Effects of Cs contamination after the TEPCO Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station accident on food and habitat of wild boar in Fukushima Prefecture.

After the Tokyo Electric Power Company Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station accident, wild boar was found to have greater radiocesium (Cs) activity concentrations in their bodies than other wild animals in Japan; however, the reason for this remains unknown. To understand the mechanism of Cs transfer from the environment to wild boar, and the factors that affect variation in Cs contamination in wild boar, we sampled muscle and stomach contents from wild boar captured in Fukushima Prefecture and analyzed the relationships among Cs concentrations in muscle tissue and in the stomach contents, Cs ground deposition at capture sites, and wild boar food habits. Significant positive relationships were observed among Cs activity concentrations in muscle and stomach contents, as well as Cs deposition density at capture sites.

Monitoring Cs concentrations in bird species occupying different ecological niches; game birds and raptors in Fukushima Prefecture.

This study was conducted to assess radiocesium accumulation in birds after the accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in 2011, with a particular focus on Cs, which has a long physical half-life. Results of Cs monitoring in four game bird species including two pheasant species and two duck species (copper pheasant, green pheasant, spot-billed duck and mallard) were assessed in Fukushima Prefecture. We also obtained samples from rescued raptors that died during treatment or rehabilitation at the Wildlife Symbiosis Centre in Fukushima Prefecture because of severe injury.

Seasonal variation of Cesium-137 concentration in Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) and wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.

To elucidate and reduce the risk of radionuclide contamination in wildlife caused by the Tokyo Electric Power Company Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station accident, it is important to understand radionuclide variations in the wild animal population. Here, we used environmental monitoring data and muscle samples collected from Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) and wild boar (Sus scrofa) from May 2011 to March 2016 to examine seasonal variation in radiocesium (137Cs) concentrations in muscle tissues (hereafter, muscle 137Cs) of these important game species in Fukushima Prefecture. We measured muscle 137Cs of bears and wild boars killed by hunters or in animal control culls.