A study reveals stray dogs inhabiting the Chernobyl exclusion zone exhibit unique genetic variations compared to other dog populations. These dogs, possibly descendants of pets abandoned after the 1986 disaster, demonstrate distinct pack behaviors and adapted movements influenced by human activity within the contaminated area.
Researchers from the US, Poland, and Ukraine analyzed DNA samples from 302 dogs living at various distances from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, including some living directly on the site. The study, published in Science Advances in March 2023, found distinct genetic differences between these dogs and other dog populations worldwide.
The research revealed that Chernobyl dogs form related packs, living near each other, unlike the territorial behavior of their wolf ancestors. They adapt their movements and territories based on human activity, establishing core living areas and separate foraging zones. The study also claimed that the dogs are showing distinct genetic changes.
"The combination of observed behaviors in the Chernobyl dogs and their complex family structures suggests that the Chernobyl dog populations violate the assumption of random mating that is inherent to many population genetic models. Genetic differentiation from other purebred and free-breeding dogs suggests that the Chernobyl populations have a unique genomic signature," the study stated.
As per the study, these dogs may be descendants of those present before and after the 1986 disaster and could be the pets abandoned by evacuees in the 1980s.
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster in April 1986 remains the world's most catastrophic nuclear incident. The explosion and subsequent fire released radioactive fallout approximately 400 times greater than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Alongside radiation, the disaster discharged vast amounts of highly toxic heavy metals, pesticides, and other harmful compounds.
Today, some 150,000 square kilometers remain contaminated, with a 30-mile radius around the reactor designated as the "Exclusion Zone." Within this zone, 187 small communities have been abandoned and remain uninhabited.