ULAN BATOR, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia is preparing to implement emergency measures, including setting up feeding stations, to support wildlife in areas of Dornod Province in the country's east affected by a massive steppe fire, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Tsend Sandag-Ochir said Friday.
"About 30 percent of the Numrug Strictly Protected Area was spared by the fire. Surveys have found that wildlife is concentrated in this unaffected section. As an initial measure, we will prepare 25,000 to 30,000 bales of hay for wild animals," Sandag-Ochir said.
The fire broke out on Oct. 8 in the core zone of the Numrug Strictly Protected Area in Dornod Province and was fully extinguished on Oct. 16. Preliminary investigations suggest that it may have been sparked by a convoy operated by Mobicom, a Mongolian telecommunications company with Japanese investment.
The Numrug Strictly Protected Area is one of eastern Mongolia's best-preserved natural ecosystems and provides habitat for a wide range of wildlife, including rare and endangered species.
According to the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, the fire scorched approximately 530,000 hectares of land, including around 470,000 hectares within the protected area, accounting for more than 70 percent of the reserve's total area. ■