After the Meltdown of the Nuclear Reactor in 1986, People Evacuated, but Pups Stayed Behind
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FINAL Stray puppies play in an abandoned, partly finished cooling tower inside Chernobyl’s exclusion zone. Canines formed pack families in the ruins of the nuclear accident. SURVIVORS Dogs of After the meltdown of the nuclear reactor in 1986, people evacuated, but pups stayed behind. Here’s Chernobylwhat happened next. By Heidi Hutner and Erica Cirino 60 ANIMAL MINDS 61 SURVIVORS Andriivka, Chernobyl, Kopachi, Despite this, a few people refused Poliske, Pripyat, Tarasy, Velyki to leave the Zone in 1986, and Klishchi, Vilcha, Yaniv. These are through the 1990s, several hundred modern ghost towns created by the more returned to continue lives left same nuclear disaster. Once lively behind. The returnees were called northern Ukrainian municipalities “samosely” or “self-settlers.” that housed farmers, artisans and employees of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, they were deserted following a catastrophic A LIFE ON THE EDGE accident that happened at the By 1999, an estimated 612 samosely nuclear plant on April 26, 1986. were living in Chernobyl illegally The trouble started when a power This aerial shot shows with perhaps the same number Chernobyl’s nuclear reactors with surge occurred during a routine canals in the spring. of dogs. It’s not clear how many safety test, sparking two enormous dogs the liquidators killed, but explosions in the plant’s No. 4 “liquidators” were ordered to shoot samosely are thought to have cared nuclear reactor. The explosions and kill evacuees’ pets (and many for at least some of the handful that were strong enough to blow the wild animals) in a bid to prevent evaded the post-disaster killings. reactor’s 1,000-pound roof off, the spread of radiation. They For the dogs, who were barely allowing massive amounts of buried the bodies in enormous hanging on, forming cautious radiation—the equivalent of 400 heaps beneath contaminated soil. alliances with these people meant Hiroshima bombs—to leak into the The dramatization of the killing getting leftovers and a better shot air, water and soil, and into plants, of the dogs in the 2019 HBO series at survival. animals and people, as well. Chernobyl shocked viewers. Craig After a few years, the original human returnees were joined by thousands of workers who spend “Man’s plight makes you sad but the their days in Chernobyl removing plight of the animals is even worse.” contaminated materials, mostly soil, and constructing a new —Svetlana Alexievich, Chernobyl Prayer concrete building to encase the dangerous old reactor and prevent While it was clear inside the Mazin, the series creator, tweeted, more radiation from leaking out. smoldering Chernobyl nuclear “I know that was hard [to watch]. By 2010, the Exclusion Zone saw power station that an accident had Just so there’s no confusion—the an influx of even more workers occurred, the rest of the world was story of the liquidators is real. It recruited for cleanup and the kept in the dark. Ukrainian officials happened. And we actually toned construction of a new confinement evacuated Pripyat within 36 hours, it down....” structure. These power station but it was a full two days later that But the liquidators didn’t employees have formed a special workers at a nuclear power station completely wipe out Chernobyl’s bond with the dogs, says Jennifer nearly 700 miles away in Sweden dogs. The survivors, maybe as Betz, a volunteer veterinarian rang the international alarm bell. few as a handful of dogs, forged tending to Chernobyl’s dogs. It’s They’d detected radiation on their out tedious lives on the Exclusion common to see Chernobyl workers clothing that didn’t come from Zone’s emptied streets. Many dogs splitting their lunch sandwich with their power plant; it had come didn’t survive puppyhood, due to a favorite feral hound. from Chernobyl. Dire news of the disease and winter starvation, but Despite the power plant workers’ disaster prompted officials to draw others formed packs and scavenged hospitality, the dogs still lived life a 30-kilometer radius around the for resources like food and water. on the edge. Disease and hunger plant referred to as the “Exclusion At the same time, thousands persisted. And while hundreds of Zone.” People living inside had to of soldiers were recruited to new pups were born each year, just drop their belongings and leave reduce some radiation in the half of them survived. their contaminated homes forever. Zone by removing and burying Today, tens of thousands This stray dog stands at The fate of the animals inside contaminated materials, like the monument by the of tourists arrive annually in that contaminated area is far more soil. They also worked to ensure new, giant enclosure that