Three blue-coated dogs spotted in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone prompt tests

A team working in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone this month encountered three stray dogs whose coats have turned an unusual bright blue, footage and caretakers show. The animals were filmed by Dogs of Chernobyl, an affiliate of the Clean Futures Fund, while volunteers were in the zone for routine sterilization and vaccination work. The organisation said it is attempting to capture the animals for examination to determine the cause.

"We are on the ground now catching dogs for sterilisation, and we came across three dogs that were completely blue. We are not sure exactly what is going on," a Dogs of Chernobyl spokesperson wrote in an Instagram post that has been widely viewed. Locals told the team the animals’ fur appeared normal only a week earlier. The charity said the dogs seemed active and healthy despite the discoloration.

Caretakers and scientists who have commented on the incident say the blue tint is most likely the result of external chemical contamination rather than a radiation-driven genetic mutation, though definitive testing has not yet been completed. The organisation has suggested the dogs may have come into contact with industrial residues or other chemicals in the...