Nature thrives in Chernobyl, site of worst nuclear disaster

Some 30 years after the world's worst nuclear accident blasted radiation across Chernobyl, the site has evolved from a disaster zone into a nature reserve, teeming with elk, deer and wolves, scientists said on Monday, reports Reuters.

"When humans are removed, nature flourishes - even in the wake of the world's worst nuclear accident," said Jim Smith, a specialist in earth and environmental sciences at Britain's University of Portsmouth. "It's very likely that wildlife numbers at Chernobyl are now much higher than they were before the accident." The results may also hold lessons for understanding the potential long-term impact on wildlife of the more recent Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan, the researchers said.