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A once-in-three decades snowstorm has brought between 0.85 and 1 meter thick of snowfall to the Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region earlier this week.

This heaviest snowfall in thirty years has caused difficulties with feeding the sheep herds apart from affecting local traffic.

In all, over 60,000 heads of sheep and horses are threatened by acute fodder shortage, while 425 heads of animals were already dead due to various reasons including snow collapsed sheep pens.

In response to this rare climatic abnormaity, local authorities have mobilized heavy-duty machineries to clear the snow to reconnect traffic. The first shipment of 775 tons of fodder has already reached snow-affected pastures.