FOR RELEASE
April 25, 2017

The saiga antelope are at the heart of an educational program that highlights the mammal’s significance in ice age Beringia, as well as its current status as a threatened species. Vast herds of saiga antelope once ranged across the Beringian steppe but their habitat was eliminated in North America after the Ice Age and their populations were limited to central Asia.

The Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre in Whitehorse is holding a two-day educational event April 25-26 for students attending Whitehorse schools in Grades three to six. Yukon palaeontologists will be on hand to work with students at activity stations designed to promote awareness of the saiga antelope.

Quotes

“Saiga antelope are engaging animals, unusual in appearance and a treasure as one of the Beringian mammals surviving from the ice age. Through educational programs and a refreshed interpretive exhibit, the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre joins international organizations to increase public awareness of the threat to this vulnerable and fascinating species.”

–Minister of Tourism and Culture, Jeanie Dendys

Quick facts

• Since the early 1990s, over 95 per cent of the saiga population has disappeared.
• The Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre has partnered with the Saiga Conservation Alliance on this initiative. Students participating in the educational program will be colouring saiga-themed postcards, which will then be distributed by the Alliance to students in central Asia to show their mutual concern and support for the threatened species.

Learn more:
Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre
Saiga Conservation Alliance

See photo.

Contact:

Sunny Patch
Cabinet Communications
867-393-7478
sunny.patch@gov.yk.ca

Heather LeDuc
Communications, Tourism and Culture
867-667-8066
heather.leduc@gov.yk.ca