Widespread deaths among livestock in Mongolia after second big freeze

Tens of thousands of nomadic herders in Mongolia face hunger and the loss of their livelihoods, the Red Cross warned on Thursday, as temperatures plummet and heavy snow blankets much of the country for a second straight winter.

In December, the Mongolian government asked international agencies to provide aid to the most vulnerable herder households who are suffering extreme winter conditions known as a “dzud”.

It occurs when a summer drought is followed by a harsh winter, causing widespread deaths among the livestock which herding families rely on for food, transport and income.

Footage filmed by Red Cross on Wednesday (February 15) showed a traditional Mongolian nomad family cleaning up frozen livestock carcasses just outside their yurt.

“This winter has been harsh, which means in the spring it will also be very difficult. I have already lost over ten animals and I’m worried I’m going to lose more,” herdsman Munkhbat Bazarragchaa told the Red Cross.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This winter has been harsh, which means in the spring it will also be very difficult. I have already lost over ten animals and I'm worried I'm going to lose more," herdsman Munkhbat Bazarragchaa told the Red Cross.

More than 157,000 people across 17 of 21 provinces are affected by this year’s dzud, said Nordov Bolormaa, secretary-general of the Mongolian Red Cross Society. More than 70 percent of the country is currently covered in snow, according to the government.

The dzud is peculiar to the landlocked Asian nation and has become more frequent in recent years.

“In the past, frequency of dzud disasters was 5 times in 60 years. The old frequency was once in 12 years. For the last 27 years, Mongolia has experienced 7 dzud disasters, or one in every 3.8 years,” Bolormaa said.

The Red Cross launched an appeal on Thursday for $654,000 to help the most affected people with cash and health services.

In addition to the Red Cross’s efforts, Bolormaa said that the Mongolian government’s reach is limited due to the country’s poor economic situation, but plans to help an additional 36,000 affected people.

Mongolia is already struggling with an economic crisis, as a weak local currency has made household goods more expensive.

Mongolian government figures show more than 42,000 animals had died by early February. The Red Cross warns that number will soar as severe weather is expected to continue through March.

As many as 1.1 million livestock died last winter, and the dzud of 2009-2010, one of the most severe in history, saw 9.7 million livestock deaths.

Around 30 percent of Mongolia‘s 3 million population lives off animal herding, according to the World Bank, and meat is the primary source of food.