 "Blue canine mystery of Chernobyl solved? Researchers say fur colour of dogs may not be…")
The bizarre case of blue dogs found in Chernobyl might not be as concerning as it seemed. A veterinarian working for canines left behind in the nuclear disaster region has revealed the real reason why the dogs’ fur was blue.
Jennifer Betz, the veterinary medical director for the Dogs of Chernobyl program, told Newsweek that they came across three dogs that were completely covered in a blue substance.
What happened?
From October 5 to 13, the Dogs of Chernobyl team visited the disaster site to capture, sterilise, and release dogs descended from those left behind after the 1986 nuclear reactor meltdown and evacuation. However, during the mission, the team was baffled to discover several dogs with striking blue fur.
Betz said, “We attempted several times to catch these dogs; however, these particular dogs are extremely fearful of people and need to be blow darted to capture. We, unfortunately, were not successful in catching these particular dogs this time.”
Pictures of these dogs didn’t take long to go viral, with many raising concerns over their health and whether nuclear radiation had turned them blue. There were others who thought that the images might be AI-generated.
Why were the dogs blue?
The vet said that the canines were covered in a blue substance used in portable toilets. They most likely rolled over the substance, thereby coating the blue colour all over their bodies.
She emphasised that the organisation is “not in any way” suggesting the blue fur is linked to Chernobyl’s radiation. Moreover, according to Betz, these dogs, like others in the region, appear to be in good health.
Betz explained that during the sterilisation program, veterinarians use crayon markers in colours such as green, red, blue, or purple to indicate which dogs have recently been operated on. The markings, placed only on the top of the animals’ heads, fade within a few days. This practice, she noted, is entirely unrelated to the recently observed blue colouration.
“I would suspect, as long as they don’t lick the majority of the substance off of their fur, it would be mostly harmless,” she said.
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