Radioactive Wolves

        On April 26, 1986, Chernobyl's nuclear power plant suffered a meltdown where many died and many more suffered. This disaster left the area abandoned of all human kind and unfit for human habitation. But because humans are able to live in the area, does that mean that animals of different species are not able to either? The radioactive waste was able to contaminate the soil in the area allowing it also be in the plants and trees, maybe even into the bones and organs of the wildlife who has made this, what people would of thought as a desert, a wilderness.

         This area has become what scientists believe to be the home of the biggest pack of grey wolves in the world. But to make sure of this they decided to run some experiments and to also figure out if the area is safe or a harm to these wonderful animals. They are able to check the diet of the wolves by checking the radiation levels on the bones of the animals that they feed off of. They find out that it is fifty times the normal radiation level in the bones. After seeing this they decide to set a trap to catch one of the wolves so they can monitor and record its movements. Ten days later they caught a wolf. Being the top predator of Trinoble, they become a great specimen to learn about the radioactive activity. Do they migrate to this area and die here because of the radiation? Or were they born here because there were no humans to hunt them. Could it be that the conditions are better in the zone then outside it? And if the population is expanding are the radioactive wolves seeking territories outside the zone? These are only a few questions that the scientists in these areas are trying to figure out. But one of the big questions to start of with is how many wolves live in the abandoned area and where do they travel too. To find out these questions the scientists decided to place a radio collar on the trapped wolf to keep record of his movements. The wolf is named Boy, which means fight in Russian.

        Wolves use to be hunted, the alpha female in particular. This would affect the genetic health and age structure of the entire population. But the biggest enemy of the wolves in Trinoble was not the hunt but was the deforestation and drainage of the area back in the 1920's. Canals were made everywhere. Workers came to work on the new collective farms. Being able to increase food production was the biggest concern for the people of the Soviet Union. From the 1920's ti the disaster in 1986 the land was anything but a wilderness, it was apart of the Soviet Union's bread basket. Today the land outside the zone looks the same, canals and wheat fields stretching to the horizon. But inside the zone the canals and wheat fields have become forests, which have become flooded because of the beaver population. The beavers are native to the area and had a lot of obstacles with the farms but because these farms no longer exists, they are able to reappear working day and night building and repairing the dams. 

       To continue with the wolf research, another scientist decides to find a litter of wolf pups outside the zone to take some hair samples to compare to the ones inside the zone. They discover that inside the zone is actually a perfect area for them. They are able to live in the abandoned area in peace. The empty buildings also become great shelter for the packs in harsh weather. When the wolves feed on there prey, the leftovers are definitely not wasted. Other species such as the raven and the white tailed eagle feed on them as well.
        In the areas of the radioactive activity the scientists would performed a 6 year study with door mice. Four to six percent of each generation living in the contaminated area show slight abnormality. This is twice the rate of clean areas which is not acceptable for the human race. But overall the population of the door mice seemed healthy. They even realized that the density and reproduction rates are better than in the controlled areas. The scientists think, if this is happening with the door mice, maybe the results would be the same with the radioactive wolves.
         Each September one of the scientists calls out to the wolves to check their population in the area. After all the studies, they found out that the wolf population in the zone seems to be the same as in a clean area. No more, no less.
        The funny thing is, who would of ever thought that the worlds biggest nuclear disaster, would later become a unique refuge for endangered species. Finally the grey wolf can live in peace.
       

        I thought that the video was very interesting. It is absolutely amazing to me that animals would be able to live in those type of conditions. I would of thought that anything that would live or be born in that kind of area to have some type of deformity or not be able to survive. I'm glad that the scientists care that much about the species. Some people would not care as much and one day the species might become extinct, but because of all the studies they realize that the area is actually not as dangerous to the animals as they thought. The area is now a safe and peaceful place for the grey wolf breed to live.


Source - http://video.pbs.org/video/2157025070/
            - Video: Radioactive Wolves | Watch Nature Online | PBS Video