Remember the "mystery monster" from last week. Believe it or not, a short article about it along with some comments (also speculating it was a chupacabra) was in the blog section of GovExec.com. To wit: DHS, USDA and the Montauk MonsterBy Tom Shoop | Tuesday, August 05, 2008 | 04:59 PM The folks at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center, which is operated by the Homeland Security Department and includes researchers from the Agriculture Department, boast that they're "proud of our role as America's first line of defense against foreign animal diseases," and that they're "equally proud of our safety record. Not once in our nearly 50 years of operation has an animal pathogen escaped from the island." Oh really? Well how about a full-fledged animal? Say, maybe, a freakish monster? That's the question managers at the facility have been forced to address since last week, when Gawker began publishing updates on the "Montauk Monster," a weird-looking creature that washed ashore on Long Island not far from the Plum Island facility. (Here's a picture of it.) As a media frenzy began to build, Plum Island's director, Larry Barrett, insisted that his facility had nothing to do with, well, whatever the thing is. In a statement issued last Thursday, Barnett said: 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. As of yesterday, Barnett's guess had changed a little. In a slightly different statement, he went with "dog or raccoon" as the possibilities. Oh, well that clears everything up. Meanwhile, rampant speculation in the blogosphere has centered on everything from a pig to a vole to, of course, the spawn of Satan. My money's on a chupacabra. Comments
Talk about a whole lot of effort put into a story about a dog. Maybe because I was a vet tech, but when you see the other photo from the reverse side, it's clearly a dog. Probably a pit bull with brindle colored coat. The coat disintegrates from being in the water, but there is evidence of the coat on the other side. For those talking about the "beak," all it is is the nasal bone and the teeth have fallen or been knocked out. This is really a sad commentary on how poor our nation's science and journalism education is that people who fancy themselves reporters or writers can't even come close to getting something so simple right or even try going to the right authorities for identification. No, it's far better to make assumptions and exaggerations because that's more sexy. Oh for the days when writers were truly journalists!Georgia Peach Pit | Wednesday, August 06, 2008 | 12:20 PM You are absolutely correct. The creature is La Chupacabra. I have been in contact with several highly respected zoologists and they have confirmed my analysis. However none of them has been willing to go on the record. I was told by one of my sources that federal agents were sent to her house in the middle of the night. They warned her not to discuss Monty aka La Chupacabra in public any longer. She claims the agents threatened her with physical violence and a thorough IRS investigation. Gotta go... They're smashing through my front door.Paul A | Wednesday, August 06, 2008 | 10:32 AM Looks alien to me...oh no, I said the "a" word. Now I'm going to have to process the thing!Melted | Tuesday, August 05, 2008 | 11:37 PM I bet it is el chupacabra! Since when do those dang goat suckers take part in water sports though? Oh well. Where the heck are Scully and Mulder when you need them?Sandy | Tuesday, August 05, 2008 | 09:07 PM Looks like el chupacabra to me. I knew that thing was going to wash up on US shores someday. The invasion has finally started...Kelly | Tuesday, August 05, 2008 | 05:16 PM
