MSN
www.msn.com

On April 26, 1986, the infamous explosion at a Chernobyl nuclear power plant unleashed large amounts of radiation into the atmosphere, an event that contaminated wildlife across country lines. The radiation levels seen in animals as a result has decreased in recent years — with the exception of one animal: the wild boar.

  • @Jerb322
    2•9 months ago

    Is it something they eat or the way they eat that makes them more radioactive than other animals?

    • readbeanicecream
      OP
      3•9 months ago

      According to the article:

      Steinhauser said the wild boars probably ingested the cesium from contaminated deer truffle mushrooms, which they dig up and eat during the winter when corn and acorns on the ground are scarce. Cesium seeps through the soil and is absorbed by the mushrooms, as if it were a nutrient. This also explains why observations show radioactivity levels in wild boar are higher in the winter. (Interestingly, the deer do not fancy deer truffles so much despite the name.)