While birds abound in the exclusion zone, they are examples of animals that still face problems from radiation exposure. Affected species include frogs, fish, crustaceans, and insect larvae. Aquatic organisms are contaminated and face ongoing genetic instability. Radionuclides in water have settled into the sediment in lakes. This is likely because the animals lay eggs in the top layer of soil, which contains high levels of radioactivity. Invertebrate populations (including bees, butterflies, spiders, grasshoppers, and dragonflies) in particular have diminished.

Not all animals fare well in the exclusion zone. Examples of animals seen within the zone include Przewalski's horses, wolves, badgers, swans, moose, elk, turtles, deer, foxes, beavers, boars, bison, mink, hares, otters, lynx, eagles, rodents, storks, bats, and owls. Ironically, the damaging effects of radiation inside the zone may be less than the threat posed by humans outside of it. The animals are radioactive because they eat radioactive food, so they may produce fewer young and bear mutated progeny. The exclusion zone is a sort of radioactive wildlife refuge. The Chernobyl exclusion zone is a mostly-off-limits area covering over 1,600 square miles around the accident. Since that time, plants and animals have rebounded and largely reclaimed the region. Scientists collect information about the animals by sampling radioactive dung and soil and watching animals using camera traps. The health and reproduction of animals near Chernobyl were diminished for at least the first six months following the accident. Moreover, understanding the effects of Chernobyl may help humanity react to other nuclear power plant accidents. It's crucial to study the effects of the disaster to help people understand the serious and long-lasting consequences of nuclear releases. After the first few years following the accident, scientists focused on studies of wild animals and pets that had been left behind, in order to learn about Chernobyl's impact.Īlthough the Chernobyl accident can't be compared to effects from a nuclear bomb because the isotopes released by the reactor differ from those produced by a nuclear weapon, both accidents and bombs cause mutations and cancer.

Most domestic animals have moved away from the accident, and those deformed farm animals that were born did not reproduce.

While few people live near Chernobyl now, animals living in the vicinity of the accident allow us to study the effects of radiation and gauge recovery from the disaster. The graphite moderator of reactor 4 was exposed to air and ignited, shooting plumes of radioactive fallout across what is now Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, and Europe. The 1986 Chernobyl accident resulted in one of the highest unintentional releases of radioactivity in history.

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