Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!convex!linac!att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: dam@cs.glasgow.ac.uk (David Morning) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: Anthrax Keywords: anthrax Message-ID: <1991Feb15.063720.6587@cbnews.att.com> Date: 15 Feb 91 06:37:20 GMT References: <1991Feb13.220435.4498@cbnews.att.com> Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker) Organization: Computing Sci, Glasgow Univ, Scotland Lines: 36 Approved: military@att.att.com From: David Morning eugene@nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya) writes: >From: eugene@nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya) >In article <1991Feb12.013342.7678@cbnews.att.com> >dam@cs.glasgow.ac.uk (David Morning) writes: >>I wasn't aware that they had used superheated saline steam on it >Sounds like Day of the Trifids. The US has it share of contaminated More like Day of the Lepus given the rather puzzling case of the appearance of anthrax immune rabbits on the island in the late 50s/early 60s. The original rabbit population was wiped out completely together with some sheep and goats left on the island in the original test in the 40s. The island was barren for many years after that until rabbits suddenly appeared on it in the late 50s. The MOD denied it had put them their to test a vaccine and suggested they may have swam across at spring tide or locals had breached the exclusion zone around the island and introduced them deliberately. This caused great consternation amongst the locals who pointed out that if the rabbits swam across, they could swim back carrying anthrax with them. Whatever the reason the rabbits were zapped again and no more was heard about them until the early 80s when the went to give the island its final clean-up and found:- yep! Rabbits. All very peculiar. Has a touch of urban(or maybe rural) myth about it and it's impossible to confirm other than the rabbits WERE on the island in the late 50s as there was a loud public outcry about it. Dave .