Bogdan is a bison. He’s a shaggy-waggy bison because he has a really thick mane of hair. Although Bogdan is still young, he weighs an awful lot! Bisons are some of the heaviest wild animals around. This means they’re very good at pushing and pulling things, no matter how big those things are. Bogdan lives in a forest in the mountains. It is warm and lush in summer, but it gets very bleak and cold in winter. Most years, there is a lot of snowfall.

Bogdan has a friend. Her name is Pavla and she’s a Przewalski’s horse. (It’s easier to pronounce if you break it down like this, Prez-wal-ski, when you say it!) That’s a very rare breed of wild horse. There aren’t many of them left in the world. Przewalski’s horses are really good at dragging and carrying things. Bogdan’s family lives near to Pavla’s family and they take care of each other. Much of the forest where they live was very badly damaged many years ago. They had to move away for a while, so they stuck together to survive.

Over time, some of the forest regained its previous, healthy state, so the bison and horses could return.

One very snowy winter’s day, Bogdan is trying to find some grass to eat. He pushes his muzzle down into the snow until he feels some blades tickle his nose. As Bogdan starts to eat, he becomes aware of another pair of hooves alongside him. He looks up, blows a big pile of snow from off of his face, and sees the hooves belong to Pavla.

“Hey, Bogdan,” she says, laughing. “You found some food then?”

“Yes, under all this white stuff,” Bogdan replies, shaking his head to get rid of the remaining snowflakes on it.

“It’s well buried this time of year,” says Pavla, “which is a good thing. My dad says that the snow might help to protect the forest from being damaged again.”

“Again?” says Bogdan.

“Dad says humans are starting up another big nuclear power plant, but further away from the forest this time.

“Really?” asks Bogdan, surprised. “Is that safe?”

“Not really,” responds Pavla. “But Dad says they call clean nuclear power ‘clean energy’ because it doesn’t produce carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. And clean energy is what everyone wants these days!”

“But if it’s so clean, why did the plant harm all of the nature around here?” Bogdan enquires.

“It didn’t,” Pavla explains. “Nuclear power produces a different kind of waste from gases. It’s called radioactive waste. That’s what leaked into the forest. Clever humans, called scientists, are trying to make nuclear power better. Then it won’t produce radioactive waste at all in the future. For now, they’re putting the waste into big metal containers and burying it in huge holes in the ground.”

“But what if it leaks out of the containers?” asks Bogdan.

Pavla frowns. “Then the same thing will happen. The forest will die out again.”

Bogdan doesn’t want this to happen, and he knows his family won’t want it either. So he really wants to help.

“Pavla, we have to stop them. Give me some time to think,” says Bogdan. And he sticks his nose back down into the cold snow. The snow around his head has become more compact and harder because Bogdan’s heavy weight has trodden it down. It now has a slippery, icy surface. Bogdan pictures in his head the fun he has with his friends when the forest slopes get icy. They slide all the way down the mountainside. Imagining this slowly causes an idea to slip its way into Bogdan’s brain.

“Pavla,” Bogdan says, excitedly, looking back up at his friend. “I know what we can do to keep the forest safe!”

Bogdan explains his plan to Pavla and she neighs with approval.

“Let’s go and tell our families,” Bogdan suggests. And the two friends head straight home to do just that.

A couple of days later, the bison and the horses are eating grass through dug out patches of snow. They hear the sound of a vehicle. They watch and wait as a very large truck reverses over to the side of the huge hole at the edge of the forest. Four humans, wearing suits that make them look a bit like astronauts, get out. They undo the chains attaching a huge box to the back of the lorry’s cabin. Afterwards, they climb back into the truck. The back of the truck then magically lowers down to ground level.

“Now!” whispers Bogdan.

Bogdan and Pavla and some of their relatives move over to beside the big box. The bison line up behind it and the horses grab the chains in their mouths.

“OK, heave!” instructs Bogdan. The bison lean with all their heavy weight against the box, and slowly it begins to move. The horses use the chains to steer the box towards the slope of the mountainside.

Owing to its weight, as soon as it reaches the top of the slope, the box picks up speed. The horses drop the chains and the bison give the box one final push. It careers off down the mountainside.

When the humans get back out of their truck, they are amazed to find that the box has disappeared. They scratch their heads, then look around, seeing the animals. Feeling very frightened by the size of the horses and bisons behind them, the humans jump back into the truck and drive off, away from the forest. The animals look at each other and laugh.

“Thanks so much Bogdan. We’ll all be much safer with that box miles away at the bottom of the mountain. Hopefully, humans will think twice before bringing any more here,” says Pavla.

Bogdan is very happy that he’s helped to protect their home from nuclear waste and radiation.

“I’d say wild horses could definitely keep them away,” he says, winking at Pavla.

Questions for discussion

Why is nuclear energy called ‘clean energy’?

Can you find out how nuclear power works, using fission?

How is nuclear (radioactive) waste dangerous for animals and nature?