COW SKULL STANDS ON POST ON BED OF DRIED OUT MEXICAN RESERVOIR, 1999-05-14 (photo)

A cow's skull stands on the top of a post on the lake bed of the dried out Batuc reservoir in Mexico's northern state of Sonora May 13. The scene would, under normal circumstances, be under several meters of water but now ranchers are using the lake bed as last resort pasture for their cattle. Sonora state, along with several other northern Mexican states is suffering a severe drought as rains have failed for five consecutive years leaving the state with sufficient water only for the next 25 days. Two states have requested the Interior Ministry declare a state of emergency, but the government says it must collect more data before making a decison. AW/ZDC