In 2015, 200,000 saigas died in Kazakhstan's mass die-off. 10 years later, nearly 4 million now roam the vast steppe, turning one of the species' darkest chapters around

The saiga antelope has a face that looks almost prehistoric. Its large, flexible nose hangs over its mouth, giving the animal an appearance unlike almost any other living antelope. Yet the strangest part of its story is not its appearance. It is how close this ancient survivor came to disappearing.

For thousands of years, saiga lived across the vast grasslands of Eurasia alongside human communities. They provided meat and skins, while traditional hunting generally stayed within what populations could support. That balance changed sharply after the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s.