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Our assignment throughout the rest of the course is design Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.... "They can be from any time period, past present or future. Create a new take, a new style on the characters." My story involves Professor Jetsan Khandro, a Tibetan Biologist. Who spends his waking hours, on the outskirts of Repula (a small village in the shadow of Mount Everest) , attempting to track down substantial evidence of a creature the locals call "The Makalu." A bear-like Cryptid said to inhabit the base of the world's highest mountain. This week the assignment was to start the thumbnail silhouette phase of our characters. I normally don't ever have the discipline to sit down and do this. But these were fun to do, and I definitely found better ideas for shapes than I would've had I just sat down to do a single drawing.
To: Third Doctor Full time cryptozoologist, author, Dr Who fanatic. Hunted many strange beast in many strange places but not the Tazzy wolf as yet. It's top of my list. I think it is cryptid most likley to exist along with orang-pendek and the giant anaconda. Oops, you forgot something. The words you entered did not match the given text. Please try again.
Posted by: John Kirk on August 31st, 2006 While the Kelowna detachment has had to deal with people attempting to harm an aquatic cryptid, the RCMP detachment near Peter Pond Lake in Saskatchewan has had to deal with a ‘lake monster’ which could prove harmful to humans. “Puff,” as the creature is known, has had a habit of tearing up the nets of local fishermen, so much so that they reported these occurrences to the RCMP. In addition to the fishermen who are on that lake, it is also used recreationally, so if there is something that poses a danger to persons and property, the police are obliged to check it out. Although the damaged nets are there for all to see, things have been peaceful on Peter Pond Lake and it seems “Puff” has taken on the characteristics of the dragon Peter, Paul and Mary sang about in the 60’s. The RCMP in Newfoundland have also been involved indirectly in a monster riddle that has long baffled the inhabitants of the hamlet of Roberts Arm. This delightful little town sits just to the west of the scenically beautiful Crescent Lake, reported home of an underwater cryptid named Cressie. A number of local people have seen the creature and some like Fred Parsons have spotted the beast more than once. Although the locals believe that there may be a lake monster in their local body of water, there may be a more plausible explanation for what they have seen. A number of years ago, the RCMP was called in to deal with a tragic death involving a boating accident. Divers from the RCMP were called in to assist with retrieval duties. While underwater the divers from the force were amazed to see enormous ‘eels’ in the lake. Some of these eels were very thick in size, a few of them as large around as a man’s thigh. It is very possible that these large eels are what the locals are taking for a lake monster. I have asked my friends on the force to keep me updated on anything cryptozoologically newsworthy so watch out for more on the Crypto-Police on Cryptomundo. One of the founders of the BCSCC, John Kirk has enjoyed a varied and exciting career path. Both a print and broadcast journalist, John Kirk has in recent years been at the forefront of much of the BCSCC’s expeditions, investigations and publishing. John has been particularly interested in the phenomenon of unknown aquatic cryptids around the world and is the author of In the Domain of the Lake Monsters (Key Porter Books, 1998). In addition to his interest in freshwater cryptids, John has been keenly interested in investigating the possible existence of sasquatch and other bipedal hominids of the world, and in particular, the Yeren of China. John is also chairman of the Crypto Safari organization, which specializes in sending teams of investigators to remote parts of the world to search for animals as yet unidentified by science. John travelled with a Crypto Safari team to Cameroon and northern Republic of Congo to interview witnesses among the Baka pygmies and Bantu bushmen who have sighted a large unknown animal that bears more than a superficial resemblance to a dinosaur. Since 1996, John Kirk has been editor and publisher of the BCSCC Quarterly which is the flagship publication of the BCSCC. In demand at conferences, seminars, lectures and on television and radio programs, John has spoken all over North America and has appeared in programs on NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, TLC, Discovery, CBC, CTV and the BBC. In his personal life John spends much time studying the histories of Scottish Clans and is himself the president of the Clan Kirk Society. John is also an avid soccer enthusiast and player.
THE EVERGLADES – Elusive cryptid Manigator has found himself in trouble yet again. The half-man half-alligator mutant is listed on DontDateHimGirl.com DontDateHimGirl.com is a website where women can anonymously post the name, photograph and a brief profile of men they have dated. Manigator, currently wanted in four states, has a record 86 comments on his profile. Some of these are as follows: “This guy is an ****, and not the old world southern gentleman he claims to be. He got banned from entering Alabama on our first date. No matter what he says, he is not with Military Intelligence.” “This man will tell you lies. For my birthday he bought me $50 in lotto tickets, with my own credit card. When I confronted him about it, he tried to play for sympathy saying his life has been so hard; that he never knew his father and his mother left him because he’s different. He was crying, it was so pathetic I gave him a hug. Then he started unhooking my bra! Little Creep!” “He does Not know Ben Affleck! He got drunk and passed out in Ben Affleck’s pool. Ben Affleck got a restraining order when Animal Control said it was outside of their jurisdiction. If he says he knows Ben Affleck, it is a LIE! I got maced by Jennifer Garner!” “I Bet He’s Gay! It’s basic Psychology People! Don’t be Fooled!” However this woman had left that exact same comment on over 3000 other profiles. There was only one rebuttal defending Manigator, from an anonymous poster in Alaska. “He doesn’t know how to feed and clean himself properly, but he always made me feel pretty when nobody else would.” This is not the first time the public has been warned about Manigator’s felonious past. Similar sites, like CryptiDate, MutantMatch and ValidateMyVictimhood have warned women about dating Manigator. GitOffMyLawn, PeskyCritters, and AffleckNews have chronicled more of his drunken exploits. In the mid-nineties, he had an entire episode of America’s Most Wanted dedicated to his federal offenses. When reporters tried to reach Manigator for comment, his trailer was empty and apparently had been vandalized by a mob of bitter exes.
