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| partial albinism (R) caused by exposure |
BBC has posted a
video and article about the wildlife still living in the exclusion zone 25 years after what was the largest nuclear disaster in history. Biologists surveying the zone for twelve years have found that radioactive contamination has impacted wildlife by reducing diversity and causing deformities from gnarled pine trees to reduced sperm counts and
smaller brains in birds. The findings coming out of the exclusion zone are not without controversy among scientists. Some think the lack of human activity for twenty-five years has allowed
wildlife to thrive in the area, and whether radiation has damaged it remains an
open question. A large part of zone within Belarus has officially been turned into a nature reserve. Unquestionably wild creatures have re-inhabited land once occupied by humans. Large herbivores like elk, boar and deer have increased noticeably. Since they wander over a wide area, they are not restricted to living in a radiation hot spot. Next stop for biologists studying the affects of radiation on wildlife: Fukushima.
