After a unusually dry summer, which resulted in herders across Mongolia not having enough fodder for their livestock this winter, the authorities are worried that freezing temperatures will kill hundreds of thousands of weakened animals. In anticipation of the worst possible scenario, food, fuel and insulation materials are being distributed among the neediest families.

The government is expecting a zud (a word meaning severe winter conditions when livestock perishes) in eleven provinces of Mongolia; in many places, as the temperate plunges below -30 deg C, the situation is already critical. The authorities are planning to stockpile hay and fodder in the Bayantsagaan Soum (district) of Bayankhongor Province, the Arvaikheer Soum of Uvurkhangai Province and the Tudevtei Soum of Zavkhan Province. Nearly 80 percent of country was hit by the drought earlier in the year; now, 60 percent of the country is covered with ice and snow.