Whether Przewalski horses-also called Takhi-can truly be called a wild species or subspecies is actually a matter of some debate. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute called Przewalski’s horses “the last truly wild horse.” Other species sometimes referred to as wild, like the kind you might find on the United States’ Assateague Island National Seashore, are properly classified as feral domestic horses-they descend from horses that escaped domestication. An endangered wild horse is making a comeback thanks to Chernobyl.Ī Przewalski horse in Eastern Germany. Beasley pegged the population density of the Chernobyl wolves as significantly higher than that found in America’s Yellowstone National Park. The biologist told National Geographic that “humans have been removed from the system and this greatly overshadows any of those potential radiation effects.” 4. Wolves, in particular, may benefit from their propensity to travel great distances, giving them the opportunity to dilute the amount of radiation consumed during hunting. Along with the larger animals, a variety of amphibians, fish, worms, and bacteria make the unpopulated environment their home.Ī constant dose of low-level radiation obviously isn’t beneficial, but it may be the case-for some animals, at least-that it isn’t deleterious enough to outweigh the pre-disaster impact of human beings encroaching on habitats and actively hunting wildlife. Bears, wolves, lynx, bison, deer, moose, beavers, foxes, badgers, wild boar, and raccoon dogs are just some of the species that have seemed to find a happy home in the radioactive area. Sean Gallup/GettyImagesĪccording to biologist Jim Beasley, the population of large mammals in the exclusion zone has surpassed the numbers found before the near-meltdown. Bears and wolves outnumber humans around the Chernobyl disaster site.Ī beaver swims in a former cooling water pond inside the exclusion zone. In fact, a few species are actually living better within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone than outside of it. According to The Guardian, an official nature reserve recently created on the Belorussian side of the zone claims to be “Europe’s largest experiment in rewilding,” where animals are losing their fear of humans. The fewer humans there are, the more nature can re-establish itself unencumbered by human activity. Hunting is strictly illegal and living within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is not recommended. The absence of humans is returning Chernobyl to wilderness.Īs WIRED points out, the Chernobyl disaster presents an unintended experiment in what Earth would be like without humans. Though experts today believe parts of the zone will remain unsafe for humans for another 20,000 years, numerous animal and plant species not only survived, but thrived. Squads of Soviet conscripts also were ordered to shoot any stray animals within the 1000-square-mile Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Workers eventually bulldozed and buried the radioactive trees. The disaster devastated the environment: The total amount of radioactive material eventually released was hundreds of times higher than seen in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.Īround the plant and in the nearby city of Pripyat in Ukraine, the Chernobyl disaster’s radiation caused the leaves of thousands of trees to turn a rust color, giving a new name to the surrounding woods: the Red Forest. The animals of Chernobyl survived against all odds.Ī faulty design and improperly trained workers are two of the precipitating factors that led to an explosion in Reactor 4 of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on April 26, 1986. There are humans in the Exclusion Zone as well.ġ. Voles demonstrate a number of concerning trends … but that might not show up how you expect. Radiation may have killed off Chernobyl’s insects. An endangered wild horse is making a comeback thanks to Chernobyl. Bears and wolves outnumber humans around the Chernobyl disaster site.
The absence of humans is returning Chernobyl to wilderness. The animals of Chernobyl survived against all odds.
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