30 years after the Chernobyl disaster, no people can live in the area - but the animal population is thriving

Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters

Bisons are seen at a bison nursery in the 19-mile exclusion zone around the Chernobyl nuclear reactor near the abandoned village of Dronki, Belarus.

After the Chernobyl nuclear disaster happened in 1986, 116,000 people in the exclusion area were forced to leave their homes permanently. The empty area has been completely abandoned ever since - with the exception of a somewhat newly developed wildlife population.

Due to the lack of human life in the area, scientists are saying it's possible that the number of animals in the area is now higher than it was 30 years ago. Without agriculture or hunting occurring on the premises, more animals have the opportunity to migrate to and live in the area. Today, you can find elk, deer, wolves, bison, and dozens of other species.

Ahead, see images of wildlife that have swarmed the highly toxic area.