What the word means
Dzud (also spelled zud) is the Mongolian word for a severe winter disaster in which conditions make it hard or impossible for livestock to find food, leading to widespread animal deaths. It is not just a cold winter. A normal Mongolian winter is already very cold and animals are used to it. A dzud is a winter in which the weather, the state of the pasture and the condition of the animals combine in a way that overwhelms the usual coping methods.
Because herding is the main source of income and food for many rural families, a dzud can threaten a household’s entire livelihood, and in the worst years it affects the national economy and drives people to leave herding.
The kinds of dzud
Mongolians describe several types, and the same winter can include more than one. The common descriptions include:
- White dzud. Heavy snowfall that covers the grass so deeply that animals cannot reach it. Sheep and goats are especially vulnerable, since they graze close to the ground.
- Iron or ice dzud. Thaw followed by hard freeze forms a crust of ice over the pasture. Animals cannot break through, and may injure their legs or mouths trying.
- Black dzud. Little or no snow, so there is neither grass nor snow-melt water. Herds struggle for water, and the pasture may be poor because of earlier drought.
- Cold dzud. Extremely low temperatures that burn through animals’ energy, making it hard to maintain body heat even with adequate food.
- Combined dzud. Several of these together, which is often what makes a winter catastrophic.
A summer drought followed by a hard winter is a pattern frequently described as dangerous, because animals enter the winter thin and with less stored hay.
Why the harm is so large
Several features of Mongolian herding make dzud severe. Livestock mostly graze outside throughout the year rather than being housed and fed. Most families rely on natural pasture, and the amount of stored fodder, if any, is limited. Heavy losses can happen quickly, and recovery is slow, since herds take years to rebuild. Many families depend on one or two kinds of animals, so a bad winter can wipe out most of their savings.
Poor families with small herds are often the hardest hit, because they have fewer animals to spare and less capacity to buy fodder or move. A family that loses most of its animals may relocate to a town or to Ulaanbaatar, one factor in the growth of the ger districts.
Several widely remembered severe winters have occurred in recent decades, notably around the turn of the twenty-first century and again around 2009 to 2010. Reports describe losses in the millions of animals in those periods, though exact totals vary by source and should be treated as approximate.
How families cope
Herders have long used a range of practical strategies.
- Moving the herd. Short- or long-distance trips to areas with better pasture, known as otor, can save animals if the weather allows. This builds on the seasonal moves described in the article on camp moves, but is more urgent and costly.
- Winter shelters. Sheltered camp sites and animal shelters protect young and weak animals from wind and cold.
- Stored hay and fodder. Cutting and storing hay in summer, or buying fodder, can sustain animals through the worst weeks. Not all families have the means to do this.
- Choosing which animals to keep. In a hard year, herders may sell or slaughter some animals early to save the rest, and the five animals of the traditional herd differ in their resilience.
- Mutual help. Relatives and neighbors share fodder, labor, transport and sometimes animals, and these ties are a main safety net.
- Using knowledge. Experienced herders read weather and grass conditions, and plan accordingly.
Wider support and prevention
Governments, herder groups and aid organizations have developed supports of various kinds. These have included early warning systems based on weather and pasture data, emergency fodder and relief supply, and projects to help herders cut hay and build shelters. Some index-based livestock insurance schemes have been introduced in recent years, designed to pay out when livestock losses reach certain levels. How well each approach works, and how widely it reaches, differs by region and over time.
Questions about herd size, pasture management and community organization are part of the same discussion. Overgrazing in some areas can leave less grass at the start of winter, while herder cooperatives and clear pasture rights are often proposed as ways to improve preparation. Opinions vary, and the topics are debated in Mongolia.
Climate and the future
Researchers and herders alike point to the role of climate. Summer droughts and some winter extremes appear to be affecting grasslands, and climate change is expected to continue to alter conditions on the steppe grasslands. How this affects the frequency of dzud is a subject of ongoing study, and it is best not to treat any single forecast as certain.
For visitors
Most visitors travel in summer and will never see a dzud. If you travel in winter or spring, you may notice animal shelters, stacks of hay, and herders paying close attention to weather and animals. It is a topic Mongolians understand intimately, and they may speak about it with sadness or practicality. Treat it respectfully, do not ask intrusive questions about losses, and be aware that road and weather conditions in the Mongolian winter can change quickly. Check current conditions and official advice before winter travel, and consider the broader practical guidance for the season.