DHS Debunks Monster of Montauk Mystery
Plum Island Director's Statement
With the Monster of Montauk the hottest topic on Google Trends for the second day running, Associated Content called the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) which jointly operate the facility, for a response to persistent speculation that the Montauk Monster is USDA property. As reported yesterday on Associated Content, the USDA's Plum Island Animal Disease Center is located not far from where the Montauk Monster washed ashore.
The close proximity of the Plum Island facility and the site of the Montauk Monster's discovery had fueled speculation that the Monster of Montauk is property of the USDA and may have been an experiment gone wrong or a byproduct of improper disposal.
Dr. Larry Barrett, Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) Director, responded to a flood of media inquiries on the Montauk Monster by issuing the following statement:
"It is impossible to accurately identify the species of animal from the photo. There is no scale from which to judge its size. Additionally, when a body has had prolonged exposure to water and predators, it can be altered or appear different from its normal form. If we had the actual body, we could tell you what it is; however, from viewing a canine tooth in the picture, we could guess it may be a cat or raccoon. I can state categorically that it is not associated with the work performed at Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC). PIADC serves as the nation's first line of defense against foreign animal diseases of livestock by identifying such diseases through diagnostic testing and by developing vaccines to protect livestock from those diseases."
Sandy Miller-Hays, of USDA, also said that there is no way the creature known as the Monster of Montauk came from Plum Island. She said that the research there involves barnyard animals, cows, pigs and sometimes sheep, used for research into foot and mouth disease. The Plum Island work is critical, Hays-Miller said, because export rules would prevent the United States from exporting any animal products for a full year if an outbreak of foot and mouth disease were to occur here. Emphasizing the impossibility of the Monster of Montauk being USDA property derived from Plum Island, Hays-Miller noted that all Plum Island research subject animals are euthanized and incinerated once research is complete.
Security at the facitlity is so tight that researchers entering and exiting the building must strip naked and enter a one way turnstile, then dress in facility provided clothes on the other side. Even jewelry and contact lenses must be removed during this process.
Yesterday's Associated Content article erred in stating that Plum Island is a level 4 faciltiy; it is actually level 3-ag and is not responsible for studying zoonotic diseases as stated in yesterday's article. The facility has done limited West Nile virus work but only to address its possible transmission among farm animals.
With the issuance of Dr. Barrett's statement, and the information provided by Miller-Hays, the mystery surrounding the Monster of Montauk seems to have dissipated. No aliens, no sinister government experiments and no devious publicity stunts. Just an unfortunate animal that met its demise.
Sources: interviews and emails with USDA and DHS officials
Published by Carol Bengle Gilbert - Featured Contributor in Travel and Lifestyle
2010 Yahoo! Outstanding Contributor of the Year, Carol has consistently been designated a Top 100 Yahoo! Contributor Network writer. She received a 2008 People's Media Award for "Best Article." Web writing... View profile
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39 Comments
Post a CommentResponse to:are all of you people idiots?!?!? how does that thing look anything like a raccoon? or a dog or cat? whatever that animal is its not normal... and it could just be a deformed animal. but from where? and why hasnt anyone taken the so called "remains" of the creature to a lab?!? instead they have some idiot guy let it rot in his backyard. its pretty wierd how this SHOULD be identified and yet no one has taken any action to do that. All we get is speculation as to what animal it could be.Oh and lets not forget that Jeff Corwin is also agreeing that our little monster is a raccoon. Jeff Corwin.... Are you kidding me!?!!? Somethings not right about this whole thing. I dont want to believe its a fake, but not one scientest or ANYONE for that matter has tried to figure out once and for all wtf it really is
I tottaly agree it dosent look anything like a dog or a cat even a rccon it's suspicious how they let some random guy keep it in his backyard. and to anyone who agr
since the end of my last comment was cut off i'm back to continue. As I was saying, what are you going to do when they put out another disease out there (like they did w/HIV)? You going to stay stupid and think "where did that come from". Like I said, "get real".
Surrounded is the only normal person who wrote a normal comment. For crying out loud you people, what's your problem that you're in denile. Of course the monster isn't anything we've ever seen or know of. I agree w/why hasn't someone, espically the couple who FIRST came upon it, took pictures (w/flies on it too) & was dumb enough to even admit they walked away. What in the world is wrong w/them that they kept their mouth shut and waited for someone else to see it and speak up? Did they think the gov't was going to slit their throat for exercising their rights to freedom of speech? What a couple of weenies. Get real. Since people think the monster came from the the gov't homeland security bldg 18miles away why not say something right away instead of later? Dr. Barrett from the gov't bldg says "it looks like a dog, a racoon" He may convience you idots but not me. C'mon u dopes, they made that thing. so, they don't need to figure it out. Daahh! What are you going to do when they put anoth
great article, I read the novel by that name, it was cool :) Sheri
are all of you people idiots?!?!? how does that thing look anything like a raccoon? or a dog or cat? whatever that animal is its not normal... and it could just be a deformed animal. but from where? and why hasnt anyone taken the so called "remains" of the creature to a lab?!? instead they have some idiot guy let it rot in his backyard. its pretty wierd how this SHOULD be identified and yet no one has taken any action to do that. All we get is speculation as to what animal it could be.Oh and lets not forget that Jeff Corwin is also agreeing that our little monster is a raccoon. Jeff Corwin.... Are you kidding me!?!!? Somethings not right about this whole thing. I dont want to believe its a fake, but not one scientest or ANYONE for that matter has tried to figure out once and for all wtf it really is.
Fantastic job~!
Excellent job on this. I'm leaning toward raccoon. :-)
Don't k now what it is but it kind of looks like a deformed dog.
Great follow-up. Thanks, Carol!
Hmm, your headline suggests that the Dept. of Homeland Security is saying that something does not exist. Would that not then mean that, in fact, it is proper for us to realize that there is no question it does exist? I have learned over the years that the best way to interpret the words of George W. Bush or anyone he has appointed is to listen to what they say and then believed the exact opposite. Try it, it works every time. So, in my estimation, this monster must exist. The logic is irrefutable. It literally cannot be refuted.