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60 Seconds on Earth: The butchers of Timbuktu (VIDEO)
Drought in Mali means meat sellers have to kill animals before they die.
Camel meat is the best there is, says one butcher in Mali.
Nick Loomis
TIMBUKTU, Mali — At an open-air desert market on the outskirts of Timbuktu, meat sellers are in a hurry: they have to kill their animals before they die. A meager rainy season, usually a time of relief, has brought drought and limited grazing land. Animals are dying and herders are further thinning out their flocks in preparation for harder times to come. Not even the hardy camels are spared.
"This year is different. Camels are more resilient than other animals, but we have slaughtered many this year," says Hamoudi Babi, a butcher who works at the market.
Drought in the Sahel affects more than animal populations. GlobalPost explored its security implications in Northern Mali last year as part of our in-depth series on climate change, “Calamity Calling.”