Japanese scientists will measure the radiation level in the forest near the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant using wild monkeys.

Takayuki Takahashi, a professor of robotic technology at Fukushima University, will lead the project aimed also at knowing how wild animals in the forest of Minami Soma City were affected by radiation emitted by the plant after it suffered a partial meltdown due to damaged caused the earthquake and tsunami on March 11.

Three monkeys will be fitted with collar dosimeters starting February. After two months, the collars will be remotely detached so these could be collected and the radiation data analysed.

The collar has GPS so researchers could be easily find it in the forest.

Takahashi said his team would be able to draw a map showing the movement of radioactivity in the forest, river, underground water and ocean based on the radiation data in the collar, according to CNN.

Authorities had measured the radiation level in the air above the Fukushima forest using helicopters. However, whether or not animals in the forest have been contaminated remains unknown.

The use of collar radiation metres and monkeys to measure radiation in the forest was the idea of veterinarian Toshio Mizoguchi, of the Fukushima Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.