In this ETV Classic, we find NatureScene naturalist Rudy Mancke and host, Jim Welch, traveling to Chernobyl, Ukraine in May 2003 to revisit the scene of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. The pair walks on the main boulevard in the historic old city, which had to be evacuated due to the radiation expelled during the accident at the nuclear power plant, and Rudy gives a proper tour of the area, as only he can.
There is a sense of hopefulness, as they notice horse chestnut trees, Norway maple, black poplars, cottonwood, American maple, false acacia, black locust, and the yellow flowered celandine. It was noted that there are 350 species of birds in Ukraine, and the sounds of birds in the area were intermixed with the sounds of trucks moving up and down the boulevard. Rudy identified a chaff finch, white wagtail, male cuckoo, and thrush nightingale, among others.
The pair visit the monument erected to honor the men who lost their lives as they fought the fire when the reactor melted down in 1986, making their way to nuclear reactor number four, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster. Still containing nuclear fuel, the complex has a sarcophagus of concrete surrounding the plant to contain the radiation. Despite what had transpired in the area, Rudy noted that underneath a nearby overhang, insect-eating house martins were busy making nests.
Standing atop what once was a beautiful hotel, Allen Sharpe's camera captured a view of the now empty city of 50,000 people. Hospitals, homes, schools, and businesses now empty are being overtaken as nature takes over. Rudy continues his nature walks, noting poplar, willow, and aspen trees. He finds a water snake and sand lizard, hazelnut trees and so much more. Moving from the exclusion zone, Rudy and Jim walk through areas where some residents have returned despite the ongoing levels of radioactivity.
We are proud to present this compelling treasure from the ETV Tape Vault to you. View the Chernobyl Collection, and visit the NatureScene Originals Collection.
Side Notes
- Remembering Rudy Mancke with NatureScene Originals.
- Rudy Mancke | S.C. Hall of Fame
- 10 K Zone explained. Damage Zones after a Nuclear Detonation: Idealized Maps.
- Nuclear Exclusion Zone - The Chernobyl accident occurred on April 25–26, 1986, at the nuclear power station in Pryp’yat, Soviet Union (now in Ukraine), some 65 miles (104 km) north of Kiev. Uncooled control rods in a reactor core created a chain reaction that blew off the heavy steel and concrete lid of the reactor, which, along with the resulting fire in the graphite reactor core, released large amounts of radioactive material into the atmosphere. Millions of acres of nearby forest and farmland were scorched by radioactive fallout. The disaster, which released more radiation than the combined load of the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killed as many as 49 people outright, and dozens of others later developed radiation sickness. More than 300,000 people were eventually evacuated from Pryp’yat and the surrounding area, yet hundreds of thousands more remained in nearby contaminated areas. Following the disaster, the Soviet Union placed a circle-shaped exclusion zone with an 18-mile (about 30-km) radius around the plant. The total area of the zone was about 1,017 square miles (2,634 square km), which was later expanded to 1,600 square miles (4,143 square km) to include additional areas that were later found to be heavily radiated. While no people actually live in the exclusion zone, scientists and others can file for permits that allow them to enter for limited amounts of time.