BTW, one of the types of sightings associated with giant otter types is the fact that they will come out on land and then sit back on their hind legs, making them stand up about as tall as a human being (more usually a small human being of course, but tradition exaggerates). You get that all along the Western coast of North America and you get that rarely in the "Master-otter" lake reports in Ireland and in Scotland. One of Costello's reports was a 'THING sitting up on a rock' evidently as tall as a human, only Costello seems to have missed the importance of that . That would more likely be one of the giant otter types than a long-necked sea lion. This is from In Search of Lake Monsters pages 181-182; Costello says it is like a seal, but it has a tail distinctly mentioned, and it resembled a monkey when sitting up and a crocodile when stretched out at length. The Irish reports specify a very reasonable length of 8 to 12 feet for it, probably only a little exaggerated, but the corresponding McDuff Morag sighting (p.150) and the 1923 sighting by Alfred Cruikshank ashore at Loch Ness (p122) guess the length as 20 feet; 20 feet seems a common exaggeration. In both of these cases, the creature was NOT reported as long-necked and in fact in both cases the animal had clawed, webbed feet and not flippers. And despite Costello, long tails. Here is the new revised map for the theory. This version makes a discrimination between recent historical and legendary refernces to the giant otters (of the Holarctic sort) and the more current monster reports, meaning the actually recorded reports from the 1920s on, plus strongly suspected rumours in the same areas. There is traditional material from the Hudson's Bay area and what used to be Canada's NWT, but I don't think that comes as close as saying actual reports since the 1920s or so. And the Greenland traditions were evidently already of an extinct version at the time the tradition was recorded. The midwestern U.S. water panthers (Mishipizhiws) may well have persisted until colonial times but there is nothing to connect them to more recent monster reports. Almost all locations on this map are only tenative at this point, but there is some strong suspicion that some of the creatures have been video-taped in recent years. The gist of the matter is rather simple: at one point, group member Dave F. was considering that Steller's reported sea ape was a giant otter and I did a comparison of the description with the Irish master otter, and found that the description of the pointed nose and pricked ears matched. I also found ample evidence for a cryptid called the sea wolf off the northwest coast area to Alaska, and thought that the descriptions matched better than Mackal's hypothetical eared-earless seal. So I made the construction that the two were possibly the same based on that, and other traditional reports filled in from Greenland, the Hudson's Bay area, the Mound-culture area of the USA, Iceland, Scandinavia, Far-Eastern Siberia and Japan. When I had done my water monsters survey and statistical analysis for the SITU in the late 1970s (with revisions up until the early 1980s), I had noted that there was a distinctive series of reports at Lochs Ness and Morar that did not conform to the pattern of a long-necked plesiosaur-like creature, that it had a shorter neck and clawed feet with webbed digits, and that it seemed to be the same as the Irish Master-otter going by Costello's In Search of Lake Monsters. When the discussion got to this point, I mentioned that the master otter had the "Greyhound"-like head mentioned in later lake monster reports such as at Glenderry Lough, and in fact that the 1527 report by Sir Duncan Campbell (Costello's version of this differs somewhat in the wording). The Irish reports specify something ordinarily in the range of six to twelve feet long but there is another series of such reports that estimates the size range as double that. The 1923 land sighting at Loch Ness by Alfred Cruikshank is one of the short-necked creatures supposedly in the realm of 20-24 feet long, but seen only briefly in bad lighting at night and Costello assumes that the length must have been doubled. The similar creature seen through clear water at Loch Morar might also have had its length misjudged if it had not actually have been sitting on the bottom. And Costello's composite creature has a large ear seen in several sightings, sometimes flopped down (at Loch Ness in 1954, according to In Search of Lake Monsters p.81) and at Lake Storsjon. Costello himself suggests that there might be both a giant seal and a giant otter involved - citing Burton's theory - but eventually settles on the seal. There could very well actually be two separate creatures that his composite runs together, one a type of otter that has the ears and the other the more usual longer-necked creature. At the Frontiers-of-Zoology group, mention was made of the fossil giant otter Megalenhydris and it was suggested as a candidate. The species is represented by fragmentary remains in an ambiguous context at Corsica: it could have been saltwater or freshwater, late-Pleistocene or more recent: it is permissible to say ALL of these are possible. It was a giant otter larger than the present giant otter in South America, with a similar flattened tail, and I said there was a good chance that it represented Burton's giant otter (NOT that such a creature would account for the rarer reports of a plesiosaurian or eel-like creature, either one of which Burton had also supported earlier). Unfortunately, the parts of the face that would have been diagnostic for the reports are missing from the skull, and things like pricked ears and a pointed nose do not preserve anyway. It is only fair to say that after Dave was satisfied with this much of the theory, he withdrew his suggestion that the Steller sighting involved a giant otter and began working on the suggestion that it was merely an ordinary river otter washed out to sea. There is