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chernobyl

14 photos show the abandoned pets of Chernobyl and the humans who want to save them.

The dogs must have known something was wrong. As hours, then days passed, they must have waited by the door, listening to the town's sudden silence, wondering when their masters would return home.

In the early hours of April 27, 1986, the people of Pripyat were told to evacuate their town. Something had gone wrong at the nearby Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. People were already getting sick. They could take their important documents and food with them. Nothing more.

As nearly 50,000of them climbed onto buses, many ended up leaving their family pets behind. It probably didn't seem like such a big deal — officials had told them they could return in just a couple of days.

But they'd never come home again.

That was 31 years ago. Today, the original inhabitants of Pripyat are long since gone. But the pets — the pets are still there.

Two stray dogs with an old cooling tower in the background. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

Well, their descendants are, at least. About 900 stray dogs live in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone — 1,000 square miles of restricted, still-partially contaminatedUkrainian forest about two hours north of Kiev. The radiation is high enough that visitors are limited in the amount of time they’re allowed to stay.

An abandoned building in Pripyat, within the exclusion zone. Photo from Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

Many of the dogs live around the power plant, which puts them in contact with the men and women working on sealing it. And that's a problem.

Several thousand people work in the exclusion zone every day. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

The workers are there to build the sarcophagus, a huge steel and concrete structure that will seal off the still-dangerous former nuclear power plant. The dogs have learned to rely on the workers and the increasing number of tourists for food.

Without humans, the dogs would have to compete with other forest animals for food. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

But for every pup who is friendly towards or at least tolerates humans, there are many more who shy away or could even be dangerous. There's also the risk that they could catch and spread rabies or other diseases from the wolves and other animals that live in the zone.

Radiation isn't the only danger in Chernobyl. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

But one group in particular wants to change this. Meet the Dogs of Chernobyl.

Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

The group is made of vets, volunteers, and radiation experts from all around the world. Launched by the Clean Futures Fund and working with Ukranian officials, the group runs a recurring vaccine and neutering campaign for the animals.

The campaign runs for several weeks each year. During that time, vets capture the dogs and give them check ups and shots.

Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

Rabies vaccines in particular will help keep both the dogs and humans safe.

Not all of the dogs are people-friendly. Tranquilizer darts help the process along for the shyer animals.

[rebelmouse-image 19531458 dam="1" original_size="750x509" caption="The man with the blowgun is Pavel "Pasho" Burkatsky, a professional dog catcher from Kiev. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images." expand=1]The man with the blowgun is Pavel "Pasho" Burkatsky, a professional dog catcher from Kiev. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

The pups also get spayed and neutered in order to keep the population in check...

Bob Barker would approve. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

... and given a radiation check.

A Geiger counter reveals this dog has had about 20 times the normal dose of radiation. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

Researchers are still learning what the long-term effects of the radiation have been on animals and plants.

Ultimately, they are tagged and released.

Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

Some of the dogs are also getting collars with radiation sensors and GPS receivers in order to map radiation levels and help researchers learn more about the inside of the exclusion zone.

Locals were initially suspicious of the group but warmed up when they saw how well the animals were being treated.

Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

The old, official method of dealing with the dogs had been to shoot them. The vets' presence put a stop to that. Within a week, the vets were canteen celebrities, says Lucas Hixson, the group's co-founder.

When they held a weekend event in the city to help spay and neuter stray cats, so many locals showed up to help they had to turn some away.

The campaigns run for several weeks a year, with this year being the first run. Two more are planned, although more might be in the works, Hixson says. They're raising money to hire a full-time veterinarian to stay year-round.

Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

They might even be able to help the dogs find their way back to the homes and families they have lost.

Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

In the future, young animals might be able to be adopted or trained as service or therapy dogs, Hixson says. The descendants of those abandoned pups might once again find themselves waiting eagerly at the door.

Only this time, there's someone coming home to them.

Heroes

30 years after nuclear catastrophe, Chernobyl has a new energy mission.

The Chernobyl meltdown on April 26, 1986, remains the most ruinous nuclear catastrophe in world history.

More than 30 people died in the immediate aftermath, and cleanup costs ran into the billions of dollars.

After the meltdown, the city and surrounding areas were evacuated, leaving 1,600 square miles of radioactive real estate rotting away in what was then the Soviet Union, now Ukraine.

The abandoned town of Pripyat and the Chernobyl power plant, through scaffolding holding a remnant of the Soviet Union hammer and sickle. Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images.

30 years later, we're still discovering the long-term effects of this devastating fallout.

The total body count is estimated to be in the tens of thousands now, although it's difficult to determine exactly how many cases of cancer and other health complications in the surrounding areas can be attributed directly to the toxic waste still lingering in the ground.

To this day, the area remains abandoned except for occasional workers still struggling to contain the wreck in its concrete sarcophagus. But even the milk produced at the farthest edges of the disaster zone still contains 10 times the acceptable radiation limit.

