Another “Chernobyl” was advertised to lovers of dark tourism – tourism of “hot spots with a dark past”. They were invited to visit the “terrible Siberian island that remained uninhabited for 48 years after the deadly ordeal.” It is about the island of Gruinard, which is located 1 km from the coast of Scotland.
The “dark past” of the island is as follows: in 1942, British military scientists began to test the possibility of using deadly chemical and biological weapons on the island. It was at the training ground that the use of anthrax was studied, a deadly bacterial infection that, when inhaled, eaten, or absorbed through broken skin, causes several devastating medical consequences, including huge ulcers. The remote and uninhabited island was quite suitable for this purpose by the British. 80 sheep were brought to the island, next to which bacterial bombs were detonated. The effectiveness was confirmed – the sheep died within a few days. But they could not protect the island from the consequences of the release of bacteria for 48 years.
More precisely, it was only in 1986 that the island began to be cleansed of anthrax. A formaldehyde solution diluted with seawater was sprayed over the island and the infected top layer of soil was removed. As a result, the sheep, which were tested again, remained healthy, and in 1990 – 48 years after the tests – the island was declared safe.
After which the heirs of the original owners bought the island for 500 pounds and decided to pay off the dangerous property by advertising the island for lovers of the appropriate type of tourism. However, tourists are still warned that they visit the island “at their own risk”. As experts assure, anthrax is a very persistent bacterium and its spores could well be preserved.
However, fans of such extremes do leave not the most attractive reviews. The fact is that there is almost nothing to see on the island, except for a couple of ruins and a lot of open space. “What can be seen: nothing but the most treeless flat island. What remains of his dark history is just some dark aura. Visiting the island can be called an inappropriate logistical effort, although it is possible. But there is absolutely nothing to look at,” – they say on the thematic website Dark Tourism.