CHERNOBYL — Wildlife in the Chernobyl exclusion zone exhibited altered behavior and reduced activity during the Russian military occupation in February and March 2022. Camera trap data analysis, published on June 18 in the journal Science, indicated these changes.

During Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, military vehicles, troop movements, and weapons fire were present in the exclusion zone. Researchers analyzed nearly 2,000 photographs and videos from camera traps that operated in the zone from 2020 to 2022. They compared footage from early 2022 with recordings from the same period in 2021.

The data demonstrated that mammals, including deer and horses, became less active and spent less time moving at night after the invasion. The camera traps recorded behavioral responses from 11 wild mammal species. Specifically, roe deer, red deer, moose, and red foxes showed decreased activity, particularly at night, during the occupation period compared to before the conflict. Russian forces no longer occupy the exclusion zone.

Svitlana Kudrenko, an assistant professor of ecology at Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg in Germany, was among the study's authors. "I wish the opportunity to analyze how the unfolding invasion affected wildlife had never happened," Kudrenko said in an email. "Unlike in preindustrial times, current interstate conflicts are highly detrimental for wildlife because of a long list of warfare, often operated remotely," she said.

The exclusion zone encompasses approximately 1,000 square miles around the site of the 1986 nuclear disaster. Following the reactor explosion in 1986, authorities evacuated the region and restricted most human activity. Wildlife populations increased in the exclusion zone over decades with minimal human activity. "Our study highlights the need to develop and implement research and conservation strategies focusing on armed conflict impacts on wildlife and environment in general, especially in areas of conservation importance," Kudrenko said.