Chernobyl and its Creatures

A roe deer stands in a forest in the state radiation ecology reserve in the 30 km (19 miles) exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear reactor near the village of Babchin, some 370 km (230 miles) southeast of Minsk, March 18, 2011. Still inhospitable to humans, the Chernobyl "exclusion zone" -- a contaminated 30-km radius around the site of the nuclear reactor explosion of April 26, 1986 -- is now a nature reserve and teems with different wild animals. 

During April Earth Month we have the opportunity to celebrate the wonder of the natural world, and to be contrite over the ways humanity defiles what Christians describe as Creation. 

One of the most horrifying examples during my lifetime was the semi-meltdown at the Chernobyl nuclear plant, a facility in Russian occupied Ukraine. Because of human error and general incompetence the plant spewed a radioactive cloud that the rest of the world only found about because the usual prevailing winds were reversed for a couple of days sending the toxins toward Scandinavia. Soon an exclusion zone was set up around Chernobyl that resulted in hundreds of thousands of displaced people and the creation of ghost towns which will never be repopulated.

After residents were evacuated following the Chernobyl disaster, the forest began to take over the town of Pripyat in modern-day Ukraine (Credit: Getty Images)

 It's hard for me to believe that this past weekend marked the fortieth anniversary of this catastrophic event. There have been a number of articles and reports about the resurgence of wildlife in the exclusion zone despite the radioactivity. Among these creatures are elk, wolf, roe deer, fox, wild boar, weasel, lynx, pine marten, bear, raccoon dog, mink, ermine, stone marten, polecat, and hare. Wild horses have been reintroduced to the region as well. 

There are more wild animals now that before the disaster. While the radiation is not good for the critters and may cause serious genetic damage it would seem that the presence of humans is worse.  We wouldn't want to consider the exclusion zone as a sort of Noah's ark, a lot of animals have thrived without people. God help us all if the pointless war in Ukraine damages the concrete-entombed reactor. 

I'll note that while humans are still prohibited from entering the zone except for researchers, there were some who returned. They were known as the Babushkas of Chernobyl, elderly women who returned to their rural homes to carry on life, growing gardens, fishing, and generally fending for themselves. Authorities allowed them to stay and even supported them in a limited way, probably because they were already old. Most of them are gone now but they actually seemed to thrive as well for the years remaining to them.

I rewatched award-winning The Babushkas of Chernobyl documentary from 2015 and it is lovely. One scene I'd forgotten shows a number of the women coming together at Easter for a simple feast. At the table they raise glasses of vodka and moonshine and declare "Christ is Risen." He is risen indeed, and we can pray for the resurrection of all Creation.