Dogs are turning bright blue in Taloja, an industrial neighborhood in Mumbai, India. No kidding, they’re actually turning blue. Residents were surprised when stray blue dogs started roaming the streets of Taloja. According to The Guardian, 11 blue dogs have been sighted so far.
No, it’s not Blue’s Clues
Why are these dogs turning blue? Reports suggest that untreated industrial waste is to blame. A company in the area allegedly dumps this waste into the nearby Kasadi River. While there are nearly 1000 factories in this industrial area, the factory at fault has been identified and has 15 days to comply with environmental standards. A temporary gate has been erected around the factory and main areas of polluted water to keep more dogs from a bath of blue chemicals.
An animal welfare agency in the area was able to capture and clean some of the affected dogs with success. (They should have used the BarkBlaster). The blue color washed away, and there doesn’t appear to be any immediate damage to the dog’s health. Unfortunately, it’s hard to determine if the exposure to such chemicals will produce long-term health issues.
Check out this video to see the blue dogs first discovered in Mumbai. The intensity of the blue color is quite amazing, though the cause is very unfortunate.