They probably would not have died of radiation poisoning as well. They would have been dead already if they didnt.
shareYeah if they're dead from ARS then they don't pose a direct threat; They're dead after all so it's a matter of disposal. The issue is that they're irradiated and hot (emitting radiation themselves) and can spread the contamination elsewhere, especially into the food chain.
shareIs it that they are emitting radiation themselves or that they are picking up radioactive debris and tracking it around or depositing it elsewhere in their stools?
shareboth. there's radioisotopes that do things like bind with our bones and teeth. Others can be deposited in our soft tissues and yeah, they're emitting radiation. enough and it's a health risk (extreme example were the fireman from Ep 1). In addition, picking up contamination externally and spreading it (As I understand it, plutonium dust was and still is a big issue - it's also just chemically toxic AF). So for instance some cat eats some mice that have been digging in the ground that have picked up all sorts of contamination. It goes around eating and running around picking up more stuff. Maybe it gets sick, maybe not, or at least enough in the short term to kill it. Either way it dies and gets scavanged or is killed, say by a dog that's gone ferral or a fox. Also the birds pick at the rest. That animal goes on to travel somewhere else. Maybe it gets a few dozen KM before it dies (sickness, toxicity, or just starves or bad luck). Some rats and birds pick at its carcass, again, spreading contamination farther. Then it gets into the water system, the food chain, etc. Really nasty. Once you pick it up it's like herpes
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That was difficult. At least they didn't show it on screen. You simply heard the shots. But I winced with every shot.
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Think that's half of what made it so effective.
That story incidentally is taken from an interview from a liquidator in Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich. Very good book.
Yes.
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Itβs funny how they chose to show the hideous deaths of people from radiation but not the deaths of dogs by gun shot.
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Yes, ironic.
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Well people are better actors than dogs. Some dogs can be trained to play dead, but even the best are not very convincing at it. Theyβd have to train puppies for this episode too. Or resort to CGI which is a budget buster add on. So there you have it.
shareToday you find people getting more upset if an animal is killed then a human.
Oh, I'm so mad about this part. It was a cheap tool to get even more shock from the viewer. Apparently, it worked like magic.
We understand by then that they slaughtering the pets who are hungry and happy to see a human. We see them doing it. We see them shooting the cute ones too. They showing a mercy kill by then as well. At this point we logically know yes they're probably killing puppies too.
OF COURSE they have to show it... OF COURSE the rookie is the one who's gotta do it... OF COURSE he can't do it... OF COURSE the older soilder does it... of course it's off screen (for the good taste, luckily) Aahhh, such cliche!!! So not fit in this show!
But it happened.
shareI didn't like that part either. They would have died from radiation poisoning eventually - and probably painfully.
shareI'm watching this series now, and I'm not gonna lie: had to skip those parts of Episode 4!
I love dogs so much, and I know it was much worse in reality but I didn't need to see it fictionalized. I'm glad I had a warning and timestamps.