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8 Facts About the Animals of Chernobyl
Researchers thought the site of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster was unable to support
life. But a bunch of wolves, deer, wild boars, bears, and foxes disagree.
Mental Floss

Claudia Dimuro

ezgif.com-webp-to-jpg(74).jpg

Photo from iStock / Tijuana2014.

Three decades after the Chernobyl disaster—the world’s worst nuclear accident—signs
of life are returning to the exclusion zone. Wild animals in Chernobyl are
flourishing within the contaminated region; puppies roaming the area are capturing
the hearts of thousands. Tourists who have watched the critically acclaimed HBO
series Chernobyl are taking selfies with the ruins. Once thought to be forever
uninhabitable, the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone has become a haven for flora and fauna
that prove that life, as they say in Jurassic Park, finds a way.
1. The Animals of Chernobyl Survived Against All Odds

The effects of the radioactive explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on
April 26, 1986 devastated the environment. Around 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. Workers eventually bulldozed and buried the radioactive trees.
Squads of Soviet conscripts also were ordered to shoot any stray animals within the
1000-square-mile Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. 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.
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2. Bears and Wolves Outnumber Humans Around the Chernobyl Disaster Site

While humans are strictly prohibited from living in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone,
many other species have settled there. Brown bears, wolves, lynx, bison, deer,
moose, beavers, foxes, badgers, wild boar, raccoon dogs, and more than 200 species
of birds have formed their own ecosystem within the Chernobyl disaster area. Along
with the larger animals, a variety of amphibians, fish, worms, and bacteria makes
the unpopulated environment their home.
3. Most Chernobyl Animals Don’t Look Any Different From Their Non-Chernobyl
Counterparts
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Photo by Sean Gallup / Getty Images.

Tour guides tell visitors not to pet Chernobyl animals due to potential radioactive
particles in their fur, but some biologists have been surprised that the incidence
of physical mutations appears lower than the blast of radiation would have
suggested. There have been some oddities recorded within the area—such as partial
albinism among barn swallows—but researchers think that the serious mutations
mostly happened directly after the explosion. Today’s wild animals are sporting
their normal number of limbs and aren’t glowing.
4. Radiation May Have Killed off Chernobyl’s Insects

In contrast to the large carnivores and other big fauna, bugs and spiders have seen
a big drop in their numbers. A 2009 study in Biology Letters indicated that the
more radiation there was in certain locations around the Chernobyl disaster area,
the lower the population of invertebrates. A similar phenomenon occurred after the
2011 nuclear accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. Bird, cicada, and
butterfly populations decreased, while other animal populations were not affected.
5. Despite Looking Normal, Chernobyl's Animals and Plants Are Mutants

There may be no three-headed cows roaming around, but scientists have noted
significant genetic changes in organisms affected by the disaster. According to a
2001 study in Biological Conservation, Chernobyl-caused genetic mutations in plants
and animals increased by a factor of 20. Among breeding birds in the region, rare
species suffered disproportional effects from the explosion’s radiation compared to
common species. Further research is needed to understand how the increased
mutations affect species’ reproductive rates, population size, genetic diversity,
and other survival factors.
6. The Absence of Humans Is Returning Chernobyl to Wilderness

As WIRED points out, the Chernobyl disaster presents an unintended experiment in

what Earth would be like without humans. Hunting is strictly illegal and living
within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is not recommended. The fewer humans there are,
the more nature can re-establish itself unencumbered by human activity. 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. In fact, a few species are actually living
better within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone than outside of it. Wolves were found to
be seven times as abundant on the premises than in other, non-radioactive areas.
Moose, roe deer, red deer, and wild boar were found to have similar numbers within
the CEZ as compared to those in three uncontaminated nature reserves in Belarus.
7. An Endangered Wild Horse Is Making a Comeback Thanks to Chernobyl
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Photo by Patrick Pleul, AFP / Getty Images.

British ecologists Mike Wood and Nick Beresford, who specialize in studying the
effects of radiation on Chernobyl’s wildlife, observed that the Przewalski’s horse—
an endangered wild species that originated in Mongolia—is thriving within the CEZ.
In the late 1990s, about 30 Przewalski’s horses were released in the Ukrainian side
of the CEZ. Based on camera trap images, Wood estimated that some of the original
horses (identified by their brand markings) are still alive. Photos of juvenile
horses and foals also indicated that the population is expanding.
8. You Can Adopt a Chernobyl Puppy

Hundreds of pooches—the descendants of dogs abandoned by their owners during the

site’s evacuation on April 27, 1986—have made the desolate area their home. Until
2018, it was illegal to bring any animal out of the zone due to the risk of
radiation contamination. But now, puppies cleared of radiation are getting a chance
to find their forever homes. Spearheaded by the Clean Futures Fund and SPCA
International, the management and adoption program ensures that the stray dogs are
spayed, neutered, and vaccinated so they will be healthy and ready for adoption.

Claudia Dimuro has written across multiple websites in her day, diving into topics
from local bands to weird word origins. In her spare time she pushes photos of her
dog Max(imus Decimus Meridias) on people constantly.

How was it? Save stories you love and never lose them.
This post originally appeared on Mental Floss and was published June 20, 2019. This
article is republished here with permission.

Want more fun facts and fascinating stories?Visit Mental Floss

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