Weatherlawyer wrote:
I'm not a big fan of alarmist news on scientific research as the PR and
even the theories or conclusions themselves are inevitably based on a
false premise.



After the April 26, 1986, accident at the Soviet plant, 4,000sq km of
land surrounding the Chernobyl plant was soaked with radiation. The
area was evacuated and closed to humans.

In the two decades since, nature has had an almost free rein over this
patch of land straddling the border between Ukraine and Belarus. The
results have been impressive.

Take the Przhevalski horse, believed to be the only true modern
descendant of the wild horse. In 1998, 17 of them were introduced to
the area.

Today, officials who accompany visitors to the zone say the steeds
number 80 to 90, and the area around Chernobyl is one of the few places
in the world where they roam free.

Almost unperturbed by man, the flora and fauna have developed with
virtually no human interference. About 350 "self-settlers" still live
inside the zone, but this mainly elderly group generally keeps to its
eight villages.

A visitor may see elk, fox, otter, beaver, wild boar, grey crane and
the endangered great spotted eagle all in one day. Regular visitors say
bears have been seen.

Perfect habitat

With so few people, the zone is the perfect habitat for endangered
species. The Chernobyl International Radioecology Laboratory has
recorded the presence of more than 400 animal species there, including
280 kinds of birds and 50 endangered species.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exer...6568574793.htm