Warning: has footage of dead and dying non-human animals

dzud

On February 24, the Mongolian State Emergency Commission (SEC) revealed that 2.9 million heads of livestock perished as a result of the ongoing dzud in the country. Dzud is a natural disaster that usually takes place in the winter due to heavy snowfall, cold winds, and extreme cold temperatures and leads to the mass death of livestock. The head of the SEC’s Emergency Staff, set up in response to the unfolding disaster, shared that 80 percent of the country was experiencing dzud.

According to the authorities, 21.8 percent of the affected areas are experiencing what the Mongolians refer to as tumur (iron) dzud. This particular type of dzud happens when an unnatural period of warmth is followed by extreme cold, resulting in snow’s sudden melting and freezing into an impregnable layer of ice above the ground, making it impossible for animals to access pasture. The remaining 78.2 per cent are experiencing tsagaan (white) dzud, characterized by heavy snowfall that limits animals’ access to pasture and mobility.