Dogs of Chernobyl
Chernobyl dogs got a chance to be health (and radiation) monitored regularly and breeding controlled anew. They found their own ecological niche.
The dogs abandoned by their evacuated owners, survived within the CEZ area coexisting together with the wild Canis cousins (mostly by avoidance or casual mating). Among the rest of CEZ native fauna (large predators, preyed ungulates) and introduced species (vide Przewalski’s horse), domestic dogs remain familiar with Chernobyl Zone itself, even if their survival was related to human presence.
Chernobyl dogs should be considered as not only stray animals (socialized to humans before and wandering around), but also as feral ones (being a running wild offspring of stray dogs or their offspring). 30 years after Chernobyl NPP disaster, their local population became free-ranging scavengers.
→ without food resources managed by a human (garbage at least)
It is not exactly true, considering their current status of their descendants which evaded not being shot by soldiers ordered to cull them right after the instant evacuation of people (making entire area depopulated).
Circa 3500 volunteers/scientists/visitors/workers running through direct Chernobyl zone each day nowadays, not only take out the trash from scratch (produce garbage), but randomly adopt the local dog population by feeding its representatives with scraps of their own meals (making them tame). Driven out of the forest divided into hunting wolf packs’ territories, scavenging dogs instinctively look for any support from nearby human activity.
→ feeling unsafe almost everywhere (and being dangerous simultaneously)
Without a medical care, with a lack of shelter to endure harsh winters/heavy rains/climate anomalies or just to hide from a potential intruder, usually malnourished, Chernobyl dogs rarely live beyond the age of 6-8 years. They’re exposed to rabies from one another and/or from wild animals (including wolves attacking them) as well as they spread rabies by interacting with one another and/or with wild animals (including the same wolves). Moreover, they’re a hazard for humans touching them, most often to pet their fur - still carrying increased levels of radiation.
→ with no reproduction control on relatively narrow area
Counting up to circa 250 (in 2017) CEZ dog population is unrestricted progeny of some scattered dogs - left behind after 120,000 people of 189 various locations were immediately evacuated - unnoticed by soldiers who dispatched to cull them (even if presently they’re poached).
If there’s no place to go, inbreed hazard systematically increases (together with genetic diseases heredity). It would ‘statistically’ keep CEZ local dog population under selective control (by predation) and ultimately make them extinct with no human help (like food resources or just taking care about its representatives for example).
In 2017 Chernobyl dogs got a chance to be health - and radiation - monitored, and breeding controlled as well. Dogs of Chernobyl program - in collaboration with Clean Futures Fund (US non-profit organization) - started involving 40-person team of professionals (researchers, veterinarians) and volunteers, coming from multiple countries, under the keystone patronage of SSE Chernobyl NPP and SAUEZM. In 2018, Dogs of Chernobyl clinic was established, with partnership and sponsoring of many more like SPCA International and DT Worldwide among others.
short-term → medical care
Every captured dog (or cat) is given its unique ID number, which data is collected every time it is inspected again. Radiation monitoring, rabies and complex vaccinating - are obligatory. When a bit of contamination is detected, a dog is washed and decontaminated with a special powder before it arrives into the hospital. According to reports, none of the captured CEZ puppies was radioactive (some adults were).
middle-term → population control
Reproduction-oriented behavior is typical for free-ranging canines. I don’t think we’ll ever get zero dogs in the exclusion zone but we want to get the population down to a manageable size so we can feed and provide long-term care for them - Lucas Hixson says, CFF co-founder. Adult animals - including reproductive youngsters - are successively spayed/neutered.
long-term → preparing for potential adopters
Adult dogs became too wild to be adopted
They grew up not habituated to human presence during their sensitive period
They’re not able to learn enough about human-dependent food resources management.
Socialization and habituation to human custody is possible for their feral offspring. Selected ones are reared under a strict schedule - walked, nourished, groomed, optionally trained. At the same time, first prospective owners are interviewed.
The Dogs of Chernobyl project is the research initiative leaded by Dr. Timothy Mousseau, scientific research coordinator, who has studied Chernobyl zone wildlife for years in the context of biological consequences of radiation exposure. It was observed that CEZ dog population is unstable yearly - explodes up to 1000 during summer season (the urgency to reproduce, especially in adult ones) and collapses during winter season time (the lack of food and care, especially in young ones). The goal is to study the health effects of radiation (by collected data analysis) and help to provide essential animal welfare to stabilize the population (DNA samples delivered to the laboratory after every dog is inspected, their eyes examination for cataracts as early sign of significant radiation exposure). The proposed long-term research program will provide much needed scientific evidence as to the effects of radionuclides on animal health and longevity. The opportunity to study these dogs is unique and will generate novel insights that would not be possible for humans or most other animal species - stands in the prospect.
There’s still less of data associated with how Canis familiaris survived so far on such limited territory permanently inhabited by Canic lupus. According to Nadezhda Appolonov - Ukrainian CFF volunteer - CEZ wolves have killed 30% of CEZ dog population for the last few years. Random CEZ wolves-dogs matings were also frequently reported.
There are a lot of perceptions about Chernobyl that are not realities - Hixson concludes - People who have never been here expect to see something without ever coming and looking for themselves. Chernobyl dogs study could be the answer for raising questions about remaining radiation’s long-term influence on wildlife.
references:
Dogs of Chernobyl project
Biological consequences of Chernobyl: 20 years on (2006); study by Timothy A. Mousseau, Anders Pape Møller
Large Carnivores of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Exclusion Zone (2012); research by M. Shkvyria, D. Vishnevskiy
Analysis of Radioactivity in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone Domestic Canine Population(2017); Interactive Qualifying Project Report by Taylor Trottier (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)