Photographs of a mysterious carcass likened to the ‘Montauk Monster’ have been circulating the internet.
The pictures were taken by Denise Ginley who spotted the creature beneath the Brooklyn Bridge and dubbed it ‘The East River Monster’. The New York City Parks Department claimed that the animal was a pig until keen-eyed observers pointed out that it had claws as oppose to trotters. “Several other people were looking and taking photos, and everyone had a different opinion about what it was (suggestions included giant rat, dog, pig, monster, and seal),” said Ginley.
“Obviously I thought it was gross, but it was just so strange looking I wanted to get closer … strangely enough, it did not smell, maybe because it had been in the water so long.”
Some parts of the animal’s skin were grey, blue or green and others were red, the photographer told WABC’s Kemberly Richardson. “It sort of had a raccoon face and was bloated and didn’t smell,” she said.
Source: WABC
Ginley first speculated that the animal carcass was a giant rat.
The New York City Parks Department told Animal New York that the grisly-looking corpse was “a pig left over from a cookout,” which they disposed of.
Source: Animal NY
However, Joe Coscarelli of New York magazine’s Daily Intel points out that pigs have four toes on each hoof and there are five on the unidentified specimen. The Parks Department told Coscarelli they “didn’t count the toes” before they threw it out.
Source: Daily Intel
A Cornell University professor told Gothamist that the creature was most likely small dog that drowned. It was “obviously bloated” and ” all the hair has slipped off the carcass.”
Source: Gothamist
The “Manhattan Monster” is reminiscent of the hairless animal carcass found on Long Island beach in 2008 called the “Montauk Monster.”
For reference, this is what the Montauk Monster looked like. Based on its teeth and front paws, the creature was determined to most likely be a raccoon.
