D.Khuukhen, Distinguished Herder of Mongolia
Khanbogd soum, located in Umnugobi Province, is world famous for its two-humped camels and has 30% of the entire Mongolian camel population. The camel, known as Bactrian, is superbly adapted to life in the harsh Gobi Desert, withstanding the severe weather conditions. D. Khuukhen is one of several hundred herders raising Bactrian camels in the yellow dunes of the South Gobi.
Since 1959 he has herded the Bactrian, primarily focusing on the red camel variety specific to the Galba Gobi and has served as a great role model in the herder community. He has brought his experience and has added an invaluable contribution to improving the breed. For all of his hard work he has received the prestigious Province Champion Award three times. He is the owner of the Silver Bull Prize as well as nominations for “Herder with the Greatest Number of Camels” in 1992, 1993, and 1994. He even became a Merited Herder of Mongolia on the eve of the year of the Dragon. He has provided 20 different households with camel herds and passed along his knowledge to support the sustainability of the livestock.
Oyu Tolgoi LLC aims to help herders located in the South Gobi in various ways and promote the traditional nomadic culture. One such support is the Pasture Management Project which was started in 2011. This project encourages the local herders to get organized as a cooperative to solve rangeland and water issues in the region. D. Khuukhen plays a vital role in this cooperative and generously shares his knowledge with fellow herders and has made key suggestions about native pasture land use and rotational grazing methods.
Water is of the utmost importance in the Gobi. Therefore, as a cooperative, herders can restore their wells and improve the use of pastureland. They can also start their own businesses to generate income. Our camel herder D. Khuukhen is proud of the progress in Khanbogd soum and offers his opinion about further improvements “fixing the wells was the most important thing here. Such helpful measures had not been done for years. For example, the Khargana well has been broken since the Seventies, only last year it was repaired. This well can now be used for our precipitation reserve tank. As herders, water reserves are what we need in the Gobi.”
The countryside, famous for its unique camel herds, surrounds Oyu Tolgoi, the world’s largest copper and gold deposit mining project which is currently at its construction peak. Rio Tinto, the projects primary investor, values and supports the distinctness of the nomadic lifestyle and local cultural heritage.
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