Red Cross issues appeal after 4.7m animals perish in harsh Mongolian winter

Pastoralists in Mongolia are facing a severe winter known as “dzud,” resulting in the loss of millions of livestock and prompting an emergency appeal for aid from the Red Cross, Al Jazeera reported.

Approximately 2,250 herder families have lost over 70% of their animals due to heavy snow and ice, the report mentioned, adding that the harsh conditions are taking a toll on the mental and physical health of herders.

The country’s nomadic herders, who make up about 30% of the population, are struggling to cope with the extreme cold, with temperatures dropping as low as minus 50 degrees Celsius.

This year’s dzud is the sixth in the past decade, exacerbated by climate change. The crisis is particularly affecting families with smaller herds, worsened by a drought last summer that left animals without sufficient reserves for winter.

Climate change has disrupted Mongolia’s four season cycle, leading to a rise “in recurrent summer droughts and subsequent harsh winters” since 2015.