Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026

Visually Sexing Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius Ludovicianus) Using Plumage Coloration and Pattern
Published on: March 8, 2020
Changes in wildlife activity patterns in response to war in Ukraine
Svitlana Kudrenko1,2,3, Richard Bischof4, Andreas Zedrosser3,5
1Frankfurt Zoological Society, Frankfurt, Germany.
Abstract:
Conflict zones are inherently hazardous and inaccessible for researchers, which results in a knowledge gap about the immediate effects of armed conflicts on the environment, particularly wildlife. We used camera-trap detections to investigate the impact of armed conflict on wildlife activity patterns before, during, and after the Russian occupation of the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (Ukraine) in 2022 and compared it to the same period in 2021. Mammal species responded to armed conflict through immediate behavioral adjustments, including reduced activity during night and on dates when armed-conflict activities intensified. Our results provide insight into wildlife's behavioral responses to armed conflict in real time and underscore the potential of camera trapping to quantify the ecological effects of war.
Related Concept Videos
Threats to Biodiversity
Predator-Prey Interactions
Habitat Fragmentation
What is Conservation Biology?
Migration
Conservation of Small Populations
