Extreme Snow Storms Have Battered Herders and Animals

Since late December, Mongolia has been stricken with severe snow storms of such severity that by February, with 90% of the country badly affected, the situation was officially announced as being what is known as zud or dzud. The extreme cold - down to minus 50c in  places - and deep crusted snow  deprived millions of animals from grazing, and following a drought summer resulting in low stocks of stored feed, over 8 million froze or starved to death. 19 out of 21 provinces were affected, 15 of them severely and declared as disaster areas by the GoM.

A dzud is a winter of extreme severity, usually preceded by a drought summer. They tend to arrive in cycles of around 11 years, the last being 1999-2000 continuing until 2003. Then, some 10 million animals died, possibly more. Temperatures plunged to minus 50c in places. Tens of thousands of nomadic  herder families lost almost all their animals, forcing them to give up herding and migrate mostly to the capital Ulaanbaatar, with severe impact on its ability to cope with such an influx. Ger encampments sprang up on the capital's outskirts, and inevitably hardship and poverty overwhelmed these rural migrants. With unemployment already at a high level, alternative work for herders with no urban style skills puts them at an even greater disadvantage.

Yet again the present dzud has taken its toll in much the same way. In  Dundgobi aimag (province), in just 4 months to the 19th April, losses stood at close on 700,000 including 530 camels, 11,500 horses, 8,900 yak, 290,700 sheep and 385,300 goats. The thaw has begun, but mortalities are still expected to rise further. Other aimags such as Ovorkhangai and Zavkhan fared even worse. These numbers continue increasing, even after the thaw.

Nationwide,  animal losses now stand at 8.2 million as at 31st May, with some 700,000 being large animals such as horses and yak/cattle, also camels. The GoM appealed both nationally and internationally for aid, especially fodder for the animals. Many countries and international  agencies have delivered  hay, fodder, food, clothes and medicine to badly affected herding families. The late thaw has arrived, but animal deaths will continue rising, according to a government minister.

The UB Post reports that a further $18 million in aid is being requested by the UN and other humanitarian agencies, to help the 800,000 people, mostly herders who are suffering from after effects, involving 9,000 families.

It is being described as the worst for more  than 30 years, and even worse than the last series of dzuds between 1999-2003, when the total animal loss exceeded 10 million. This was because they continued year-on-year.
See Report from Erdenedalai, one of the soums of Dundgobi.
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