The catastrophic Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 caused an estimated 250,000 people to evacuate their homes, but scientists have determined certain wildlife species in the area are thriving, suggesting people could eventually return to the region, according to a new study. Researchers at Colorado State University, the University of Georgia and Fukushima University's Institute of Environmental Radioactivity have found that multiple generations of wild boar and rat snakes have not suffered from any significant adverse health effects. Multiple generations of animals have been exposed to radiation levels above the threshold for human occupancy, but have suffered no ill effects. That may be due to the fact that cesium-134, one of the major radioactive materials released during the accident, saw its levels decrease by almost 90 percent. The researchers looked at biomarkers of DNA damage and stress to determine that the boar and snakes were thriving in the area. The researchers looked at the wild boars and snakes between 2016 and 2018, or five to seven years after the earthquake and resulting tsunami destroyed the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant, releasing massive amounts of radioactive material in the environment.