The Mongolian Gold Rush Has Pitted 'Ninja' Miners Against Some Of The Biggest Companies In The World
Unemployed herdsmen are among those who have turned to gold mining in an effort to eke out a living. And soaring demand for gold from neighboring China has got many locals thinking they could make a fortune.
These miners, referred to as ninja miners because they often work at night, and because they carry green pans that resemble the shells of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, dig with the most rudimentary tools. They also aren't given a license because the government says they destroy the environment.
Some 100,000 people are said to work in the unregulated mines and earn as little as $8 a day, according to the BBC.
Ninja miners are constantly shoved onto smaller pieces of land by mining giants. Most recently locals have been protesting Oyu Tolgoi, a copper-and-gold mine that is the biggest foreign-investment project in the country.