ULAN BATOR, April 1 (Xinhua) -- Under harsh weather conditions, more farm animals are expected to die in Mongolia, the country's National Emergency Management Agency said Monday.
At least 5.9 million farm animals, or 9.2 percent of Mongolia's livestock, have died due to extreme wintry weather known as "dzud" so far this winter.
The Mongolian term dzud is used to describe a severely cold winter when many livestock die because the ground is frozen or covered in snow.
"Last summer, over 40 percent of Mongolia's total land had not seen a good summer. Also, almost all provinces of the country had experienced the dzud," the emergency agency said.
The promotion of livestock husbandry is seen as the most viable way to diversify the landlocked country's mining-dependent economy. ■
