Mongolian herders have lost more than 4.7 million head of livestock, sheep, goats, cattle, horses, and camels, to the brutal conditions of extreme cold, heavy snow, and ice this winter, CNN is reporting.
“Mongolia is freezing through its harshest winter in half a century with extreme conditions killing more than 4.7 million animals and threatening the livelihoods and food supply of thousands of people, the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) has warned,” wrote CNN reporting on the terrible situation. “The severe conditions, known as dzud, are characterized by plunging temperatures and deep snow and ice that blanket grazing areas and cut off access to food for livestock.”
The IFRC says that the extremely harsh winter has left most of Mongolia’s 300,000 livestock herders destitute over just a few months.
“‘For those people who are totally dependent on their livestock to survive, they have become destitute in just a few months,’” Alexander Matheou, IFRC Regional Director for Asia Pacific, told CNN [on March 21]. “‘Some of them are now no longer able to feed themselves or heat their homes.’
“Since November, at least 2,250 herder families have lost more than 70% of their livestock, according to the IFRC. More than 7,000 families now lack access to adequate food, it added,” reports CNN.
Despite spring having officially arrived on the calendar, harsh winter conditions persist in Mongolia where the livestock losses are expected to mount, leading to even more desperation and need among Mongolia’s herders.