DHS Debunks Monster of Montauk Mystery

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/920725/dhs_debunks_monster_of_montau...
DHS Debunks Monster of Montauk Mystery
Plum Island Director's Statement


The Director of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center today uttered an unequivocal denial that the Monster of Montauk came from the facility.

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."

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Posted on 08/01/2008 at 5:08:36 AM

Karen
My husband used to run his own trapline (years and years and years ago), so I had him look at the picture. He said, yes, it looks like a raccoon after being pelted. He noted the rolled back portion of pelt still on the foreleg which is the way most trappers used to remove the pelt. What he found odd, though, was how it appeared that the upper jaw had been scored (or cut)... didn't make sense. Plus, here in the midwest, raccoons are out of season... their pelts are not prime and would be worthless at this time of year. Not sure what the "prime" season is for pelts in L.A. or if there even is a season. Just seems odd for someone to do this to an animal. I note that Grant posted a link above regarding the raccoon theory as well.
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Posted on 07/31/2008 at 10:07:55 PM
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