actually quite a bit more of this at the FOZ and actually I was trying to market the suggestion of a book on the matter, but nothing ever came of it. I also include some of the photos from the group in the sea wolves and sea apes photo album, concerning giant unknown otters, possible surviving Megalenhydris. This includes my reconstruction from the sightings as I mentioned last time, the one that Karl Shuker had seen. Unfortunately the skull material left cannot determine if the fossil genus had the characteristic pointed snout and upstanding ears, and so the identification must remain open to some doubt. If the reports are any indication, it is both amphibious and able to tolerate both saltwater and fresh, it is basically a fish- and shellfish-eater but will sometimes attack land animals (including humans) - possibly as males defending their territory. The fossil Megalenhydris is tantalisingly incomplete but it was a giant otter larger than the current South American giant otter; but from the remains (one individual, an incomplete skeleton) we do not know for certain if it was Pleistocene or recent, marine or freshwater; possibly it was all of these. There are also other reports of possibly unknown giant otters in the tropics but the feeling at FOZ is that these reports would not be referring to creatures closely related to the master-otters.
This event is going on this weekend at the Museum of the Weird in downtown Austin. We’re going to have several famous cryptozoologists and authors as well as maybe a surprise appearance by Bigfoot himself! It’s going to be an awesome event! UPDATE: all advance tickets are sold out, but we’ll still be selling regular admission to the Museum. Even though our advance tickets to the lectures and the movie screening are already sold out, we will still have the museum open for general admission, and you’ll still be able to meet the guests and get some signed books and swag, as well as attend dinner and drinks with the group afterwards at the Chupacabra Cantina and The Jackalope Bar next door. Hope to see you here! Saturday, January 26th, 20133:00pm to 10:00pmMuseum of the Weird, in conjunction with the world’s foremost website on all things cryptid, Cryptomundo.com, will be hosting a very special event on January 26th at the Museum of the Weird in Austin, TX:Cryptomundo Night at the Museum!Featuring an all-star line up of world famous cryptozoologists, experts and authors, it’s sure to be a night of entertainment, intrigue and mystery as we explore the unknown creatures that lurk in the darker corners of the world we live in! Please come out and join us for the festivities!Speaker presentations and author book signings include:Lyle Blackburn, frontman for rock band Ghoultown, writer for Rue Morgue magazine and author of “The Beast of Boggy Creek”Nick Redfern, author of “Wildman! The Monstrous and Mysterious Saga of the British Bigfoot”, “Monster Diary: On the Road in Search of Strange and Sinister Creatures”, “The World’s Weirdest Places,” “Memoirs of a Monster Hunter,” and “Monsters of Texas.”Ken Gerhard, author of “Big Bird! Modern Sightings of Flying Monsters” and “Monsters of Texas.”Dave Coleman, author of “The Bigfoot Filmography”The event starts at 3:00pm and goes until 6:00pm, then a break for dinner and to explore 6th Street and downtown Austin.It resumes again at 8:00pm with a special screening in the Museum’s Weird Theater of the ’70s drive-in classic “Creature from Black Lake.”
SheepSquatch, also known as the white thing is a white woolly-haired cryptid that has been reported throughout the southwestern region of Virginia, USA. SheepSquatch is described as being the size of a bear, with completely white wool-like fur. Its front limbs end in paw-like hands, similar to a raccoon’s but larger. The beast head is long and pointed, like a dog with long saber-like teeth and a single-pint horns like a young goat. SheepSquatch sports a long and hairless tail, similar to an opossum’s and is reputed to smell like sulfur. The counties with the most sightings of Sheepsquatch are from Boone, Kanawha, Putnam, and Mason. A large surge in sightings took place in Boone County during the mid-1990s. In 1994, a former Navy seaman witnessed the beast break through the forest. The white thing drank for a few minutes, then crossed the creek and continued on across toward the road. The navy seaman observed the animal for a while, and then it moved on into the surrounding brush. Also in that same year, two children observed the beast while playing in the yard in Boone County. They saw what looked like a large white bear, and it stood up on its hind legs, which made it over six feet tall. Startled, the beast ran away through the forest, breaking medium-sized limbs off of trees as it went. Another encounter a year later involved a car. A couple driving through Boone County noticed a large white beast sitting in the ditch along the road. They stopped their car to get a good look at it. It was described again as a large white animal with woolly fur about the size of a bear. In this instance, it was described as having “four eyes”. Then, it jumped out of the ditch and starts attacking the car. The couple drove off quickly, and when they got home noticed the large scratches on the side where the beast attacked. Another incident occurred in 1999, this time a couple of campers were in the forest of Boone County at night around a campfire. They heard an animal snorting and scuffling around the camp, but it did not come into the light of the campfire. All of the sudden, the SheepSquatch appeared out of the darkness and charged at the campers. They jumped up and ran back to their house; all the while being pursued by the SheepSquatch. It stopped at the edge of the forest, however, and let out a terrible scream. Then it just turned around and headed back into the woods. The next morning, the campers examined their campsite and the trail home. It was torn up, they said, “like someone had tilled it up for gardening”.
