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The ‘world’s deadliest’ island remained off-limits to visitors for over half a century. Mountains, icy temps, and deep, enigmatic lochs are usually what you picture when you think of the Scottish Highlands. What about anthrax, though?
Why was public access to Gruinard Island prohibited? Gruinard Island, which is situated near a bay close to Gairlock and Ullapool, seems somewhat inconsequential at first look.
But for almost 50 years, it was tainted with a lethal virus because it was a major test site during World War II.
During ‘Operation Vegetarian’ in 1942, scientists detonated anthrax spore bombs to see if the germs could be weaponized in their attack on Germany.
The military bought the isolated island during the operation and prohibited residents from going there. All of the cattle eventually became contaminated and perished as a result of the anthrax blast that followed, which was tested on sheep.
According to Edward Spiers, a lecturer at the University of Leeds, “eighty-odd sheep were tethered at various stages downwind of the likely explosion,” as shown in the 2022 documentary “The Mystery of Anthrax Island.”
“It isn’t a great bang, a draught of highly potent spores moving down on the wind and causing infection and death wherever it goes.”
The employment of anthrax spores in weapons never materialized. But enough damage had been done to the island that it was deemed “too hazardous” by the Ministry of Supply, who acquired control of it in 1945.
The UK government would not disclose the research until the 1980s, when ‘Operation Dark Harvest’ called for the island to be cleaned up, making the issue public.
The complete circumstances would not be revealed until 1997, when a declassified military footage was made available to the general public.
Since then, has Gruinard Island been cleaned up? The UK government attempted to disinfect the island once more after the Dark Harvest Commandos’ operations.
This time, the island was submerged in a solution of formaldehyde and seawater, and the worst-affected soil was removed and burned. Following the 1987 cleanup, a herd of sheep was later sent to the island,
And because they were healthy, the government declared the island anthrax-free in 1990 and took down warning signs that discouraged tourists from going there.
The entire island would take fire in 2022; at the time, witnesses described the spectacle as “apocalyptic” and akin to a “hell fire.”
Since then, has anyone been to Gruinard Island? YouTuber Dara Tah’s decision to spend the night on Gruinard and retrieve some soil for anthrax testing in 2023 might reignite interest in the island.
Tah and friend Matt James wore hazmat suits filming the video just to be careful, even though the island is considered to be free of contamination.
The island is safe to visit, if you so choose, as the samples the two collected from there turned out to be anthrax-free.