On the bright side — which, ya know, is a pretty low bar here — the general lack of human activity means that wildlife in the area is thriving. So that's nice.

Horses in Belarus near Chernobyl. Photo by Viktor Drachev/AFP/Getty Images.

What do you do with 1 million acres of uninhabitable nuclear wasteland? It's no good as farmland, and you can't build houses...

But you can harvest sunlight.

These are actually in South Burlington, Vermont. But you get the idea. Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images.

That's right: The Ukrainian government is turning Chernobyl into one of the world's largest solar farms.

"The Chernobyl site has really good potential for renewable energy," Ukrainian environment minister Ostap Semerak explained at a recent press conference in London. "We already have high-voltage transmission lines that were previously used for the nuclear stations, the land is very cheap, and we have many people trained to work at power plants."

As crazy as it might sound to build another power plant on the site of such a famously poisonous disaster, we can be fairly confident that sun fuel doesn't come with the same toxic risks.

Ostap Semerak (right) examines a hot cell on the construction site of a spent nuclear fuel storage facility next to the Chernobyl plant on the 30th anniversary of the disaster. Photo by Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images.

If this Chernobyl solar farm reaches fruition, it won't just energize the country. It'll dramatically transform it on a political level, too.

The estimated $1.1 billion project would produce 4 megawatts of energy, or enough to power up to 4,000 Ukrainian homes. "We want to be a successful Ukraine, to show people in the conflict zone that life is better and more comfortable with us," Semerak said at the press conference.

Clean, steady energy would obviously have a positive impact on the lives of those families. But it would also help the country wean off its reliance on neighboring Russia, which still provides Ukraine with much of its natural gas supply (except for when they don't, which is sometimes).

The relationship between Russia and Ukraine is complicated, to say the least. So in addition to the power-producing benefits of this potential new solar farm, energy independence offers an opportunity for the Ukraine to ally itself more closely with the European Union. As Semerak said, "We have normal European priorities, which means having the best standards with the environment and clean energy ambitions."

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko speaks at Chernobyl on the 30th anniversary of the disaster. Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images.

While Ukraine is still in the planning stages, this ambitious project represents a positive potential for a brighter, sun-fueled future.

There are still some hurdles to cross, of course. The big one right now is fundraising, which was the impetus behind Semerak's press conference in the first place. While solar power is undeniably more efficient and affordable, the up-front overhead costs run a little steep, even if they ultimately pay off.

There's also the fact that it'd be naive of Ukraine to enter into such a huge campaign without considering the full ramifications of nuclear fallout. Given the increased wildlife presence, it's entirely possible that the radioactivity has subsided enough that it would be safe to start a large-scale construction project — with proper precautions for the workers, just in case.

But this is definitely a situation where it's better to be safe than sorry.

Photo by Sergei Gapon/AFP/Getty Images.

Humans have done serious damage to the planet over the years. But if it does work out, the Chernobyl solar farm could be an inspiration for all of us.

This is not to the diminish the tragedy of April 26, 1986, of course.

But building a clean-energy plant on a radioactive graveyard is a strangely powerful reminder that our people and our planet can rebound from even the most terrible catastrophes.

chernobyl

14 photos show the abandoned pets of Chernobyl and the humans who want to save them.

The dogs must have known something was wrong. As hours, then days passed, they must have waited by the door, listening to the town's sudden silence, wondering when their masters would return home.

That was 31 years ago. Today, the original inhabitants of Pripyat are long since gone. But the pets — the pets are still there.

Many of the dogs live around the power plant, which puts them in contact with the men and women working on sealing it. And that's a problem.

But one group in particular wants to change this. Meet the Dogs of Chernobyl.

The campaign runs for several weeks each year. During that time, vets capture the dogs and give them check ups and shots.

Not all of the dogs are people-friendly. Tranquilizer darts help the process along for the shyer animals.

The pups also get spayed and neutered in order to keep the population in check...

... and given a radiation check.

Ultimately, they are tagged and released.

Locals were initially suspicious of the group but warmed up when they saw how well the animals were being treated.

They might even be able to help the dogs find their way back to the homes and families they have lost.

30 years after nuclear catastrophe, Chernobyl has a new energy mission.

The Chernobyl meltdown on April 26, 1986, remains the most ruinous nuclear catastrophe in world history.

30 years later, we're still discovering the long-term effects of this devastating fallout.

But you can harvest sunlight.

If this Chernobyl solar farm reaches fruition, it won't just energize the country. It'll dramatically transform it on a political level, too.

While Ukraine is still in the planning stages, this ambitious project represents a positive potential for a brighter, sun-fueled future.

Humans have done serious damage to the planet over the years. But if it does work out, the Chernobyl solar farm could be an inspiration for all of us.

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