Chernobyl’s Wild Oasis: Wildlife Thrives in the Human-Free Exclusion Zone

A camera-trap survey across 60,000 square kilometers in northern Ukraine finds higher wildlife occupancy and diversity in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and connected reserves, with species like Przewalski’s horse, moose, lynx, and deer most abundant there, suggesting reduced human activity and habitat connectivity boost large mammals; researchers note they did not assess radiation effects and access is limited by conflict; study published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B (2026).