Under conditions of rapid industrial, transportation, and agricultural development, together with urban expansion, nature conservation and the rational utilization of natural resources have become among the most important national tasks. The correct solution of these problems is directly related to the successful fulfillment of national economic plans and to the well-being of both present and future generations. It is therefore not surprising that throughout the civilized world, the issue of “Man and the Environment” has been placed on the same level of importance as such major contemporary challenges as the peaceful use of atomic energy and the conquest of outer space. The animal kingdom is one of the most important components of our natural environment and has always been, and continues to be, of great significance to all humankind. The Communist Party and the Soviet Government attached great importance to the protection of nature and the rational use of natural resources. For example, the Supreme Soviets of all Union Republics adopted laws on nature conservation. In September 1972, a session of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR was devoted specifically to urgent issues of nature protection, particularly the protection of wildlife. Shortly thereafter, on December 29, 1972, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Council of Ministers of the USSR issued the resolution “On Strengthening Nature Protection and Improving the Utilization of Natural Resources.” In implementation of these important Party and Government directives, the Institute of Zoology of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic and the Kazakhstan Society for Nature Protection convened a republican scientific conference in Alma-Ata on February 15–16, 1973, entitled “Endangered and Rare Mammals and Birds of Kazakhstan and Measures for Their Protection and Reproduction.” A total of 155 participants attended the conference, including zoologists, hunting specialists, employees of nature reserves and procurement organizations, university faculty members, and other experts. They heard and discussed thirty-three reports, which were subsequently published in a separate volume. The conference established that, over the preceding three centuries, several mammal species had already become extinct in Kazakhstan. At that time, an additional nineteen mammal species and twenty-three bird species within the republic were under threat of extinction. The conference resolved to request the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR (Institute of Zoology) to prepare and publish a Red Data Book containing concise descriptions of Kazakhstan’s rare and endangered mammals and birds, together with the principal measures necessary for their protection and propagation. Subsequently, based on the results of field investigations conducted by researchers of the Institute of Evolution of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR under a special research program, it was determined that the number of mammal species threatened with extinction had reached thirty-one, in addition to forty-three bird species, eight reptile species, one amphibian species, and four fish species. Consequently, unless special protective and propagation measures are undertaken, a total of eighty-seven animal species within the fauna of Kazakhstan may disappear. This book was written primarily by researchers of the Institute of Evolution of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR. The species accounts for mammals were prepared by the following authors: A. Bekenov (saiga antelope, desert cat, marbled polecat, badger, and Marco Polo sheep); Yu. A. Grachov (jackal, Tien Shan brown bear, and snow leopard); V. N. Kalitonov (Menzbier’s shrew, three-toed pygmy jerboa, and argali); Kh. K. Chuderbayev (long-eared hedgehog, Indian porcupine, and mole-rat); Yu. S. Lobachev (European mink, pine marten and stone marten, and Central Asian otter); V. N. Mazin (three-toed thick-tailed jerboa); S. Makhmutov (wild camel); A. A. Sladkovsky (red fox, corsac fox, lynx, caracal, Pallas’s cat, jungle cat, and cheetah); Ye. I. Strautman (beaver); V. A. Fadeyev (Asiatic wild ass and Persian gazelle); N. G. Shubin (Przewalski’s birch mouse and yellow birch mouse). The authors of the bird accounts were as follows: E. M. Auyezov (Macqueen’s bustard and the relict gull); I. F. Borodikhin (birds of prey); E. N. Gavrilov (larks); A. P. Gislov (pelicans); Yu. N. Grachov (great bustard and Altai snowcock); B. M. Gubin (mute swan, black stork, and red-breasted goose); A. F. Kovshar (members of the bustard family); A. S. Levin (great bustard); A. M. Sheza (sandgrouse); V. V. Khrokov (flamingos and shorebirds). Descriptions of individual reptile species were prepared by E. K. Brusko (desert monitor, yellow-bellied and red-striped species of the genus Coluber, and the tortoise) and R. A. Kubekin (the patterned racer, slender racer, and four-lined snake). They also prepared the account of the Semirechye toad. The fish accounts were prepared by staff members of Kirov Kazakh State University: A. A. Bakhtetov, on the Syr Darya shovelnose sturgeon and the Aral salmon; G. M. Dukravich, on the Caspian salmon; and V. P. Mirofanov, on the ship sturgeon. The Kazakh names of animals were standardized by T. A. Ablayev and T. N. Nurumov. The distribution maps included in the volume reflect only the occurrence of animals within the territory of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. The Red Data Book is a warning signal. It alerts us that certain animal species are in danger, require particularly careful protection, and must not be hunted in any way. This book is not merely a record of the great losses of the past or a list of present and future threats. It is also an alarm and a program of action aimed at protecting rare and endangered animals and increasing their populations. The principal task of the Red Data Book is to educate the general public about the beneficial role of vertebrates, to acquaint readers with the rare and endangered animals of Kazakhstan, and to indicate the primary measures necessary for their protection and propagation. Only through collective efforts can we prevent our fauna from suffering irreparable losses and preserve it for future generations.