In Germany, about 3 thousand radioactive wild boars were shot down in a year
Last year, German hunters shot approximately three thousand wild boars that had been exposed to radioactive cesium-137. This was reported by the newspaper Bild, citing data provided by the Federal Administrative Office.
Illustrative photo. Photo: freepik.com
Bild writes that "radioactive" wild boars appear in the forests of the federal states of Bavaria, Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg, Thuringia, and Saxony due to increased radiation levels. This was caused by the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident in 1986.
An employee of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection told the publication that cesium-137 has a half-life of about 30 years. Meanwhile, in forest ecosystems, plants, especially mushrooms, which wild boars feed on, are capable of accumulating this radioactive element from the soil.
"A total of 2,927 wild boars, including piglets, shot by hunters in Germany, were disposed of due to excessive radiation," the newspaper writes.
According to Bild, the meat of wild boars sent for disposal was found to have an elevated content of radioactive cesium-137. Hunters who harvested these animals were unable to sell their meat on the market and therefore received compensation from the authorities: approximately 204 euros for an adult animal and about 102 euros for a piglet.
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