NJSC "West Kazakhstan Agricultural and Technological University named after Zhangir Khan" is an accredited scientific organization and educational institution, conducts scientific and research work in agriculture, and is also the only scientific organization researching saiga populations in Kazakhstan in semi-free conditions in nurseries.
The university is developing cooperation with government agencies, environmental organizations and business on issues of scientific support for game breeding and veterinary welfare of nurseries.
In the future, scientists and the staff of the Asar Live nursery is aimed to new goals for regulating the number of saiga; preventing pathologies and preserving biodiversity in the country; it is necessary to continue comprehensive scientific and practical research. An integrated scientific approach to studying the problem will allow us to develop a system of measures to maintain regulation of the number of migrating wild animals
The operation of nurseries for breeding saigas in captivity and semi-captive conditions will serve as a basis for research work on the biology of wild animals, and will also be an object of tourism.
A database about the saiga population will be created to provide nurseries, zoos, nature reserves in Kazakhstan and other foreign countries.
The result of cooperation between ASAR Live LLP and the Almaty Zoo were two saigas that arrived at the zoo directly from the nursery. Every year, saiga calves are visited by nursery staff to inspect and examine them. Such caring and special treatment is worth publicity and serves as an example of how prairie antelopes and humans can have the best possible relationship. Thanks to the nursery on the territory of the zoo, adults and children have the opportunity to observe rare animals that serve as the beauty of the steppe fields of Kazakhstan.
Comparative study of biology, ecology and diseases of saigas of three populations;
Studying the productive qualities of saigas (horns, fur, skin) and the possibilities of creating a game farm for breeding saigas in captivity.
Study of the molecular genetic characteristics of saigas of different populations (genetic certification), using the STR and SNP method.
Opening of the educational program “Hunting and Fur-Farming” on the basis of the Zhangir Khan WKATU for training specialists in the protection of wild animals.
To date, the “ASAR Live” nursery has received scientific research from joint cooperation with the involvement of the University’s teaching staff, undergraduates and students of universities in Kazakhstan, specialists from the Karaganda Zoo and local executive authorities, as well as local media.
The policy of the ASAR Live nursery is aimed at the conservation and rational use of saiga in order to develop the production and processing industries of the region and the well-being of the local population.
The ASAR Live nursery is the best scientific platform for practical work with saiga in modern Kazakhstan and is equipped with modern equipment and technology for conducting research on veterinary and environmental studies of the saigas of the Betpak-dala population in semi-free conditions. At the same time, this is a school of practice for domestic scientists and undergraduates of Kazakhstani universities and a zone for the development of ethnographic and ecological tourism in Kazakhstan
Currently, scientific research on saigas is ongoing, including the study of molecular genetic DNA markers of the Betpak-dala and Ural populations of saigas.
