The scientists showed the first photographic evidence of that in the Chernobyl exclusion zone returned brown bears .
The images were obtained using camera traps installed in order to help understand how radiation exposure affects the lives of animals now near the nuclear power plant.
Brown Bears have not seen in this area for over a century, although from time to time there are signs of their possible presence.
The exclusion zone – the territory which has undergone intensive contaminated as a result of the Chernobyl accident.
“Our Ukrainian counterpart Sergei Gashchak established several camera traps to see what happens to the wildlife in the exclusion zone,” – says the project manager of Mike Wood Salford University.
It is in images taken with one of these cameras in October, can see the brown bear.
“Until this has been suggested that brown bears live in the area, however, To our knowledge, no one had not been able to obtain evidence of their presence, “- says Dr. Wood.
Animals in the exclusion zone
According to the theory researchers, animals were responding evacuation of people from Chernobyl, and hence the risks associated with them.
In addition, according to scientists, could change the habits of animals and because of the pollution.
The researchers come from the that the animals react to the environment in various ways. Different types of their preferences: many tend to be closer to the river, while others live in the woods.
Scientists are trying to figure out how to change the preferences of contamination in food and animal habitat.
Subsequently, several animals of the same species will establish collars with a GPS-signal
After the explosion in April 1986, which is considered the world’s largest nuclear power plant accident, more than 110,000 people were displaced from their homes beyond the 30-kilometer zone around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant .
In the following years this place has become the most important source of information for research on the effects of radioactive contamination.
The team Dr. Wood is studying how to “reduce uncertainty in risk assessment for human and animal related to radiation exposure, and remove unnecessary conservatism in the calculation of risk “.
photo-traps and collars with GPS
To get an idea of animals found in the exclusion zone, the team divided the investigated zone on three areas: high, medium and low pollution.
Before the accident in the current exclusion zone lived about 120 thousand people
In these areas have been established 84 cameras. Of them – 14 cameras constantly working in each area.
“Many areas in the exclusion zone is quite overgrown. If you do not remove the grass, for example, you will never see how past run rabbits or foxes” – says Dr. Wood.
Dr. Wood and a team of researchers will continue to work with photo-traps before the end of 2015.
“After we finished exploring what animals and how many are found in the exclusion zone, we will be able to choose one particular type of observation and proceed to the capture of animals. We will set collars with a GPS-signal on these animals, as well as measuring equipment so that we can track their movements on the exclusion zone during the year and also to measure the level of radiation “, – says the scientist.
Scientists hope that in this way will be able to check on the performance of its terrain models showing the effect of a given level of radiation contamination on living organisms.
Mark Kinver
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