Earthwatch: A Diary of the Planet

Mongolian Winter Disaster

At least 36,000 herdsmen in the Hulun Buir Grassland region of Mongolia have been left isolated by severe snowstorms that have plagued the country. At least half a million head of livestock have been lost to the severe conditions, either by freezing to death or because they were unable to forage beneath the deep snowpack. More than 20,000 tons of feed for the livestock is being transported into the stricken region. Officials reported that 9,300 miles of snow-covered roads are being cleared in an attempt to transport the animals to safety.

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Wildfires

Expansive stretches of Guatemala’s Olintepueque and La Esperanza regions have been blackened by wildfires sparked by ongoing hot and dry weather. The country’s National Protected Areas Council told reporters that the blazes have destroyed the habitats of several species of birds and other animals.

New seasonal fires set by farmers clearing land for planting in Indonesia pose a threat to aviation and the health of residents throughout the region, according to the country’s Meteorology and Geophysics Agency. The weather office also warned that the illegal burns could interfere with cloud and rain formation. Massive wildfires in 1997 caused widespread respiratory problems throughout Southeast Asia.

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Texas Twisters

Two back-to-back tornadoes that tore through parts of Fort Worth and neighboring communities in Texas killed at least five people and caused widespread devastation. Many homes were demolished or severely damaged, and tall buildings in downtown Fort Worth had windows blown out when the twister made a direct hit. Tornado experts said early and precise warnings had kept the death toll low.

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Earthquakes

Residents of New Zealand’s North Island were awakened by a magnitude 5.7 earthquake that cracked roads near the city of Greytown. No injuries were reported.

Earth movements were also reported in far southern Japan, Taiwan, northwest China, northeast Iran, northwest Colombia, Trinidad, Southern California and the Sierra Nevada resort area of Mammoth Lakes.

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‘Dragons’ Rediscovered

A lizard believed to be extinct for 500 years has been discovered still living in the Canary Islands by Spanish scientists from La Laguna University in Tenerife. Six specimens of the huge Galliota gomerana were found on the inaccessible rocky cliffs in the southwestern area of La Gomera Island, near the coast of Morocco. For centuries, scientists have known the “miniature dragon” only by its fossilized remains. They believe that the domestic cat was responsible for its decline. Cats find the 1.5-foot-long reptile a delicacy worth seeking out in even the most remote crannies of the island’s cliffs. Biologist Juan Carlos Rando hopes to provide a favorable environment at the university for the giant lizards to reproduce and eventually return them to a protected habitat.

Distributed by L.A. Times Syndicate