Gobi Desert – Mongolia
Grazing Goats
I chose this photo this week in order to bring more visibility to the current state of emergency in Mongolia. There are a lot of weather disasters happening around the globe right now, and Mongolia is no exception. The extreme cold weather has been the cause of death to 1.7 million heads of livestock. Herding in Mongolia is the main way of life. In a country where life is already difficult, this blow is crippling. Livestock is the main source of food and business for most of the 2.6 million Mongolians.
Some herders have lost more 50% of their livestock. This saddens me greatly because I stayed with herder families in the Gobi Desert, learning their way of life was a highlight to me. My interaction with these families made my trip to Mongolia a moving experience for me.
Hopefully as the summer months arrive, the Gobi will be a scene like this photo once again. Teeming with life and color, and never-ending landscape.
Sherry Ott is a refugee from corporate IT who is now a long term traveler, blogger, and photographer. She’s a co-founder of Briefcasetobackpack.com, a website offering career break travel inspiration and advice.
Additionally, she runs an around the world travel blog writing about her travel and expat adventures at Ottsworld.com.com.
