A The rugged landscape in Zaamarr, 350 kilometers west of Ulaanbataar is sown with so many holes that it may subside at any moment. There, overshadowed by big mining companies labour thousand of ninjas.Named after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles because of the green plastic pans they carry on their backs about 100,000 Mongolians have joined mining industry in the past five years. Many lost their jobs during the country's transition from Communism and initially became traditional herders....
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A The rugged landscape in Zaamarr, 350 kilometers west of Ulaanbataar is sown with so many holes that it may subside at any moment. There, overshadowed by big mining companies labour thousand of ninjas.Named after the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles because of the green plastic pans they carry on their backs about 100,000 Mongolians have joined mining industry in the past five years. Many lost their jobs during the country's transition from Communism and initially became traditional herders. But two devastating winters, known as dzuds, wiped out a third of Mongolia's livestock in 2001 and 2002, and thousands of families joined the gold rush, scouring sites rejected by large mining companies for quartz or crumbs of gold. Ninjas earn between 5$ and 10$ a day, often more than teachers, doctors and government officials.
El agreste paisaje de Zaamar, situado a unos 350 kilómetros al oeste de Ulaanbataar, está sembrado de tantos agujeros que podría hundirse en cualquier momento. Allí, a la sombra de grandes compañías mineras trabajan miles de ninjas, llamados así por la batea de plástico verde que llevan en la espalda y que recuerda a las Tortugas Ninja. En los últimos cinco años alrededor de 100.000 mongoles han decidido aventurarse en las profundidades de la tierra para extraer cuarzo y, especialmente oro. Muchos de ellos perdieron sus empleos durante la transición que siguió a la caída del comunismo e inicialmente se hicieron pastores nómadas. Sin embargo dos inviernos especialmente duros-los temidos dzuds- fulminaron la tercera parte de la ganadería mongola entre 2001 y 2002 y miles de familias emprendieron la carrera del oro, explotando yacimientos desechados por las grandes compañías. Los ninja ganan entre 5 y 10 dólares por día, un salario a menudo superior al de profesores médicos e incluso funcionarios del gobierno.
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