Mongolia: 4.7 Million Animals Died During Harshest Winter in 50 Years

One of Mongolia’s harshest winters in half a century is about to end. Peculiar climatic conditions caused the death of 4.7 million animals needed for the existence of thousands of people. This was reported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The reason for the widespread death of livestock was dzud, a specific term for when cold and snowfall create a steady covering that prevents animals from finding food, and so large numbers of animals die due to hunger and cold. That’s exactly what happened this winter due to extreme temperatures, snow, and ice.

With a population of over 3 million people, Mongolia is still home to 300,000 traditional nomadic herders who depend directly on their livestock: cattle, goats, and horses, which they raise and then sell the meat in markets and thus have something to live on.

“People who depend entirely on livestock for survival have been pushed into poverty in just a few months,” Alexander Matheou, the ICRC’s regional director for Asia and the Pacific, told CNN. “Some of them can no longer feed themselves or heat their homes.”

As of November, at least 2250 pastoralist families have lost more than 70% of their livestock, and more than 7000 families do not have adequate access to food. Dzud affected three quarters of the country, hitting hard, even despite institutions and the population preparing to withstand these emergencies. And although spring has already started according to meteorological indicators, cold weather has not loosened its grip on Mongolia, making the situation even worse.