Animals That Have Taken Refuge from Humans in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Recent research indicates that the number of animals in the Chernobyl area, which has been uninhabited for three decades due to the nuclear disaster, has shown a significant increase. Reuters reports, citing a team that recently conducted research in the Chernobyl area, that 'thanks to the absence of humans in the Chernobyl region, populations of animals such as reindeer, mountain goats, and wolves have increased dramatically, even surpassing levels seen before the Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster in 1986.' According to this report, the revival of environmental richness in this area clearly demonstrates the negative impact of humans on mammal populations. Jim Smith, an earth and environmental science expert at the University of Portsmouth in the UK, told Reuters that 'despite the worst nuclear disaster in the world, when humans left, wildlife in this area thrived. It is highly likely that the wildlife population in this area is even greater than it was before the nuclear disaster.' Previous studies conducted in the 4,200 square kilometer area around Chernobyl indicated a decrease in animal numbers following the nuclear disaster and the release of radioactive materials in the region. However, new research suggests a resurgence of environmental richness in this area. New studies show that the populations of sika deer, red deer, reindeer, and wild boar in this area are nearly four times that of unpolluted areas in Ukraine. The population of wolves is also seven times greater than in other normal areas. Jim Beasley from the University of Georgia in the USA also told Reuters that the revival and abundance of animals in an environment contaminated with radioactive emissions indicates that a wide range of wildlife can thrive once freed from the pressures of human society. The results of the research team, of which Mr. Beasley is also a director, have been published in the journal 'Current Biology,' and researchers say these results could also be applied to the environmental impact of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. A major earthquake and tsunami in 2011 led to the destruction of part of the Fukushima plant in Japan, which was accompanied by the leakage of radioactive materials.