Almost 40 years have passed since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986. Despite the time that has passed, the effects on flora and fauna can still be clearly felt today. While some species have managed to “thrive” against a thousand odds, others have all but disappeared or in any case been severely affected by radiation, which is still very high in some areas. Wild boars, wolves, foxes, but also cows, sheep and domestic animals in general had to face unimaginable challenges. Radiation from the nuclear power plant has not only contaminated food and water, but also caused severe genetic mutations. Animals with a lower or higher number of limbs than normal, others with a slightly reduced brain compared to the period before the accident (-5 percent). Sometimes studies on animals that populated the exclusion zone have shown that the effects of the radiation were not visible, but greatly affected the lives of these animals. Barn swallows, for example, have a negative impact on fertility. Up to 40 percent of male swallows were sperm deficient. Overall, the number of bird species found in the contaminated area has declined by about 50 percent since 1986, as has the number of specimens of each species by 66 percent. And the situation would not be better for insects and spiders. Scientists estimate that the radiation is spreading across Europe. A few years ago, in Sweden, the first findings were made that a wild boar was hunted with a radiation exposure ten times higher than the safety norm. Shutterstock photos
Almost 40 years have passed since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986. Despite the time that has passed, the effects on flora and fauna can still be clearly felt today. While some species have managed to “thrive” against a thousand odds, others have all but disappeared or at least been severely affected by radiation, in some still very high altitude areas. Wild boars, wolves, foxes, but also cows, sheep and domestic animals in general had to face unimaginable challenges. Radiation from the nuclear power plant has not only contaminated food and water, but also caused severe genetic mutations. Animals with a lower or higher number of limbs than normal, others with a slightly reduced brain compared to the period before the accident (-5 percent). Sometimes studies on animals that populated the exclusion zone have shown that the effects of the radiation were not visible, but greatly affected the lives of these animals. Barn swallows, for example, have a negative impact on fertility. Up to 40 percent of male swallows were sperm deficient. Overall, the number of bird species found in the contaminated area has declined by about 50 percent since 1986, as has the number of specimens of each species by 66 percent. And the situation would not be better for insects and spiders. Scientists estimate that the radiation is spreading across Europe. A few years ago, in Sweden, the first findings were made that a wild boar was hunted with a radiation exposure ten times higher than the safety norm. Shutterstock photos
Almost 40 years have passed since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986. Despite the time that has passed, the effects on flora and fauna can still be clearly felt today. While some species have managed to “thrive” against a thousand odds, others have all but disappeared or at least been severely affected by radiation, in some still very high altitude areas. Wild boars, wolves, foxes, but also cows, sheep and domestic animals in general had to face unimaginable challenges. Radiation from the nuclear power plant has not only contaminated food and water, but also caused severe genetic mutations. Animals with a lower or higher number of limbs than normal, others with a slightly reduced brain compared to the period before the accident (-5 percent). Sometimes studies on animals that populated the exclusion zone have shown that the effects of the radiation were not visible, but greatly affected the lives of these animals. Barn swallows, for example, have a negative impact on fertility. Up to 40 percent of male swallows were sperm deficient. Overall, the number of bird species found in the contaminated area has declined by about 50 percent since 1986, as has the number of specimens of each species by 66 percent. And the situation would not be better for insects and spiders. Scientists estimate that the radiation is spreading across Europe. A few years ago, in Sweden, the first findings were made that a wild boar was hunted with a radiation exposure ten times higher than the safety norm. Shutterstock photos
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