Suffering dogs will be RESCUED from Chernobyl Nuclear Exclusion Zone and available for adoption
Unprecedented release of dogs to U.S. based animal welfare groups
New York, NY (April 25, 2018) – For the first time ever, the stray dogs living at and around the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine will be rescued and permitted to be released for adoption. This unprecedented event marks an important partnership with the Ukrainian government, which has been reluctant in the past 32 years to allow anything to be removed from the nuclear exclusion zone.
Just a few weeks ago, Clean Futures Fund (CFF) was given permission to rescue and adopt-out puppies from the Chernobyl nuclear exclusion zone; the site of a 1986 Soviet nuclear reactor accident. CFF and SPCA International (SPCAI) will partner to bring out the first 15 dogs and place them in homes in Ukraine and North America.
In 2017, thanks to a partnership between Clean Futures Fund and SPCA International, more than 450 animals were tested for radiation exposure, received medical care, vaccinations and were spayed or neutered. The radiation testing revealed that the dogs living in the zone were not harmfully contaminated. Those results paved the way for their rescue and adoption by proving that it is safe to place them in homes.
The first 15 Chernobyl dogs will be available for adoption in June. This week, CFF and SPCAI staffs are on the ground in the exclusion zone and surrounding community laying the ground work for a shelter and temporary veterinary clinic up to help facilitate the adoptions and more spay and neuter surgeries. Only dogs under one year of age will be released from the exclusion zone, and the dogs will go through a 45-day quarantine period in a temporary shelter in the nearby town of Slavutych before being transported to carefully selected homes in Ukraine and North America.
In 1986, Chernobyl, Ukraine was the site of a catastrophic nuclear disaster. Even though it is seen as a wasteland, it is in fact home to more than 1,000 dogs – mostly descendants of the pets of the 120,000 people that were forced to abandon their homes, personal possessions and even their pets during the emergency evacuation in the wake of the 1986 disaster. Ever since that fateful day, the dogs of Chernobyl have suffered, and all too often died, without food, water or veterinary care.
Anyone interested in adopting a puppy from the Chernobyl Nuclear Exclusion Zone may contact [email protected].
About Clean Futures Fund:
Clean Futures Fund is a U.S. non-profit organization established to raise awareness and provide international support for communities affected by industrial accidents and long-term remedial activities. The Fund identifies and finances humanitarian aid projects and the exchange of information and experiences from affected communities in order to support long-term remedial activities around the world. We are currently focusing our efforts on the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, the site of the world’s largest nuclear disaster.
About SPCA International:
SPCA International is a global animal welfare organization with a mission that is simple, but vast: to advance the safety and well-being of animals. Through outreach, rescue and education programs SPCA International spearheads life-saving initiatives and assists grassroots animal activists worldwide.