This is the spoopy content you need on your dash
This is so precious I can’t even…
Everybody loves pumpkin enrichment!
These are great items because they’re fun for the herbivores to each, the carnivores to tear apart, and everybody to roll and throw around. They’re tactile, olfactory, and edible enrichment all in one!
I believe they’re acceptable on-exhibit enrichment for naturalistic facilities like Brookfield in Chicago, too.
Animal Facts You Didn’t Know
“Ice Bear desperately needs this job in todays economy”
“Ice Bear is ready.”
“Ice Bear has put a lot of work into his CV”
npr:
On April 26, 1986, a power surge caused an explosion at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant near Pripyat, Ukraine. A large quantity of radioactive material was released.
On May 2, 1986, the Soviet government established a “Zone of Alienation” or “Exclusion Zone” around Chernobyl – a thousand square miles of “radioactive wasteland.” All humans were evacuated. The town of Pripyat was completely abandoned.
But the animals didn’t leave. And a new study, published this month in Current Biology, suggests they are doing fine. “None of our three hypotheses postulating radiation damage to large mammal populations at Chernobyl were supported by the empirical evidence,” says Jim Beasley, one of the researchers.
In fact, some of the populations have grown. These photos (mostly taken by Valeriy Yurko) come from the Belarusian side of the Exclusion Zone, and area called the Polessye State Radioecological Reserve. Kingfisher, elk, boar, baby spotted eagles, wild ponies, moose, rabbits, and wolves all make their home in the park. In some ways, human presence is worse for wildlife than a nuclear disaster.
Image credits:
- 1986 Chernobyl - ZUFAROV/AFP/Getty Images
- Wildlife photos - Valeriy Yurko/Polessye State Radioecological Reserve
- Ponies in winter - SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images
An interesting look at how wildlife has returned to a place humans have abandoned. -Emily
