SREL Reprint #3476

Evidence of long-distance dispersal of a gray wolf from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Michael E. Byrne1,2, Sarah C. Webster1,3, Stacey L. Lance1, Cara N. Love1,4, Thomas G. Hinton5, Dmitry Shamovich6, and James C. Beasley1,3

1Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC, USA
2School of Natural Resources, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
3Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
4Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA
5Institute of Environmental Radioactivity, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Japan
6Sosnovy Bor, Belarus

Abstract: The Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) is a ~4300 km2 area in Belarus and Ukraine that remains heavily contaminated with radiation from the nuclear accident of 1986. Long standing controversy persists on the fate of wildlife within the CEZ following human abandonment of the area. Human residency remains extremely sparse, and the CEZ has become a refuge for some populations of wildlife, including gray wolves (Canis lupus). Using GPS telemetry, we documented the first long-distancemovements of a young (1–2 years) male wolf from the CEZ into the surrounding landscape. The wolf traveled 369 km from its home range center over a 21-day period in February 2015. In the 95 days prior to dispersal, the wolf maintained a home range of ~28 km2, with daily displacements rarely exceeding 5 km. With the onset of dispersal, daily displacement increased to amean of 16.8 km. The dispersal of a young wolf is an important observation because it suggests that the CEZ may serve as a source for some wildlife populations outside of the CEZ, and raises questions about the potential spread of radiation-induced genetic mutations to populations in uncontaminated areas.

Keywords: Animal movement; Canis lupus; Chernobyl; Contamination; Dispersal; GPS telemetry

SREL Reprint #3476

Byrne, M. E., S. C. Webster, S. L. Lance, C. N. Love, T. G. Hinton, D. Shamovich, and J. C. Beasley. 2018. Evidence of long-distance dispersal of a gray wolf from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. European Journal of Wildlife Research 64(4): Article 39.

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).