In some countries of the World, chicks are dyed with different colors to catch the attention of kids. Those chicks are not considered harmful as the dye is injected into the eggs before hatching. Applying henna to an animal’s fur is also a custom in certain places of the World. However, the weirdest phenomenon just happened in Mumbai, India where the wandering dogs of the city started turning blue.
Many dogs were found wandering in the city with their fur turned blue. The investigations revealed that it was caused by the industrial waste dumped in Kasadi river, where stray dogs are commonly found. Hindustan Times reports that Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation conducted water quality tests and found out that the waste treatment was inadequate. The biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) was found to be 80 milligrams per liter and the levels of chloride were also very high.
Arati Chauhan, the animal rights’ activist who runs the Navi Mumbai Animal Protection Cell, commented,
“It was shocking to see how the dog’s white fur had turned completely blue. We have spotted almost five such dogs here and have asked the pollution control board to act against such industries.”
The blue dye was discharged into the river by a firm located near common effluent treatment plant (CETP) that manufactures detergents using blue dye. Five such blue dogs have been spotted in the city; one of them even got blind due to the toxic chemicals that were dispensed into the water. The firm not only released untreated waste into the water but also released powder dye into the air.
Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has taken a legal action against them, and the officials said,
“We have collected photographic evidence. There is only one company in this area responsible for these violations. The firm does not have adequate air or water pollution monitoring equipment. This has lead to the emission and discharge of pollutants. A complete report has been submitted to our head office, and a hearing with the private company is likely to take place within the next fortnight. If they do not make adequate efforts to control pollution, we will shut them down.”
A company official briefed about this incident as,
“We have installed a temporary gate to prevent strays from entering the river. We will adhere to MPCB’s instructions within a week.”
The veterinarians of Thane Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA) examined the affected dogs and said,
“The infection must have been local and has died down. The blood reports suggest the dogs are healthy. The blue color is water soluble, so we expect the rain to wash it away, but we do not know what internal damage the dogs have sustained.”
Weird and shocking stuff these days!