the floodplain. In Kazakhstan, they legally permitted the shooting of saigas to control their numbers because they were destroying crops. After that, they crossed into Russian territory. Currently, they're in the Pallasovsky, Staropoltavsky, Bykovsky, Leninsky, and Nikolaevsky districts. They've occupied the entire Trans-Volga region. They're listed in the Red Book; killing them is prohibited, otherwise we'll face criminal liability. […] Grain crops are declining in all districts due to the saiga invasion. What's the point of sowing? "What about wheat or rye, if they eat it? This issue needs to be raised not just at the regional, but at the federal level," the publication quotes Frolov as saying.

They devoured and trampled agricultural crops, causing damage to farmers.

Reports of saigas destroying crop fields this winter have been coming in from the Leninsky, Oktyabrsky, and Sredneakhtubinsky districts, the publication "Bloknot Volgograd" reported on February 26. Volgograd Region resident Vadim Chugunov said the animals are freely crossing frozen rivers. "On the way, they've already devoured and trampled agricultural crops, causing damage to farmers. What other problems do these visitors bring us? Degradation of vegetation and pastures, the threat of spreading infectious diseases, and a threat to rare species of other animals," the publication quoted him as saying.

Seasonal saiga migrations are a natural process, said Mikhail Oparin, chief researcher at the Saratov branch of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences. "And this has reached such a massive scale because the saiga population in the Volga-Ural interfluve has exceeded 2 million," he told Rossiyskaya Gazeta in June 2025.

According to the biologist, the saiga herds migrate from western Kazakhstan, near the borders of the Saratov and Volgograd regions. He noted that the saiga population "has changed very quickly and dramatically": in the early 2000s, the number of saigas in the Volga-Ural interfluve was 20,000-30,000. According to him, there are up to 4 million saiga antelopes in Kazakhstan.

As long as the saiga population remains high, these visits will remain regular.

"As long as the saiga population remains high, these visits will remain regular. With such massive reproduction, population control is naturally necessary. All this should occur under the supervision of environmental authorities; this is the prerogative of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Rosprirodnadzor," the publication quoted the scientist as saying.

Saiga antelopes are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory Species of Animals (CMS). Also in 2002, the International Union for Conservation of Nature included the saiga antelope in the IUCN Red List as a species under threat of extinction, kaspyinfo.ru reported in July 2025.