Remember the blue dogs of Chernobyl? They were apparently rolling in POOP

The blue dogs of Chernobyl that went viral earlier this year for the colour of their coat were apparently rolling in a porta-potty, according to a theory put forward by some local animal volunteers. As their pictures started doing the rounds on social media, people started floating radiation theories, saying they had turned blue because of radioactive mutations. Photos of the blue animals were shared by the Dogs of Chernobyl program in October, a group that has been caring for the pooches living at the site of the 1986 disaster. Quashing radioactive rumours, a scientist from the group affiliated to the non-profit Clean Futures Fund (CFF) has now spoken out. He wrote in a Facebook post, "The blue dye likely came from a tipped-over porta-potty where the dogs were rolling around in the poop as dogs are prone to do (think cat litter box!)."

Dismissing social media chatter about nuclear radiation turning the dogs blue, Dr Timothy A. Mousseau from the University of South Carolina said, "The initial reports by CFF on TikTok sparked a flurry of social media commentary suggesting that this might be a response to the radiation in the region. Some even suggested radiation-induced mutations and some form of evolutionary adaptations to the local environment."

“The blue coloration was simply a sign of the dog’s unsanitary behavior! As any dog owner knows, most dogs will eat just about anything, including feces!” Mousseau said. While the group was on a catch and sterilisation mission, it encountered three dogs that were completely blue. 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. According to a 2024 study, these dogs have developed a mutation that makes them immune to radiation, pollution, and heavy metals.