Blue dogs appear in Navi Mumbai

Usually ignored, the stray dogs of the southern Indian city Navi Mumbai have caused a stir this week after a number of them turned bright blue.

Concern was raised after photos and videos of the turquoise dogs were shared on social media sites. Activists claim that the colour change was due to a reaction to waste dumped into the city's Kasadi River.

The dogs were seen roaming around the Taloja industrial area of the city, which suffers heavy pollution, the London Evening Standard says.

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Animal protection officer Arati Chauhan expressed her dismay at the sight of the dogs. "It was shocking to see how the dogs' white fur had turned completely blue," she told the Hindustan Times. "We have spotted almost five such dogs here and have asked the pollution control board to act against such industries."

The site reports that the Navi Mumbai Animal Protection Cell (NMAP) filed an official complaint with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) last week, and have accused a local firm of dumping untreated dye into the river, which is a popular hunting ground for dogs.

The MPCB said the firm, which has not been named in reports, "does not have adequate air or water pollution monitoring equipment", and that "this has lead to the emission and discharge of pollutants".

"If they do not make adequate efforts to control pollution, we will shut them down," it added.

This week, the Hindustan Times ran an article saying that one of the five affected dogs had gone blind.

Thane Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals President Shakuntala Majumdar told the site: "The infection must have been local and has died down. The blood reports suggest the dogs are healthy.

"The blue colour is water soluble so we expect the rain to wash it away, but we do not know what internal damage the dogs have sustained."