oohhh. Please feel free to elaborate on wildlife and cheronbyl.
So basically in the years following the reactor meltdown, the Chernobyl exclusion zone has become an unexpected haven for wildlife. There are now a lot of animals there: deer and foxes and the like, but also a lot of species that are really rare in other parts of Europe, like European bison. There are actually so many boar and wolves that they've started to spread into nearby areas.
A pair of Wolves. Note the houses behind them.
Wisent, or European bison. They're threatened or endangered in many areas.
There are quire a few dogs and cats still in the area, from pets who unfortunately got left behind. Dogs of Chernobyl is an offshoot of the organization Clean Futures Fund, which has been doing a lot to care for the animals, providing food and medication, and to my knowledge a few of the animals have been able to be adopted.
Thats' the reactor sarcophagus right behind him.
My favorite part is the fact that the Chernobyl exclusion zone is home to the only population of Przewalski's horses outside of Mongolia and China. They were introduced by a wildlife reserve in the late 90's in the hopes of improving biodiversity in the area. Przewalskis horses are the last truly wild horses (horses that have never been domesticated by humans) and they were extinct in the wild for most of the 20th century.
House for Horses
They've adapted pretty well to the zone, and they've even been seen using abandoned buildings as shelter!
As far as science goes, there's been some research into the ecology of the zone (a lot of it has been lost or put on hold now, due to the war). There's so much that we don't know about how the radiation effects the animals generation to generation, and how long term radiation exposure effects ecosystems as a whole. The radiation seems to be less of a danger than one might think, but there's a lot we don't fully understand.
As somebody who is studying conservation medicine in graduate school, this is something that really inspires me, and I would love to be involved with this kind of research and rewinding someday.
I tried to keep it short lol. Here's some good links if you'd like to read more. I can link scientific papers if anybody is interested too.
I'd also recommend following chornobyl_reserve on instagram: it's the official account of the Chernobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve, the reserve area of the zone. It's all in Ukrainian but they have stunning photos illustrating the diversity of the area.
The initial impact of the catastrophe on nature was important, but the exclusion zone has now become a natural reserve.
Three decades later, it’s not certain how radiation is affecting wildlife—but it’s clear that animals abound.
Many people think the area around the Chernobyl nuclear plant is a place of post-apocalyptic desolation. But more than 30 years after one of
And finally: right now, the animals and people in Chernobyl are in danger. If you're in a place to donate or provide assistance, this page has resources where you can help a number of reserves, protected areas and zoos during the war.
Get acquainted with the needs of Ukrainian protected areas, zoos, and animal protection organizations affected by the war. Maybe you can hel
