Thaindian News

Summer in New York had a few surprises last year. On a hot summer day in 2008 when hundreds went to the cool sea to bask in the life of “sun, sand and surf” this strange thing was washed ashore. They called it the Montauk Monster, and it remained the most happening thing on the Internet for a while. Some thought it was part of a genetic engineering taking place on some secret facility nearby, and some thought it was an exciting new species hitherto unknown. But transient as public memory is, the excitement and the conversations about the monster died down.

As if to bring back public memory to the rotting carcass a year ago, yet another one was ashed ashore on New York’s Long Island beach. The hairless and rather bloated carcass was found by a couple in Southold, at North Fork. Said an onlooker Nicky Papers, “The beast smelled like a mix of low-tide and rotten garbage. It really smelled horrific. I couldn’t help but take numerous pictures of it and video clips.” Papers also said that the carcass could have belonged to a genetically engineered animal or a byproduct of “biological warfare” and may well carry the H1N1 Swine flu virus. But while last year’s Montauk Monster looked like a drowned raccoon, this one looks more akin to some rodent. Whatever it is, it already has its own website and a strong YouTube presence as it lies preserved in an ice chest.

Those that found that latest carcass have not contacted the authorities for fear of having the carcass taken away. But they are willing to sell it to an independent laboratory for research if it is really a product of genetic engineering.