The Dogs of Chernobyl, A Story of Hope and Resilience (Virtual)

35 years after the nuclear accident, presenter Stephen went to Chernobyl to participate in a spay/neuter and research campaign for the dogs that were descended from the pets left behind after the nuclear plant disaster of 1986 (and that were not killed by the military).

With many personally shot photos and videos Stephen tells the story of meeting the inhabitants of the mostly abandoned town of Chernobyl City (you will meet 2 squatters, one a hero of the disaster), the totally abandoned city of Pripyat and the dogs (and some cats!) that they encountered.

Stephen will discuss (and show) radiation being detected including on some dogs and the impact of the environment on their lives. And you will even meet some inhabitants of the town of Slavutych which was built in the year following the accident to house the inhabitants of Pripyat after they were belatedly evacuated. It is a story of resilience, hope, life and even heroism. Q&A to follow.

Stephen is a certified Feline Behavior and Training Specialist with 20 years of shelter and field experience currently with the Animal Care Centers of New York City, a not-for-profit contracted by the City of New York to provide animal-related services to the city’s residents. Prior to working for ACC Stephen worked for many years with the ASPCA in New York City in behavior and adoptions and around the country on disaster and criminal cruelty cases. While with the ASPCA and while working on Hurricane Sandy in 2012 Stephen met Dr. Jennifer Betz who became a good friend and later became the Medical Director of the Dogs of Chernobyl project. She then invited Stephen to join the Chernobyl project in 2019.