More than 4.5 million animals have died after the coldest winter in three decades in Mongolia. Temperatures dropped below -40 degrees Fahrenheit (-40 degrees Celsius) this year, with heavy snows. This, combined with a dry summer last summer, resulted in what Mongols call a dzud -- a natural disaster that makes it impossible for animals to find enough grazing to live.
More than 10% of Mongolia's livestock has been killed this winter. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is calling for a million dollars in food aid and other relief supplies for the nomadic herders who depend upon their livestock for their living.
You can read more about the dzud here, here and here and see pictures here.
Of course, we can't help but think of all of the people and animals we met last summer -- including our horses, Caramel, Rusty and the rest, and their wrangler, Altanhoyeg. We wish them well.