increasing numbers, drawn in by covers the devastated complicated. As the people cleared Ukrainians obeyed the restrictions reactor at Chernobyl. Chernobyl’s radioactive legacy and out, government officials called on entering the contaminated area. the lure of disaster porn. Thanks in 62 ANIMAL MINDS 63 surgery commences, vaccines to healthier and longer lives for and deworming medications are the dogs. Controlling for potential administered, a radiation-reading rabies outbreaks has also led to dosimeter is clipped onto the ear, an improvement in public health. and the dog is released back on the “Ukraine gets its rabies vaccines for streets exactly where it was found. humans from Russia, but because Like all feral dogs, the Chernobyl of the war they haven’t received canines don’t mix well with dogs an adequate supply in years,” says from other packs, so it’s important Hixson. “This means a person the release location is precise to potentially exposed to rabies will prevent skirmishes. have to travel at least three to four Despite commonly mooching from humans for food, Chernobyl’s dogs are anything but tame. A very small number of hours to find a vaccine.” Chernobyl puppies have been Today, thanks to sterilization, adopted out to individuals within fewer dogs are born, and those the Ukraine and in North America. alive have easier lives than the Yurislav, aka “Yuri,” is one of pets who escaped the liquidators these adopted Chernobyl dogs. decades before. “He is very well tempered, house trained, knows several tricks and commands, and is great with children,” says Tim Mollohan, A BOON TO SCIENCE Yuri’s adopter. Mollohan is an While it’s clear the volunteers’ American nuclear professional project is increasing the Chernobyl from Grovetown, Georgia, who dogs’ well-being, it has come oversaw the containment of spent with an unexpected scientific fuel at Chernobyl’s nuclear power benefit. Scientists are able to study station from 2017 to 2018. There, the dogs while treating them, Animal advocates cuddle Mollohan says, he became a friend drawing blood, saliva, hair and with puppies at a makeshift vet clinic operated by The to many of Chernobyl’s street dogs. fecal samples and bringing them Dogs of Chernobyl initiative. And he was working in the highly back to the lab. Researchers are contaminated region when he got using the opportunity to answer the chance to adopt one of these two fundamental questions dogs and bring him back to the about the Chernobyl dogs, says part to the popularity of the HBO A few hang around samosely approximately 1,000 dogs living in Betz, who has donated her time U.S. after his work at the power Tim Mousseau, an evolutionary series on Chernobyl, Kiev’s tourism dwellings, more than 100 can be the Zone. “They’ve been breeding caring for street dogs all over the station was complete. He says he biologist at the University of South and promotion department has found at the Chernobyl nuclear and breeding for 30 years,” says world. “Many die from disease and wasn’t worried about radiation. Carolina: “Who are they, and what reported it expects 100,000 visitors plant site and many more veterinarian Betz. Coming into starvation in winter. We couldn’t “I am familiar with radioactive can they tell us?” to Chernobyl this year. have spread throughout the the Zone with a crew of volunteer bring them out of the Zone, so we contamination and how it passes Some of these answers already Ukrainian officials, ready to city of Chernobyl, where most vets, vet techs and people affiliated came here to treat them.” through the body. I trusted the seem clear. The dogs, who live capitalize off a return of humans of the Zone’s population is with an American nonprofit group It remains challenging work. Clean Futures Fund team and their just two to four years due to a hard to the formerly abandoned Zone, concentrated right now. called Clean Futures Fund, she Getting a hold of the dogs isn’t decontamination abilities,” he life on the street, share a similar were, naturally, concerned began providing much-needed easy; you can’t trap them like other says. “I knew my family would be look that is different than the more about rabies among the 1,000 canine medical care. This includes street dogs. “They’re too smart,” safe and little Yuri had not been diverse array of pet dogs found unvaccinated dogs. Though the first aid, spaying or neutering, Betz says. The friendliest young exposed long enough to significant in surrounding villages: They are evacuated area covers about 2,600 SAVE THE DOGS vaccination and deworming to puppies can often be scooped up levels of radiation.” often robust and shepherd-like square kilometers, dogs are not In 2017, more than three decades protect against parasites. by hand, but adult dogs must often According to Lucas Hixson, Clean with large and erect ears, ranging widely dispersed.