Science fiction writers have often speculated that mutants, and in fact, new species of flora and fauna, could appear in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. In January of this year, a photo of one of these species was posted online: a large four-legged animal that looks like a giant rat. We'll tell you if this is really a new animal that has settled in Chernobyl.
In January 2021, a photograph of this strange animal appeared in an advertising preview for article one of the American media. Under the photo was the caption: “New animal species are taking over Chernobyl (photo),” and the link led to an article called “Meet Chernobyl’s new extreme wildlife” and there was no photo.
Preview with clickbait image noticed our colleagues from the American fact-checking portal Snopes. They took a screenshot of the preview and also found out where the photo of the strange animal came from.
In fact, the photo shows the bear Dolores, who has lost her fur, from the German zoo in Leipzig. In 2009 the media steel to write that three spectacled bears from this zoo suddenly began to lose their hair and found themselves in various stages of baldness (Dolores was the most unlucky).
Experts did not understand what led to this condition of the bears. According to curators, the baldness began around 2007, and this is not the first time bears of this species have encountered similar problems in captivity.
“This problem with spectacled bears is not unique to Leipzig,” told in an interview with the BBC, bear curator Gerd Nötzold. — Other zoos in Europe and other regions have the same problem. And we have had an international group of veterinarians working here for some time.”
Photos of an unusual-looking Dolores began to circulate on the Internet - appearing in social networks as a "curiosity". She also has page on geekologie.com, a portal dedicated to strange things. In the comments, users write: “It looks like a cross between a rat and an elephant.” The photo used in the preview is did in 2009 by photographer Jan Wojtas for a European agency. It has nothing to do with Chernobyl.
Fake
If you find a spelling or grammatical error, please let us know by highlighting the error text and clicking Ctrl+Enter.
