Winter Dzud in Mongolia 2024-2025
Can you imagine the wild Siberian beauty of winter transforming into an animal cemetery?—Sad, but true, indeed
Best time: November–March
Only the strongest survive the brutal Siberian winters of Mongolia when food is scarce and hardly obtainable under the thick layers of snow and ice. Mass starving is called "dzud." One can differentiate between three types of this ill-fated phenomenon. In winter, white dzud happens owing to the extremely heavy snowfalls concealing any available food. Black dzud occurs already after unfortunate summers when poor animals are not able to find enough supplies already in the warmer season. Finally, Iron dzud takes place when the food is unavailable due to ice cover due to rains that immediately freeze. So, do not fear when you come across a field of dead wildlife or livestock between the months of November to March. Such dismal scenery has become a common thing to observe.