\|Posted on May 31, 2012 at 6:45 PM\| MYSTERY PRIMATES—LEMUR, MONKEY, APE AND HUMAN HYBRIDS Primates (Excluding Humans) In The Variation Of Animals And Plants Under Domestication Charles Darwin noted: "Several members of the family of Lemurs have produced hybrids in the Zoological Gardens." In the primates, many Gibbons are hard to visually identify and are identified by their song. This has led to hybrids in zoos where the Gibbons were misidentified. For example, some collections could not distinguish between Javan Gibbons, Lar Gibbons or Hoolocks and their supposedly pure breeding pairs were mixed pairs or hybrids from previous mixed pairs. Agile gibbons have also interbred with these. The offspring were sent to other Gibbon breeders and led to further hybridization in captive Gibbons. Hybrids also occur in wild Gibbons where the ranges overlap. Gibbon/Siamang hybrids have occurred in captivity—a female Siamang produced hybrid "Siabon" offspring on 2 occasions when housed with a male Gibbon; one hybrid survived, the other didn't. Anubis Baboons and Hamadryas Baboons have hybridized in the wild where their ranges meet. Different Macaque species can interbreed. In The Variation Of Animals And Plants Under Domestication Charles Darwin wrote: "A Macacus, according to Flourens, bred in Paris; and more than one species of this genus has produced young in London, especially the Macacus rhesus, which everywhere shows a special capacity to breed under confinement. Hybrids have been produced both in Paris and London from this same genus." In addition, the Rheboon is a captive-bred Rhesus Macaque/Hamadryas Baboon hybrid with a baboon-like body shape and Macaque-like tail. Various hybrid monkeys are bred within the pet trade. These include hybrid Capuchins e.g. Tufted (Cebus apella) x Wedge-capped/weeper (C. olivaceus); Liontail macaque X Pigtail macaque hybrids and Rhesus x Stumptail hybrids. The Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) has interbred with the introduced Taiwanese macacque (M. cyclopis); the latter has escaped into the wild from private zoos. Among African monkeys, natural hybridization is not uncommon. There numerous field reports of hybrid monkeys and detailed studies of zones where species overlap and hybrids occur. Among the apes, Sumatran and Bornean orangutans are separate species with anatomical differences, producing sterile hybrids. Hybrid orangutans are genetically weaker with lower survival rates than pure animals. LARGE CHIMPANZEES WITH GORILLA-LIKE CULTURE The Bili or Bondo Mystery Ape Some locals said they were eight feet tall and weighed 280 pounds. Others claimed they were even bigger, equipped with huge flesh-ripping teeth and muscles capable of dismembering a man. Forest dwellers told visiting explorers and scientists of a ferocious gray ape, with the cunning of a chimpanzee and the power and size of a gorilla—and a taste for meat rather than the shrubbery loved by most apes. For, unlike most apes, these were predators—capable of hunting not only forest antelope but, incredibly, lion and leopard too. And to cap it all, like wolves, these fearsome beasts howled at the Moon. The giant lion-eating ape of the Congo, known 'officially' as the Bili Ape or Bondo Mystery Ape, was one of those creatures that for decades sat on the knife-edge that divides myth and scientific respectability. Skeptics said giant, lion-eating primates were no more than a fairy tale, a by-product of the sheer size and remoteness of Africa's largest, most lawless, unexplored and war-torn region, into which any number of fictional monsters could be placed by an overactive imagination. Indeed, the "Congolese super-ape", a gray-furred, ferocious man-eating carnivore, starred in Michael Crichton's 1980 sci-fi thriller Congo, and cryptozoologists also spoke of Mokele-mbembe, Africa's Loch Ness monster, a dinosaur purported to survive in the Congolese forests. And yet, despite the aura of mythology that surrounded these improbable creatures, many scientists believed that something new and unusual did indeed live in the impenetrable forests of Africa's Heart of Darkness. In particular, the locals' tales about the giant, unusual apes which had been noted by Western explorers since the late 1890s were simply too similar, too coherent, to be dismissed as fanciful exaggeration. And now, it seems that the Congolese mystery ape has finally come into the spotlight of scientific respectability. At last, a group of researchers has succeeded in studying these animals first-hand over a long period, and has not only confirmed their existence, but also described a fascinating animal about whom not all the myths are true, and yet which lives up to—in some respects—its legendary reputation. Over the decades of primatology in Africa, there have been reports of large chimpanzees with an anomalous appearance and/or culture put under the label Koolokamba or a variation of it. Recent work by Swiss researcher Karl Ammann and others have provided a great deal of information on this unique population. Swiss scientist Charles Cordier found 12-inch-long footprints (gorilla-sized) in the Congo 100 years ago, and identical ones have shown up again recently. Several skulls taken in 1996 from the Bondo were shown to be typical of chimpanzee skulls except for sagittal crests typically only found on gorillas. While some individuals sleep in trees like normal chimpanzees, others dwell in ground nests more like gorillas. The behavior is not totally unknown in chimpanzees, but is regarded as unusual due to the presence of several large predators like leopards, lions, and hyenas in the area. Very large dung samples collected near the nests show structures called "hostra rings" more commonly found in gorilla dung. Behavior more typical of chimpanzees includes the use of tools to catch ants, and the construction of leaf cushions. Behavior previously not seen in either chimpanzees includes the use of rocks to smash beehives for honey, and reports of them catching turtles and