Ninja miner

[1] The miners are so named because the green bowls they use for panning, when carried on their backs, are said to resemble the shells of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

[3] The ninja mining process starts by a group of miners (up to four) digging a hole usually 10–15 feet (3.0–4.6 m) deep using iron stakes, or until reaching a depth with a high gold content.

[1] Ninja Mining is having an adverse effect on agriculture, as nomadic herders are having to move more frequently to find land for their livestock to graze on due to the increase in holes and the reduced amount of grass.

This combined with the northward expansion of the Gobi Desert is causing some herders to reduce their herd to focus on higher quality livestock, while others are giving up nomadism and moving setting up farms and cooperatives.

A feature-documentary Price of Gold [4] (Sven Zellner, Chingunjav Borkhuu; D 2012) ARTE - Dokumentarfilmpreis Duisburger Filmwoche[5] - HotDocs Toronto 2012, official selection World Showcase.