Swans bask in warm waters from Ukrainian nuclear plant during winter freeze

Swans swim in a water reservoir of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant (KhNPP) near the town of Ostroh, Ukraine February 16, 2021. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

Dozens of swans have flocked to a reservoir in western Ukraine this winter, evading snow and ice to enjoy the warm waters discharged from a nearby nuclear power plant.

    Scientists say the birds migrate from all over Ukraine and elsewhere in eastern Europe to the reservoir, which the Khmelnytskyi plant uses for cooling and thus never freezes over.

A swan swims in a water reservoir of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant (KhNPP) near the town of Ostroh, Ukraine February 16, 2021. The reservoir, which turned into a local tourist spot, attracts dozens of swans every winter as it never freezes over due to the warm waters discharged from the plant. Picture taken February 16, 2021. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

    "There is no need to make an extra effort to get to the Black Sea as the birds feel comfortable here," Oksana Holovko, head of the science and research department at a nearby national nature park, told Reuters.

    Since the water temperature does not drop lower than 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit), the reservoir is also rich in crustaceans and pondweed which the swans can eat.

    The lake, which is around 20 square km (7.7 square miles) in size, has turned into a local tourist spot.

A local resident feeds a swan on the bank of a water reservoir of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant (KhNPP) near the town of Ostroh, Ukraine February 17, 2021. The reservoir, which turned into a local tourist spot, attracts dozens of swans every winter as it never freezes over due to the warm waters discharged from the plant. Picture taken with February 17, 2021. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

    "It is great to have such neighbours," a local resident told Reuters as she came to feed the swans.

    "They come here every winter, which means they like the place and how people treat them. They feel good here. It is great when people preserve a humane attitude and birds can feel that."

     According to Holovko, the reservoir is a home for other water birds during the Ukrainian winter season, where temperatures can drop sharply below zero.

Birds, including swans, swim in a water reservoir of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant (KhNPP) near the town of Ostroh, Ukraine February 17, 2021. The reservoir, which turned into a local tourist spot, attracts dozens of swans every winter as it never freezes over due to the warm waters discharged from the plant. Picture taken February 17, 2021. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

(Writing by Margaryta Chornokondratenko; editing by Matthias Williams and Raissa Kasolowsky)

Swans swim in a water reservoir of the Khmelnytskyi Nuclear Power Plant (KhNPP) near the town of Ostroh, Ukraine February 17, 2021. The reservoir, which turned into a local tourist spot, attracts dozens of swans every winter as it never freezes over due to the warm waters discharged from the plant. Picture taken with a drone February 17, 2021. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko