Dogs in Chernobyl have suddenly turned blue, and no, it is not because of radiation
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Dogs in Chernobyl have suddenly turned blue, and no, it is not because of radiation")
Blue dogs of Chernobyl Photograph: (Clean Futures Fund)
Chernobyl dogs are turning blue, shocking scientists. This sudden change has no reasonable explanation yet. Although the group that takes care of these dogs thinks it is because of an external chemical, the dogs have likely been rolling in.
The Chernobyl disaster site is suddenly seeing the appearance of blue coloured dogs, the first such instance in 39 years. Dogs of Chernobyl, a group that cares for the canines living within the exclusion zone, shared videos of several such dogs with a blue tinge on their fur. The group said it encountered three dogs that were completely blue during a catch and sterilisation mission. This was not the case till last week, and the colour is only recently being seen on these dogs. Notably, around 700 dogs reside in the 18-square-mile exclusion zone and are the descendants of the animals left behind following the 1986 nuclear disaster. "They were not blue last week. We do not know the reason, and we are attempting to catch them so we can find out what is happening," the group wrote in the caption alongside the video.
Dr Jennifer Betz, the Veterinary Medical Director for the Dogs of Chernobyl program with the Clean Futures Fund (a non-profit organisation), said the blue colour is in no way related to radiation, and the dogs seem to be rolling in a substance that changed the colour of their fur. "We are suspecting that this substance was from an old portable toilet that was in the same location as the dogs; however, we were unable to positively confirm our suspicions," she said. The substance is harmless, as long as the dogs don't lick the majority of it off themselves. "The dogs appear healthy, as do all of the other dogs that we have encountered during our time in Chornobyl."
Dogs of Chernobyl, caring for dogs since 2017
Notably, Dogs of Chernobyl is an affiliate of the non-profit Clean Futures Fund and has been caring for the dogs in Chernobyl since 2017. They give them food and medical attention when required. The video has shocked some on social media, while others don't see any reason to be alarmed. One user wrote that the blue colour is "a result of external contamination from chemicals" and can be washed off.
The dogs living in the radiation zone of Chernobyl have shocked the world with their resistance. On April 26, 1986, one of the power plant's reactors exploded, unfolding a terrible disaster that released the largest amount of radioactive material into the environment in human history.
Superpower of the dogs of Chernobyl
Humans were evacuated to prevent health issues from the radiation. But Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) became home to these dogs and other wildlife. Radioactive levels here measure at 11.28 millirem, six times that deemed fit for humans. But the conditions don't seem to have affected these dogs negatively. In fact, according to a 2024 study, the dogs of Chernobyl have mutated and are now immune to radiation, heavy metals and pollution.
