Overview
- The Dogs of Chernobyl team filmed at least three stray dogs with bright blue fur this month and reported the animals appeared active and healthy.
- Caretakers say locals noted the dogs were not blue the previous week, and efforts to capture the animals for examination are ongoing.
- The organization has defended the viral footage as genuine after online speculation, including claims it could be AI-generated.
- In new reporting, the group’s veterinary lead said the likely source is residue from a damaged portable toilet where the dogs were seen rolling, though this has not been confirmed.
- The sightings come within a long-running care program for hundreds of CEZ dogs and against prior research showing genetic divergence from chronic contamination, which experts say does not explain the sudden blue coloration.