A raccoon dog interrupted its hibernation in the Chernobyl Radiation-Ecological Biosphere Reserve. The reasons for early awakening include both natural factors and the consequences of military operations..

According to the reserve, the raccoon dog's winter sleep is shallow, so any changes in the environment can be a wake-up call.. The reasons may be temporary warming, lack of fat reserves, disruption of the burrow, or the influence of a predator..

A separate factor is the approach of spring - increasing daylight hours and the first seasonal changes are increasingly “waking up” even those animals that should still be hibernating. Usually the raccoon dog awakens in March-April, and summer activity continues until October or November.

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In Ukraine, the number of the species is about 10 thousand individuals and tends to grow. Raccoon dogs are omnivores and gravitate toward bodies of water, and in the fall they largely depend on fruits and berries.. They inhabit moist forests, river and lake banks, and in late summer and autumn - areas rich in berries.

As stated in the publication of the Ukraїner platform, military actions significantly affect the biological rhythms of animals. The noise of explosions and shelling create sound waves and vibrations in the soil that “drive” them out of shallow holes or shelters under tree roots. Smoke and increased temperature in local areas can simulate a thaw, and given the shallow sleep of the species, even a slight “warming” becomes a wake-up call.

Exiting hibernation prematurely may carry certain risks..

Awakening requires significant energy expenditure, and, in the absence of food supply, the animal quickly becomes exhausted. Due to stress, species more often come out to people or into open areas, where they become victims of road accidents or easy prey for predators. In a state of "

Earlier, in the Chernobyl Nature Reserve, experts recorded a herd of 12 feral cows that had successfully adapted to life without human help.. Animals independently find food under the snow and protect themselves from predators, despite harsh winter conditions and proximity to wolf packs.