Wildlife reappears in Chernobyl
The resurgence of wildlife in the Chernobyl exclusion zone, though great has more to do with the lack of humans, than the lack of negative effects of radiation. Tests by Robert Baker from the Texas Tech University, and others, have shown that like for like, wildlife levels are lower than similar areas without exposure to radiation.
The effects of radiation are great, but not as great as the effects of human activity: as Baker says: “Forty years post exposure, Hiroshima/Nagasaki survivors may have a slight elevation in some types of cancer. However, this increase is hundreds times lower than the typical effects of cigarette smoking.” (ibid).
Chernobyl ‘not a wildlife haven’, BBC
Wildlife defies Chernobyl radiation, BBC
