The mysterious blue dogs spotted in Chernobyl were deliberately painted by vandals, not affected by radiation, according to Russian veterinarian Mikhail Shelyakov.
Shelyakov said that such a deep blue coloration could not occur naturally, even in areas with high radiation levels. He explained that no gene responsible for such pigmentation exists in nature, calling the case an act of vandalism rather than mutation.
“I’ve personally been to Chernobyl, including near the fourth reactor. Our task was to study mutations, and we found none,” Shelyakov told News.ru.
The veterinarian added that even if a new gene of this kind somehow emerged or was engineered biotechnologically, it would take a long evolutionary period before producing visible effects like a full color change in an animal population.
Dogs Found Healthy Despite Unusual Appearance
The blue-colored dogs were discovered in Chernobyl in October and were reported to appear “very active and healthy.” The story was first published by Daily Mail, citing the American nonprofit organization Dogs of Chernobyl, which works in the exclusion zone.
Experts from the organization suggested that the animals may have been exposed to certain chemicals, which caused their fur to turn blue. The group has announced plans to capture and examine the dogs to determine the exact cause of the unusual coloration.
