Censored

Censored... but tours are offered to tourists. Go figure.

The Plum Island Animal Disease Center is a United States federal research facility dedicated to the study of animal diseases, particularly foreign animal disease threats. Much of the government work related to foot-and-mouth disease and mad cow disease was conducted at Plum Island.

Research on a large variety of animal diseases is done here, including animal-testing and genetic manipulation of diseases. Although it has officially been a facility of the Department of Agriculture until its inclusion under the Department of Homeland Security, it has been used for decades for research on animal-borne diseases that can be transferred to humans. The entire research facility is a Biosafety Level 4 laboratory.

The center is located on Plum Island, off the northeast coast of Long Island in New York state. This site was chosen as a bio-threat research center partly for its prevailing off-land winds and the fact that it was already federal property. It is strictly off limits to civilians, and personnel and supplies are transported to and from the island by ferries.

In 2002, the Plum Island Animal Disease Center was transferred from the United States Department of Agriculture to the United States Department of Homeland Security.