A livelihoods-based drought response in pastoralist areas could aim to protect key livestock assets and support rapid rebuilding of herds after drought. One aspect of developing such as response requires decision makers to understand the relative importance of different causes of livestock mortality during drought. For example, if most animals die from disease, then it makes sense to invest in veterinary care. However, not only is overall livestock mortality difficult to measure, until recently very little information was available on specific causes of livestock death during drought.