Mongolia: Over 500,000 livestocks perish due to freezing temperatures

Mongolia has elevated its disaster preparedness to high alert as over half a million heads of livestock died in extreme cold weather

The Mongolian government’s press office said on Wednesday.

Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrai Oyun-Erdene has been ordered to take all possible measures to overcome the difficulties in the livestock sector and provide all-round support to herders, the press office said in a statement.

As of Wednesday, a total of 508,039 heads of livestock had died, it said, adding that almost all provinces of the nomadic country have experienced harsh weather conditions this winter.

Mongolia is one of the world’s last surviving nomadic countries. The promotion of livestock husbandry is seen as the most viable solution to diversify the landlocked country’s mining-dependent economy.

According to the National Statistics Office, the number of livestock in Mongolia stood at 64.7 million at the end of 2023.

(Xinhua/NAN)