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Radioactive wild boars have been the forests of Germany for decades. Scientists their radioactivity due to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. However, the animals' radioactivity has long scientists because while levels of radioactive caesium in other animals has over the years, radioactivity in wild boars has at high levels. Scientists have this mystery the "wild boar paradox". New research now the contamination of Germany's wild boars to nuclear weapons tests from the mid-20th century. The Chernobyl reactor produced caesium-137, which a much shorter life than the caesium-135 by nuclear weapons.

Scientists believe the reason wild boars have so radioactive to other forest creatures is their love of the delicacy truffle mushrooms. Radioactive particles in these underground fungi, which form part of the boars' diet. The high levels of caesium in boars the animals too dangerous to be under German law. This has in a reduction in the hunting of the animals, which has to a proliferation of their numbers. Geochemist James Kaste asks why the effects of nuclear weapons testing on the environment have "under-studied and largely forgotten". He said: "This is one of the ultimate case studies how legacy soil pollution can generations to come."