This thesis combines an investigation of the ecology of a wild ungulate, the saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica, Pallas), with epidemiological work on the diseases that this species shares with domestic livestock. The main focus is on foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and brucellosis. The area of study was Kazakhstan (located in Central Asia, Figure 1.1), home to the largest population of saiga antelope in the world (Bekenov et al., 1998). Kazakhstan's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 led to a dramatic economic decline, accompanied by a massive reduction in livestock numbers and a virtual collapse in veterinary services (Goskomstat, 1996; Morin, 1998a). As the rural economy has disintegrated, the saiga has suffered a dramatic increase in poaching (Bekenov et al., 1998). Thus the investigation reported in this thesis includes ecological, epidemiological and socio-economic aspects, all of which were necessary in order to gain a full picture of the dynamics of the infectious diseases of saigas and livestock in Kazakhstan.

The saiga is an interesting species to study because it is one of the few wildlife populations in the world that has been successfully managed for commercial hunting over a period of more than 40 years (Milner-Gulland, 1994a). Its location in Central Asia, an area that was completely closed to foreigners during the Soviet era, means that very little information on the species and its management has been available in western literature.

The diseases that saigas share with domestic livestock have been a particular focus of this study because of the interesting issues related to veterinary care and disease control in the Former Soviet Union (FSU). Soviet Central Asia is only just opening up to the outside world, and the area is in rapid transition. Until very recently, little was known about their methods of animal husbandry, disease control and veterinary measures. The disease status of their animals and the state of veterinary research were not disclosed, either within the country or externally. Even now, a large proportion of the scientific literature is not in the public domain, and thus difficult to obtain. Of the literature that is available, most is in Russian and not accessible to western audiences. Within the western literature, there has been some work carried out on the disease-mediated interactions between livestock and wildlife (Christiansen & Thomsen, 1956; Anderson & Trewhella, 1985; Freeland & 2 Boulton, 1990), but it is still a relatively under-researched field, and one that is receiving increasing recognition as important both for conservation and for livestock disease control.