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The aim of this study is to assess the current distribution of the Tian Shan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus Horsfield, 1826) in two study areas: the Almaty State Nature Reserve (ANR) and in the adjacent territories of the Ile-Alatau State National Nature Park (IANP) between 2005 and 2018. Both areas are characterized by different degrees of anthropogenic transformation and conservation measures. Data collection was carried out using two techniques: ground survey (GS) in 2005-2013 and a camera trapping survey (CT) in 2013-2018. The comparison of the data obtained by the two methods, GS and CT, showed that the CT data is more extensive as it confirms and supplements the data collected with traditional GS methods. The Kilometric Abundance Index (KAI) was 0.56 (±0.33) individuals per km in the ANR and 0.41 (±0.23) individuals per km in the IANP. Using CT, the average occurrence index was 4.4 registrations per 100 trap days in ANR, while 2.9 registrations per 100 trap days in IANP. We observed the bears to have different daily activity patterns in the two study areas, with the bears appearing to be active throughout the day in ANR, and mainly active during the night and early morning in IANP. This study outlines the role of the territory of the ANR as the nucleus for the settlement of brown bear individuals in the Trans-Ili Alatau Mountain range, due to the abundance of the species remaining high for 40 years. The high observation rate (photos and direct observations) suggest that the bear population has a healthy conservation status. The territory of the IANP can serve as a buffer zone where individual groups of bears can function successfully, provided that they are afforded good protection and that low anthropogenic impact is maintained. On the other hand, the presence of bears in the IANP was mainly observed in sectors with low level of human activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Long-distance migrations of terrestrial animals, driven by needs such as food, water and escaping predators and harsh climatic conditions, are widely known phenomena. The saiga antelope ( Saiga tatarica tatarica) migrates over long distances in the semi-arid rangelands of Central Asia. Both the saiga’s range and its populations have been severely affected by socio-political and land use changes over the last century, related to the formation and dissolution of the Soviet Union. We identified ecological drivers of saiga migration, compared four populations in terms of differences in the geographical characteristics of their ranges and the factors affecting habitat selection within the seasonal ranges. Location Kazakhstan and pre-Caspian Russia. Methods Using 40 years of direct observations, we tested for differences between the four saiga populations’ ranges in terms of precipitation, seasonal productivity and topographical variables using discriminant analyses. We tested hypotheses concerning the drivers of migration to their seasonal ranges and assessed the impact of peak and average values and the predictability of drivers of habitat use within the seasonal ranges using logistic regressions. Results Three of the four populations migrate in a similar way, following a latitudinal gradient driven by seasonal changes in productivity, which is closely related to broad-scale differences in precipitation. Intermediate productivity and its low interannual variability determine habitat selection within the seasonal ranges of all the populations. Main conclusions Migration of all four populations is driven by productivity and precipitation. The migrations in Kazakhstan are still intact despite major recent disruption to the populations, whereas their status in the pre-Caspian region is unknown. All four populations are under severe threat from habitat loss, poaching, lack of protection and gaps in ecological knowledge. A better understanding of the drivers of saiga migration at multiple scales is a key step towards addressing these threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analysed the mtDNA control region (HV1) of 93 tissue samples from all five populations of the saiga antelope Saiga tatarica. The results show a slight but clear distinction between S. t. mongolica and S. t. tatarica, supporting the current designation of S. t. mongolica as a subspecies rather than a separate species. Levels of genetic diversity were low in S. t. mongolica, consistent with the small size of its population and long isolation. Although populations of S. t. tatarica have reasonable levels of genetic diversity, their conservation status is perilous. The Kalmykian and Kazakhstan samples each contained unique haplotypes, although the species as a whole appears polyphyletic, consistent with recent fragmentation and rapid population decline. An understanding of the population genetics of this species is an essential prerequisite for conservation action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mass mortality events in wildlife are a growing concern. Under conditions of rapid global change, opportunistic responses in bacterial commensals, triggered by environmental stressors, may be increasingly implicated in die‐offs. In 2015, over 200,000 saiga antelope died of hemorrhagic septicemia caused by the pathogen Pasteurella multocida serotype B. We use this case to explore die‐offs from commensal bacteria more broadly, looking at factors which might favor such extreme events. We review other recorded disease outbreaks caused by Pasteurellaceae organisms, firstly in saiga and secondly in other wild ungulates, and ask whether the 2015 die‐off was unprecedented in terms of mortality rates, numbers dead, spatial scale, and in the nature of the predisposing or environmental factors involved. We also compare these outbreaks with mass mortality events associated with commensal bacteria in wildlife more generally. We identify three additional major die‐offs in saiga in which Pasteurellaceae organisms may be implicated, of which one in 1988 closely resembles the 2015 hemorrhagic septicemia event. No other recorded cases in wild ungulates approach the magnitude of these cases for any of the metrics considered, possible exceptions being die‐offs in Mongolian gazelles, in which the role of these pathogens is poorly substantiated. Environmental triggers were the most commonly suggested factor leading to pathogenesis, with warm humid conditions most commonly associated with hemorrhagic septicemia. Life history may also be significant—saigas are migratory and the largest pasteurellosis outbreaks outside this species also occur in migratory species of bird or other temperate ungulates aggregating in large numbers. Cases provoked by other commensals tend to be small in magnitude. Exceptions involve interactions between multiple pathogens and climatic conditions or sets of climatic conditions acting on different stages of the host–pathogen life cycle, leading to time lags between infection and subsequent disease. Overall, the scale and rapidity of the saiga die‐offs appear unprecedented among mortality events caused by bacterial commensals in wild mammals. Experimental research into the genetics and microbiology of host–pathogen interactions upon changes in the external environment, and monitoring of animals and conditions at calving sites, may eventually reveal the underlying causes of these die‐offs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]