What is the story of the blue dogs in Chernobyl? Fact or optical illusion?

A viral video circulating on social media shows stray dogs with blue fur near the Chernobyl area in Ukraine, sparking a wave of controversy and speculation about the possibility of radiation mutations resulting from the nuclear disaster that occurred there nearly four decades ago.

The video, which spread rapidly, led many to link the strange phenomenon to nuclear radiation in the forbidden zone, but the nonprofit organization responsible for caring for stray dogs in Chernobyl clarified in a statement that it found three blue dogs during routine sterilization operations.

The organization added that the fur was natural just a week before it turned blue, confirming that the dogs appear to be healthy and active, with no signs of illness.

For their part, environmental experts and biologists confirmed that there is no scientific evidence linking the blue color to nuclear radiation or genetic mutations, pointing out that the most plausible explanation is that the dogs were exposed to chemical substances or dyes, or absorbed contaminating compounds from the soil or water surrounding the area.

Preliminary genetic analyses conducted on some samples showed that there are no genetic changes associated with radiation, supporting the hypothesis that the phenomenon is due to environmental or industrial factors.

Researchers believe that people's interest in these incidents is due to the symbolism of Chernobyl as a region that combines memories of the nuclear tragedy with human curiosity about nature that has reclaimed the area after the disaster, emphasizing that the spread of videos of this kind reflects the growing global interest in environmental pollution issues and human impacts on wildlife.

While Chernobyl – which witnessed the explosion of reactor number 4 on April 26, 1986 – remains closed to human habitation, nature and wildlife have returned to inhabit it, in a scene that combines human devastation with nature's remarkable ability to recover.

In conclusion, it seems that the blue dogs are neither radioactive creatures nor mysterious mutations, but rather a rare environmental case that has turned into a story combining scientific reality and the popular imagination that still surrounds Chernobyl to this day.