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Goats that died as result of a zud

A zud or dzud (Mongolian: зуд) is a Mongolian term for a severe winter in which large number of livestock die, primarily due to starvation due to being unable to graze, in other cases directly from the cold. There are various kinds of zuds, particularly a white zud, which is an extremely snowy winter in which livestock are unable to find foodstuff through the snow cover, hence starving.

The economy of Mongolia has long been heavily dependent on pastoral farming, and harsh zuds can cause economic crises and food security issues in the country.[1][2]

Description and mitigation[edit]

Locals differentiate between black, white, cold, and iron/ice zuds. The black zud (har zud) consists of a lack of snowfall combined with freezing temperatures, which causes drought. The white zud (tsagaan zud) is caused by very heavy snow fall, which makes it impossible for the livestock to feed on the otherwise accessible frozen grass, causing famine. The cold zud (khuiten zud) occurs when the temperature gets extremely low for consecutive days, so that animals must conserve body temperature instead of grazing freely. The iron zud (temur zud) is brought about by rain which freezes and covers the land in ice hindering the animals from feeding on grass or herbs. Some also refer to a storm zud (shuurgan zud), in which snowstorms of high winds and drifts are dangerous for herds.



Extent and history[edit]


In winter 2009–2010 80% of the country's territory was covered with a snow blanket of 200–600mm.[5] In the Uvs aimag, extreme cold (night temperature of −48°C / −54°F) remained for almost 50 days.[6] 9,000 families lost their entire herds while a further 33,000 suffered 50% loss.[7] The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light Industry reported 2,127,393 head of livestock were lost as of February 9, 2010 (188,270 horse, cattle, camel and 1,939,123 goat and sheep).[5] The agriculture ministry predicted that livestock losses might reach 4 million before the end of winter.[8] But by May 2010, the United Nations reported that eight million, or about 17% of the country's entire livestock, had died.[1]


  1. ^ a b Jacobs, Andrew (May 19, 2010). "Winter Leaves Mongolians a Harvest of Carcasses". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 June 2011. 
  2. ^ "Mongolia: The zud strikes again". The Economist. 2001-03-15. 
  4. ^ Olivier Mahul, Jerry Skees (March 2006). "Piloting Index-Based Livestock Insurance in Mongolia" (PDF). AccessFinance No.10. The World Bank Group. Retrieved 2010-02-14. 
  6. ^ "Ch. Khurelbaatar works in Uvs.". Montsame News Agency, Ulaanbaatar. 2010-02-12. Retrieved 2010-02-14. [dead link]
  7. ^ Branigan, Tania The Guardian 21 July 2010 Mongolia: Winter of white death