even fish. When a researcher named Cleve Hicks from the University of Amsterdam spent 18 months observing the Bili apes at close quarters, what he found was intriguing—a population of extremely large chimpanzees with their own distinct 'culture' and, indeed, a liking for the meat of big cats. One was seen scavenging on the carcass of a leopard, although it is not known if the ape had killed the cat. The males of the species appear to be very large as demonstrated by field observations, very large footprints (12-14 inches), and several huge carcasses. Males tend to dwell on the ground and be very shy (possibly due to the predators), and females dwell in trees like typical chimpanzees. Females appear to be more normal-sized, although a very old female named Caroline was large enough to be mistaken for a large male. Caroline and other old female Bili chimpanzees have a baldness pattern similar to "male pattern baldness" in humans. Skin coloration varies from black to white within the population, and hair color varies from black to gray. Despite their appearance and behavior, genetic tests done on dung and hair samples indicate that they are not hybrid, new species, or even new subspecies; the differences appear to be mostly cultural. The males appear to occupy a gorilla-like niche on the ground, but the females tend to act like conventional chimpanzees. Analysis of the DNA also showed that the population appeared to be extremely inbred and showed none of the genetic variation shown in every other chimpanzee population. Perhaps the main difference between these animals and other chimpanzees is their fearlessness of humans. Most chimps instinctively flee when they catch sight of a man; these animals approached the scientists and their staff with a degree of curiosity. There is some controversy involved in this case. One of the researchers, Dr. Shelley Williams, made several claims about the population circulated in the press which have been disputed by Ammann. She said that images of the animal, captured in a video, showed that it looked like neither a gorilla or chimpanzee, whereas the animals Ammann and his team observed were clearly large chimpanzees. She also made the claim that the animals were aggressive "lion eaters" or "lion beaters" (press articles inconsistent), but Ammann and others assert that the males are actually very shy. Williams also related an account of the apes walking bipedally and standing over 6 feet tall, but again Ammann asserts that the apes, while big, are not as large as gorillas. Williams has not responded to any of the criticism, and unless she provides harder evidence, it is difficult to take her claims seriously. While these animals have been documented by Cryptozoologists, they were never thoroughly researched, and there appears to be no reference to one being regarded as a "cryptid" before the discovery. While this isn't a new species or a discovered cryptid, it still is a fascinating find. It demonstrates that even in the 21st Century there are still some things we don't know about large animals, and it makes the concept of Cryptozoology more plausible. Also interesting is that Cordier's footprint shows not only that early accounts can be accurate, but that this population, evidently very inbred, has been around for a very long time. Cordier also described two other anomalous footprints, although they do not seem to have reappeared recently, if at all. There seems to be no information on when and where he located the footprint, and it would be interesting to see if the apes occur in other locations. This find is also important for showing that known species can show a huge amount of behavioral, cultural, and even physical variation even though there is not much genetic change. That concept should be kept in mind when dealing with the other mystery primates covered in the context. While no new species or subspecies will be discovered by researching this species, the research has only begun and a lot of questions need to be answered about this and other anomalous chimpanzees. After all, it was in the forests of Central Africa that one of the most startling discoveries of modern zoology was made. When sightings of a massive primate living high in the cool mists which drape the volcanic peaks of what are now Rwanda, Uganda and the Congo were mooted in the late 19th century, few took them seriously. Explorers described a powerful yet gentle, celery-munching ape living at altitudes of more than 10,000 ft. But it wasn't until 1902 that Robert von Beringe, a German army officer, made detailed observations of the animal which now bears his name, Gorilla gorilla beringei, the famed mountain gorilla. Of course, there are implications for Cryptozoology as well. It shows that despite something initially appearing to be a new species, it could end up being more "mundane" but still very interesting. While the Bondo mystery apes have been cemented in reality, there are accounts of "Koolakambas" taken around 1860-1890 which look rather different, and have been surmised to be a Gorilla/Chimp hybrid. P. B. DuChaillu was the second person to refer to this animal (the first was by the Frenchman Franquet in 1852) and he used folk taxonomy to differentiate this from the other apes known in the area. His description said that the pelvis was short and broad, the supraorbital ridge was large, the zygomatic ridges were high, the ears were large, the face was somewhat flattened, the incisors met to form a grinding surface, and the cranial capacity was higher than in other chimpanzees. According to DuChaillu, "Kooloo" referred to a sound that this animal made, apparently different from the native apes. "Kamba" simply means "to speak" in the Commi language according to DuChaillu. Animals with an appearance very similar to DuChaillu's description have been reported in captivity in modern times, one of which named Minnie frequently walks bipedally. Some have suggested that the Koolakambas may also be a mutation, in which case it would