Rongerik Atoll
29 December 2011
Looking out to the ocean.
Rongerick was one of the best atolls we had ever been to. Unpopulated and unspoiled. In 1946, this is where the Bikinians were brought to live in preparation for the nuclear testing. There were 23 tests at Bikini and 43 tests at Anewetak atoll, 180 miles to the west of Bikini. Because of the taboo against Rongerick, people rarely come here so the animals above and below water have flourished. But on the north east island, the one which was once populated, the rats have flourished. They all have the normal number of legs, eyes ears etc and their fur looks normal. The rats eat into fallen coconuts. Coconuts absorb radiation from the ground. If the rats are healthy, maybe it is a verification of the finding of government agencies that the radiation problem has mitigated.