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

Vasily Fedosenko/Reuters

Bison are seen at a 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 region, scientists are saying it's possible that the number of animals in the area is now higher than it was 30 years ago. Today you can find elk, deer, wolves, bison, and dozens of other species. On top of that, the growing population of wolves in the area has become a direct threat to nearby livestock. Local farms are paying hunters for each wolf they capture and kill.

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

Courtney Verrill contributed reporting to a previous version of this article.