There may not be a purer example of Dr. Ian Malcolm’s statement about life finding a way than the developments that have taken place at Chernobyl in the time since the nuclear meltdown. Evacuated, abandoned, and at least partially forgotten by the 400,000 people who were permanently displaced by the disaster, the radioactive land has given way to an informal natural preserve untouched but guarded by man. At the outset of Radioactive Wolves, a number of scientists set out to study the effects of radiation poisoning on the flora and fauna, and lead to surprising conclusions about how life has not only survived, but flourished.
Rumors began soon after the meltdown of wolves converging upon the scene of the accident, creating new packs out of the reach of farmers, who had ruthlessly hunted them for generations prior. Though exposed to toxic levels of nuclear fallout, the wolves are able to thrive outside of man’s jurisdiction. They are not the only ones either; beavers and wild horses, also diminished from deforestation, return to level populations, and make full use of the land returning to its natural state. Working for only hours at a time, scientists paint an encouraging portrait of a landscape in recovery, one in which mankind, despite its catastrophes can function harmoniously with nature.
The premise is fascinating, and the methods used by the scientists to track wolves are covered in depth without lapsing into dry semantics. But the center-piece, as with many Nature specials, is the photography, and Radioactive Wolves has a more intriguing subject than many. The expanse of the wilderness is impressive enough, but when juxtaposed with scenes of rotten, decaying buildings (including the reactor itself) that have been transformed into animal habitats, it lends the program's themes of adaptation and recovery added significance.
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"Nature: Radioactive Wolves" is on sale November 29, 2011 and is not rated. Nature-Documentary. Directed by Klaus Feightenberger. Written by Klaus Feichtenberger. Starring Harry Smith.
