Harsh Winter In Mongolia Kills Nearly 5 Million Animals, Threatens Livelihood and Food Supply

Mongolia is experiencing its most severe winter in half a century, with extreme temperatures killing over 4.7 million livestock and jeopardizing the livelihoods and food supply of thousands of people.

Suffering Animals

Since November of last year, the harsh weather has covered 76% of the country in white dzud and iron dzud conditions. These circumstances cover grazing areas in deep snow and ice, severely limiting livestock access to food.

Since February of this year, the livestock death rate has increased, affecting around 75% of all herder households. Official projections suggest that the situation will worsen as the current total of cattle losses exceeds 4.7 million.

The crisis has disproportionately affected herders with smaller herds, who face enormous recovery obstacles.

Mongolia has approximately 300,000 traditional nomadic herders who rely on their cattle, goats, and horses for food and sale at the market.

According to Olga Dzhumaeva, head of the International Federation of the Red Cross's (IFRC) East Asia delegation, herders face "the loss of their precious livestock" as well as "immense pressures on people's mental and physical health."

"The ongoing livestock deaths, diminishing resources and deteriorating conditions of hundreds of thousands of people in Mongolia this winter is a stark reminder of the urgent need for assistance," she said.

According to government data, Mongolia will have approximately 64.7 million livestock animals by the end of 2023.

Mongolia is noted for its distinct breeds of sheep, cattle, horses, goats, dromedaries, Bactrian camels, and yaks, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

These include the Bayad sheep, which, because of millennia of selective breeding, can withstand even Mongolia's coldest regions and provide families with milk, wool, and meat.

Climate Change In Mongolia

Mongolians are acclimated to cold weather, particularly during the winter months of December to March, although excessive cold is referred to as dzud, the Mongolian term for disaster.

During dzuds, some parts of the country experience temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius (minus 58 Fahrenheit).

This year's dzud has experienced several blizzards, producing significant snow.

According to the United Nations, dzuds are becoming increasingly widespread as a result of climate change.

This is Mongolia's sixth dzud in the previous decade, and herders are still fighting to recover from last year's hard winter, which killed 4.4 million sheep.

The Emergency Operation Center estimates that this crisis will be twice as serious as last year's dzud. It anticipates a higher impact than the significant 2010 Dzud catastrophe, which claimed 10.3 million animals and affected 28% of Mongolia's population.

According to Tapan Mishra, the UN resident coordinator in Mongolia, climate change has interrupted Mongolia's four-season cycle, resulting in an increase "in recurrent summer droughts and subsequent harsh winters" since 2015.

The Mongolian government declared a state of heightened readiness to endure until May 15, and the IFRC sent a plea for funds to alleviate the suffering of individuals who have lost their livelihoods.

"Even with high levels of preparedness, which there has been in Mongolia this year and in previous years, it's not adequate to cope with the extremity of the conditions," said Alexander Matheou, IFRC Regional Director for Asia Pacific.