be an example of micro-evolution in action. According to von Koppenfels in 1881: "I believe it is proved that there are crosses between the male Troglodytes gorilla and the female Troglodytes niger, but for reasons easily understood, there are none in the opposite direction. I have in my possession positive proof of this. This appears to settle all the questions about the gorilla, chimpanzee, Kooloo Kamba, N'schigo, M'bouve, the Sokos, Baboos, etc". Yerkes reported several "unclassifiable apes" with features intermediate between chimpanzee and gorilla in his 1929 book A Study of Anthropoid Life. Another researcher named Osman Hill gave a rather contradictory description of the Koolakamba, saying that it had very small gorilla-like ears and a very prognathous face. There do not appear to be any references to this type of Koolakamba being found in zoos. Some have criticized DuChaillu's description on the basis that he used folk taxonomy that, unlike Linnean taxonomy, could consider individual variation a certain "type". It is speculated that this Koolakamba is a variation of the Lower Guinea chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes). Du Chaillu's description is, however, considered accurate since many of his other descriptions were quite accurate for the time. For both of these Koolakambas, there has been speculation that they are gorilla/chimpanzee hybrids, much like the Bondo apes. It is doubtful that a chimpanzee/gorilla hybrid could start a viable population (they would have to be the same species), and so, much like the Bondo "Koolakambas", these animals seem to reflect population variation in the chimpanzee. Perhaps Osman Hill's animal reflects a small population which went extinct or into hiding, but there is still a chance that it is based on a few anomalous individuals. DuChaillu's animal seems much more common, and thus less likely to be individual variation and more likely to be a distinct population. The mingling and breeding with normal chimpanzees in captivity would be suggestive that the two are very similar, but zoo animals may not always display "natural" breeding behavior. Dr. Williams' account seems to match DuChaillu's (flat face, bipedal tendencies) better than Ammann's, but the significance of this is not readily apparent. Was DuChaillu's animal wide ranging, or does it represent a parallel adaptation in a different subspecies? Hopefully, research into the Bondo mystery ape will help to clarify these other Koolakambas. According to Mark Hall's book Yeti, Bigfoot, and True Giants, Cordier collected folklore from the Eastern Belgian Congo about a bipedal, herbivorous, man-size (or bigger) ape which curiously had the same taste for honey as the Bili ape. Assuming the bipedal trait was exaggerated, this vaguely sounds like it could be another ape along the lines of the Bili ape/Koolakamba. An illustration of a footprint collected by Cordier and illustrated in Sanderson and Hall's respective books looks curiously similar to a Bili ape footprint in that it seems long and narrow with a rather far set-back thumb. Garner (1896) wrote that an ape called Mafuca exhibited at Dresden Zoo in 1875 was sometimes described as a cross between chimpanzee and gorilla. Different experts identified her as a chimpanzee or as a young gorilla."It would be difficult to believe that two apes of different species in a wild state would cross, but to believe that two that belonged to different genera would do so is even more illogical. Yerkes (1929) reported the case of adult female Johanna of Lisbon, whom Duckworth (1899) considered an unclassifiable ape intermediate between gorilla and chimpanzee and similar to the "Kulu-Kamba" and Mafuca. Others considered Johanna, who had been a performing ape with Barnum and Bailey's Circus, to be a gorilla. Giant Malawi Chimpanzee (Ufiti, Fireti) Sightings of a strange chimpanzee occurred around 1959 to 1960 around Lake Nyase, Malawi; which is incredibly strange since the nearest known chimpanzees are over 700 miles away. Around 30 tree nests were discovered, and there were other reports apparently indicating a population. The animal named Ufiti (or "ghost") was photographed and sighted several times, and was said to be enormous and to have a prognathous face. The animal was supposedly captured afterwards and brought to the Chester Zoo where she later died. The chimpanzee had several strange characteristics such as a height nearing 6 feet and a silver back, not to mention her location. Some officials have regarded her as a new chimpanzee subspecies, but no scientific classification exists. This is a remarkable story, and it seems utterly amazing that she could evade classification in a zoo of all places. Sanderson himself did not mention her capture and life in the zoo, but did mention that harming or capturing the chimpanzee was illegal. Did she arrive after the book was published? Was she ever even in the zoo at all, or was there some sort of mix-up? If the description of her is accurate, she sounds quite a bit like the Bondo apes reported (particularly one large female named Caroline), but several hundred miles away. While the reports seemed to indicate a population, there don't seem to have been any reports of the animals since Ufiti's alleged capture. The theoretical population itself could have been a new subspecies, but it could also still be an anomalous population like the chimpanzees with the gorilla-like culture. If there is indeed a carcass preserved in a zoo, that would be worth checking out, but it remains questionable how accurately the story of the anomalous Ufiti has been told. Large Bipedal Ape: (Kikomba, Apamandi, Abamaanji, Zaluzugu, Tshingombe, Ngoloko, Milhoi, Muhalu, African "bigfoot") Central Africa has very sporatic reports of apes or ape-like creatures distinguished by a bipedal gait. The reports are so rare, in fact, that in Ivan Sanderson's Abominable Snowmen book he essentially declared that Africa was apparently devoid of such creatures. But some reports have been