Topic: Wildlife defies Chernobyl radiation

[Nemesis]

Link to full article

As humans were evacuated from the area 20 years ago, animals moved in. Existing populations multiplied and species not seen for decades, such as the lynx and eagle owl, began to return.

There are even tantalising footprints of a bear, an animal that has not trodden this part of Ukraine for centuries.

Now how about the nuclear testing zones?  How is wildlife doing there?

[Javora]

I wonder if you can easily spot these animals at night...     I thinking that these animals aren't too healthily, I'm thinking that some of these animals should be caught and tested to see how well they are fairing.

[Nemesis]

The populations of both predator and prey species are increasing, I would call that a sign of a healthy population.  They are being monitored (as indicated in the article) or the fact of the newly arrived species in the area and the increasing populations would be unknown.

There may be plutonium in the zone, but there is no herbicide or pesticide, no industry, no traffic, and marshlands are no longer being drained.

There is nothing to disturb the wild boar - said to have multiplied eightfold between 1986 and 1988 - except its similarly resurgent predator, the wolf.

Now it's typical for animals to be radioactive - too radioactive for humans to eat safely - but otherwise healthy.

Maybe Jurassic Park had it right:
Dr. Ian Malcolm: No, I'm simply saying that life, uh... finds a way.

From the article it appears that those exposed to weak to moderate radiation may have problems but the survivors give birth to more radiation resistant (or tolerant) offspring which do the same and evolve the ability to live healthy lives in an environment that killed many of the earlier generations.  It will be interesting to see if in another 20 years the mice that have evolved tolerance now for low levels of radiation  but can't handle the high level areas have evolved enough tolerance to handle the high level areas too.

I wonder how the mice (or equivalent for the location) are doing in the areas of the orignal bomb tests of 60 years ago?  Can they handle more intense radiation than the Chernobyl mice?  Is there a maximum tolerance that can be evolved?

[Sirgod]

Wasn't there a story the other day, of the first Residents moving back in to that area?

Stephen

[Javora]

The populations of both predator and prey species are increasing, I would call that a sign of a healthy population.  They are being monitored (as indicated in the article) or the fact of the newly arrived species in the area and the increasing populations would be unknown.

I wouldn't, not yet anyway.  That could just mean that the population is reproducing quicker than the radiation can kill them off.  What they need to look at is the life expectancy of the given animals verses the same animals living in a non-radiation infected areas.  Granted the article states that the animals are healthy but is that compaired to the non-radiation infected animals? 




Maybe Jurassic Park had it right:
Dr. Ian Malcolm: No, I'm simply saying that life, uh... finds a way.

From the article it appears that those exposed to weak to moderate radiation may have problems but the survivors give birth to more radiation resistant (or tolerant) offspring which do the same and evolve the ability to live healthy lives in an environment that killed many of the earlier generations.  It will be interesting to see if in another 20 years the mice that have evolved tolerance now for low levels of radiation  but can't handle the high level areas have evolved enough tolerance to handle the high level areas too.

I wonder how the mice (or equivalent for the location) are doing in the areas of the orignal bomb tests of 60 years ago?  Can they handle more intense radiation than the Chernobyl mice?  Is there a maximum tolerance that can be evolved?

Interesting question...  Although making the entire planet immune to radiation isn't exactly the way I'd want to make nukes irreverent.   

[Just plain old Punisher]

About 3,400 people live in the exclusion zone.