Chernobyl was the biggest and worst nuclear accident in the world. In 1986, the No. 4 reactor of the nuclear power plant exploded, leading to a massive nuclear meltdown. The radioactive core of the plant was exposed, which exposed radiation into the environment. The city was evacuated, and 30 people died of radiation poisoning, including 2 employees from the plant. As a result of the radiation exposure, there have been some 5000 thyroid cancers, including 15 fatalities, as a direct result of the Chernobyl disaster. 

We know that the radiation directly affected the people living near the power plant, but what about nature and wildlife? Believe it or not, the animals living in Chernobyl are still surviving in the dangerous environment. The radiation has had many effects on the animals’ lives, but many species are thriving. For example, according to Jim Beasley, the population of mammals has increased to more than it was before the nuclear meltdown. Bears, wolves, lynx, bison, deer, moose, beavers, foxes, badgers, wild boar, and racoon dogs have all thrived in the radioactive, human-free environment. 

Another example of an unlikely result of the meltdown is the comeback of the endangered horse species, Przewalski’s horses.