Bulls and cows from Chernobyl began to behave like wild animals

In April 1986, at the Chernobyl nuclear power plantviolent explosion, during which the environment was contaminated with radioactive substances. Local residents within a radius of several kilometers were evacuated and thousands of domestic animals were left without their owners. At the moment, there are almost no people on the territory of the Chernobyl exclusion zone, but animals are running around the deserted places. Some of them are descendants of bulls and cows that were left unattended at the end of the 20th century. During the filming of a documentary about a protected area, people noticed that once pets began to behave like wild animals. While ordinary livestock graze in the meadows without observing special rules, Chernobyl bulls and cows began to form tight-knit flocks, where each individual has its own role. Thanks to this, they can not be afraid of attacks from predators, even wolves.

Wild animals of Chernobyl

Chernobyl animals

The unusual behavior of animals was described inFacebook by employees of the Radiation-Ecological Biosphere Reserve. A herd of feral bulls and cows, in addition to the film crew, was previously noticed by scientists. Moreover, researchers have been observing animals for three years. The herd consists of the surviving animals and their descendants. It is believed that their owners lived in the village of Lubyanka, but were either evacuated or died. And this is not the only herd of wild animals, because almost 35 years ago, researchers noticed feral animals that once lived in the village of Chistogalivka.

Cows and bulls from the Lubyanka village

The herd of wild cows of interest to scientists livesin the western part of the exclusion zone, near the Ilya river. During observations, it was noticed that they behave exactly like their wild ancestors - the turs. This is the name of the progenitors of modern cattle. The last individual of the rounds died in 1627, on the territory of Poland. The reason for the extinction of tours is considered to be regular hunting and human activities. These muscular creatures weighed 800 kilograms each and had large horns. Throughout history, scientists have tried to revive these cows, including during the time of Nazi Germany. After the fall of the Hitlerite regime, all "Nazi cows" were destroyed.

Extinct tours looked something like this

Read also: The Boston Dynamics robot visited Chernobyl. But for what?

Feral bulls and cows

Unlike domestic bulls and cows, feralindividuals act very harmoniously and observe special rules within the herd. She has a main bull who has earned his status thanks to his physical strength. He makes sure that the calves are kept strictly between the adult bulls and cows so that predators do not get to them. Young males are not driven out of the herd, because they can resist enemies only by joint efforts. But the main bull may well drive out the other male if he tries to take away the status of the leader from him.

Another photo of feral bulls and cows

Despite the strongfrosts, bulls and cows are doing well. Apparently, over the years they have become accustomed to living in the wild. Almost all members of the pack appear to be completely healthy. Problems were noticed only in the leading male - his right eye was damaged. Most likely, he was injured while protecting the herd from predators or in a battle with another male. Approximately the same way their ancestors lived, that is, if necessary, wild instincts can be revived in domestic animals.

Tour as seen by the artist

It is important to note that wild bulls and cows inChernobyls are doing very important work. They eat the remains of annual plants, and in significant quantities. At the same time, they weed the soil in the forests with their hooves, and saturate them with nutritious things. Thanks to this, the forests regain their former appearance. We can only hope that everything will be all right with the feral animals. It calms the moment that the exclusion zone is constantly under supervision and scientists regularly monitor the condition of the animals.

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There are many articles on our site aboutChernobyl nuclear power plant, especially a lot of them came out after the HBO series "Chernobyl". One of the most unusual materials on this topic, I consider the news about the ATOMIK vodka, which is made from Chernobyl water and radioactive ingredients. A high concentration of strontium-90 was found in the samples of rye used to make vodka. How dangerous do you think this drink is? Look for the answer at this link.