recorded since the publication of the book. Tracks attributed to the animal have been found and supposedly indicate an ability to run or even jump bipedally. The face is ape-like and grays with age like other hominids. One report of a strange bipedal creature from Kenya has been lumped into this category, despite showing many strange characteristics. It measured eight feet long when stretched out dead, was as large as two people, and smelled awful. It was covered in gray hair three feet long near the head or top of the body. The ape-like face had a receding chin and forehead, large eyes, and a small mouth with big teeth. Oddly, it possessed very large, flapping elephantine ears. Even more bizarrely, the feet had an opposable thumb with three other toes and the hands had a thumb and an index finger with a 2.5-3 inch claw. Reports of similarly sized hairy bipeds, none mentioning the bizarre hands, feet, or ears, occured in the Congo until the early 1960's. Until there are more accounts of this animal, it should probably be taken very critically. The description of the animal, aside from that absurd report from Kenya, are very vague and don't provide much to work with. They could very well be due to misinterpreted reports of known apes behaving strangely. Charles Cordier has a (partial?) footprint supposedly from the "Apamandi" which does indeed look rather unique, but that is some very vague evidence. There is always the chance that the apes represent another inbred, strangely-behaving colony of apes like the Koolokamba, but don't bet on it. As for the Kenya report, which should probably be dealt with separately, it seems that it can safely be discounted. Even if the reports of the creature are vague, surely someone would have noticed the utterly bizarre anatomy! There are so many improbable features on this creature, it couldn't possibly be a mutant, so if this thing was real there has to be a whole colony looking like this. Exactly what good does three foot long hair do in a jungle climate? Why would a primate evolve lobster claws? Why would something that big be a biped when a quadrupedal stance would offer much more stability? To make matters more complicated, modern day sightings of these animals seem to have stopped at around 1960, except for perhaps the recent reports of Bili. Hopefully further research on the Koolokamba apes will help determine the relationship between these sightings. The Tano Giant was seen in the Gold Coast sometime before 1911. It was described as a "white ape of extroardinary stature" that was "past all men" in size. It's arms alone were reportedly as thick as a man. The skin was described as being white, but the hair was black. The head was flattened and oddly described as being the size of a large monkey's. The mouth was monkey-like and had big teeth. Despite not having thumbs, the giant supposedly kept the skin of a bush cow to wrap itself in when it got cold. Its habits were extremely aggressive, it carried off one woman and several children, who were later found disembowled and mutilated. It also supposedly broke the gun of a hunter. The only thing that scared it away was fire. This story closely resembles tales across the world of cannibalistic giants, and may have no more basis in reality than Grendel or any other similar tale. It seems almost certain that this is a complete invention, but it could have a very tenuous base in reality. Perhaps a belligerent Western chimpanzee once attacked a few people and the story became warped with time. Or perhaps there never was an attack, and it was just a story attributed to a little-known species in the same way that early reports portrayed the gorilla as an ogre-like creature. It certainly sounds like something out of a bad adventure story. The only reason it is mentioned here is because it could possibly have some connection with chimpanzees or maybe even the bizarre bipedal apes reported. But it seems safe to say that Karl Ammann is not going to find this walking around in the jungle. Bipedal Pygmy (Agogwe, Kakundakari, Doku, Mau, Mberikimo, Chimanimani, Tokoleshe, Abonsei, Ijimere, Sehite) This animal, commonly refered to as an agogwe, is a small ape-like biped inhabiting Central Africa between the Kalahari and Sahara deserts. The agogwe is said to stand around 2 to 4 feet tall and its footprints (with an opposable toe) are a mere five inches in length. Marked differences between it and known apes include a rounded forehead, small canines, long red hair, and yellowish red skin. Rather oddly, it forms what may be a symbiotic relationship with baboons. Other reports describe the creatures as cave-dwellers. The animal was a topic of discussion in the 1920's, but its popularity has subsequently diminished. The most common theory on the pygmies is that they are Australopithecines. Footprints did have a somewhat diverged toe (far from opposable though) and the overall height and description fit. Other individuals have suggested that they are actual human pygmies, but extremely atavistic, or possibly misunderstood, ones. After the discovery of late-surviving dwarf hominids called "hobbits" on Flores in Asia, the concept of late-surviving pygmies has become much more conceivable. Though a world away, Africa may be an even more plausible place for such a species to still be roaming. However, tales of the pygmies could possibly be based on known anthropoids that the natives were not familiar with. Two other possibilities should also be considered. The first is the possible survival of gibbons in Africa. Gibbons are called "lesser apes" and are small, tail-less, and habitual bipeds with a rounded forehead and small canines. The biggest problem is that gibbons rarely walk on solid land and mainly locomote with their arms. Another possibility is that a chimpanzee has adapted towards open country and has filled an Australopithecine-like niche the same way the Koolokamba chimpanzees filled a gorilla-like niche. It's a fairly long shot, but it is not totally beyond