Watch: 'Blue dogs' seen roaming Chernobyl exclusion zone

(WJW) — Multiple dogs with unusual coloration have been seen roaming the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that happened almost 40 years ago.

The Dogs of Chernobyl, a project affiliated with the Clean Future Fund nonprofit, took to Instagram last month, showcasing dogs with blue fur recently seen at the exclusion zone in Ukraine.

"A very unique experience we have to discuss. Chernobyl blue dogs," the group wrote on social media. "We are on the ground catching dogs for sterilization and we came across three dogs that were completely blue. We are not sure exactly what is going on."

A few days later, the Clean Futures Fund, which works with people and animals in and near the Chernobyl exclusion zone, cleared the air on some speculation after the photos and videos started circulating online.

"No, they have not turned blue because of radiation," the nonprofit wrote on Facebook. "These are simply some dogs that got into some blue stuff and we are trying to catch them so that we can sterilize them."

As reported by CBS News and other news outlets, the organization said they believe the dogs got into a leaking portable toilet and that the blue dye isn't permanent.

More than 120,000 people were evacuated from their communities after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant explosion in 1986 caused radioactive materials to spread throughout the area.

According to the Clean Futures Fund, people were not allowed to bring anything they couldn't carry, meaning pets were left behind.

The organization said many of the animals in the exclusion zone migrated to the nuclear plant site, "where their descendants remain to this day."

The nonprofit estimates that hundreds of stray dogs now live in the exclusion zone. The Clean Futures Fund was started in 2017 to help spay, neuter, and provide the dogs with medical care. Learn more about the initiative here.