By: Brianna McAleer
Situated in Gardner’s Bay, east of Orient Point, NY, there stands the mysterious Plum Island. A small island with a big story, Plum Island has puzzled people for decades. What makes this island so puzzling, secretive, and mysterious? The island’s history begins with the inhabitance of the Pequot Native Americans. It wasn’t until 1614 when the Dutch chartered the area and soon named the island after the beach plums that grew there.1 From the late 1600s to the late 1800s, Plum Island passed through the possession of 20 families, until it was finally sold to the United States Government after the Spanish—American War.2 Presently, this particular island is a government-owned piece of land. The island is both the site of the Plum Island Animal Disease Center (established by the US Department of Agriculture in 1954) and the site of the former United States Military installation, known as, Fort Terry (1897).3 The access to this island is strictly controlled by the United States Department of Homeland Security.
Commonly, people inhabiting the surrounding areas of Plum Island and fishermen have told tales ranging from witnessing school bus-sized lobster claws, disfigured birds, and two large glowing yellow eyes surrounding the waters of the island. Being that the island has been a source of consistent animal testing throughout the years, it is no shock that people would report sightings of such objects. Whether you believe that these creations are out there hiding on the island is up to you, but it is a possibility that there are mutant expiriemnts out there. For instance, in 2008, Long Island locals reported the sighting of what is now known as the “Montauk Monster”. This oddly shaped animal was suspected to be a cross between a turtle and a raccoon mutant experiment from the Plum Island Animal Disease Center.4 Although the East Hampton Natural Resources Director, Larry Penny, concluded that the “monster” was a raccoon with its upper jaw missing, scientists have speculated the “monster” to be unnatural since it possessed legs that were too long to be a raccoon, possessed no rodent incisor teeth, had unfamiliar footing, and did not have sharpened teeth.5 In other words, the “monster” missed the passing categories to be a rodent, a turtle, a dog, and a sheep. Yes, you read that correctly. The “monster” did not meet the criteria of four species. With this being said, what was this monster?
Is Plum Island truly the Animal Disease Center that we think it is, or is there a bigger story hiding in the shadows? Being that the island has operated for several decades and that there has been no real documented threat to the public, it is safe to say that the island has the public’s best interest. Despite this, instances like the “Montauk Monster”still cause us to ask ourselves why are these testings being done?, how often do these testings happen?, and, are there more monsters lurking in the dark? Let us hear your thoughts in the comments!
1 Cohen, LS. “Crazy Facts About Plum Island”. Longisland.com. Last Modified March 16, 2020. https://www.longisland.com/news/03-13-20/crazy-facts-about-plum-island.html
2 Cohen, LS. “Crazy Facts About Plum Island”. Longisland.com. Last Modified March 16, 2020. https://www.longisland.com/news/03-13-20/crazy-facts-about-plum-island.html
3 edesco, Lianna. “Plum Island: The Turth Behind the “Area 51” of the East Coast”.Thetravel.com. Last Mondified Janurary 13, 2022.https://www.thetravel.com/plum-island-truth-facts-area-51-of-the-east-coast/
4 Didyk, Evan. “Grusome Find Stirs Memories of the montauk Monster”. Easthamptonstar.com. Last modified July 3, 2020. https://www.easthamptonstar.com/villages/202073/gruesome-find-stirs-memories-montauk-monster
5 Didyk, Evan. “Grusome Find Stirs Memories of the montauk Monster”. Easthamptonstar.com. Last modified July 3, 2020. https://www.easthamptonstar.com/villages/202073/gruesome-find-stirs-memories-montauk-monster
Photo Credit: Doug Kuntz
The EastCoaster 
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