MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Heavy snow threatens the livelihood of animals in Argentine Patagonia

The snow covering the pastures is making it difficult for the animals to eat, Jamieson explained

Breeders in Argentine Patagonia went wild on social media after heavy snowfalls completely covered their animals placing around 1 million of them in danger of starving to death as the region goes through one of its coldest winters in the last decades. A video that went viral on social media shows the shooter walking through thick snow in the province of Chubut, with sheep fully under the snow except for their heads.

Under the present conditions, pastures were rendered unattainable, thus endangering cattle livelihood. The Argentine Rural Confederation (CRA) described the situation facing the sector as “dramatic.”

“The situation in Santa Cruz is very complex, the snowfall extends from north to south and from the central strip towards the west affecting 50% of the cattle and sheep 'stock', about 40,000 cattle and 1 million sheep,” said Enrique Jamieson, president of the Federation of Agricultural Institutions Santa Cruz and of the Rio Gallegos Rural Society.

“Cattle are being moved within the fields themselves to concentrate them in areas with less snow where they can be foraged or supplemented to the extent possible so that they are not covered by snow and it is easier to attend them,” he added.

“Every day that passes is more complicated,” Jamieson also told local media while explaining that between 40 and 60 centimeters of snow had fallen in some places.

“The issue is that there was some snowfall in April and May that froze which has generated like a layer of glass on which now 60 centimeters of snow has fallen, making it difficult for the animals to eat,” he elaborated.