conception. However, the reports do admittedly sound very much like an Australopithecine, or possibly a dwarf form of Homo erectus. The fact that these animals haven't been reported any more for decades is a significant problem, and like other creatures discussed here, they may have gone extinct (assuming they existed) before they were ever described. Alternately, the lack of a European colonial presence may make it much more difficult for reports to come out. It still seems doubtful that anything is behind these reports, but if there ever was or is, an ancient hominid would probably be the best candidate. HUMANZEES (AND OTHER CLAIMED HUMAN HYBRIDS) A reputed "humanzee" (human/chimp hybrid) called Oliver was DNA tested and found to be a chimpanzee, albeit one which differed slightly genetically from the more familiar chimps in being bipedal and having a smaller head. Oliver may have been a mutant or represent an unknown species of ape. It is currently believed that he represents a geographical subspecies of chimpanzee. He did not associate with other chimps in captivity and was sexually attracted to human women instead. This meant he was never bred. Oliver's habitual bipedal gait is now believed to be a result of early training and habit, although he mastered it to a greater degree than most trained chimps. In a publicity event, a woman declared her willingness to be inseminated by Oliver (and even to have the mating filmed for scientific purposes), but this offended public sensibilities and did not happen. Had Oliver been a genuine hybrid, then like most male hybrids he would probably have been sterile. However, the behaviors and physical characteristics which led to so much speculation and controversy regarding Oliver's origins, are not totally unique among the apes. Everyone is familiar with the comparisons between humans and our so-called "closest cousins"—chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. But has anyone ever heard of bonobos? If not, don't feel left out. Even one of the top bonobo researchers in the world says that in the minds of most people, bonobos don't really exist. But the wilds of the Congo region of Africa suggest otherwise. Estimates suggest between 5,000 and 25,000 of the peaceful primates live there. Dr. Frans de Waal, director of the Living Links program at the Yerkes Primate Center in Atlanta and author of Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape, is one researcher who is looking into the human-like behavior of the little-known primates. "Studies on bonobos started much later than on the other ape species and fewer people were involved in them," de Waal points out. "So as a result, we knew less about them. The chimpanzee has been known for centuries, but the bonobo has been set apart from the chimpanzee only since the 1930s." Add to that the fact that their remote habitat in a politically unstable part of Africa makes it doubly difficult to study them in the field. But there's no denying that a number of things have surfaced recently that makes them much more than a passing curiosity. While they may appear chimpanzee-like to the untrained eye, bonobos are different. "In terms of body mass, they are very similar to chimpanzees," de Waal explains. "But they're much more graceful. They have longer legs, they're slender, they don't have the huge shoulders and thick neck [of chimps], and they have a smaller head. They're also more elegantly built and move more elegantly than chimps. And when the bonobos stand upright, they look very human-like because they have these different body proportions." It's their social behavior, however, that's the real pièce de résistance. "In terms of social behavior, bonobos are almost the opposite of the chimpanzee in that they're relatively peaceful," de Waal remarks. "As far as we know, they don't have inter-group warfare going on, they eat a little bit of meat but much less than chimpanzees, and they're not great hunters." But here's where it gets interesting: "Male dominance is not there. It's rather the opposite where females dominate the show." And it doesn't stop there! "They seem to resolve a lot of their conflicts with sexual behaviour," he says. "If two bonobos have a fight, they may make up with a sexual reconciliation, which is typical for their species. So there's a lot of sexual activity that goes on that has more social meaning than reproductive meaning." Their sexuality also mirrors humans in a couple of other ways. "Bonobos have a greater variety of sexual postures," he reveals. "The bonobos can do it any way they want—and they can do it face to face also. So positionally—so to speak—they have a richer repertoire. And their sexual behaviour is not just male to female. It's also female-to-female and male-to-male and male-to-juvenile." In fact, they make the human sexual revolution of the sixties and seventies look tame. Soviet Professor Ilya Ivanov attempted to create a human-ape hybrid using female chimps impregnated with human sperm and women volunteers impregnated with chimp sperm. Ivanov's experiments have been documented by Kirill Rossiianov (Institute for the History of Science and Technology of the Academy of Sciences, Moscow), "Beyond Species: Ilya Ivanov and His Experiments on Cross-Breeding Humans with Anthropoid Apes," Science in Context, 2002, p. 277-316. In a presentation to the World Congress of Zoologists in Graz in 1910, he outlined the possibility of using artificial insemination to create a hybrid. In 1924, while working at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, Ivanov gained permission from the Institute's directors to use its experimental primate station in Kindia, French Guinea, for his hybridization experiments. He requested backing for this project from the Soviet government, writing to Soviet officials including the People's Commissar on Education and Science Anatoliy Vasilievich Lunacharsky. In September 1925, Nikolai Petrovich Gorbunov, head of the Department of Scientific Institutions helped allocate $10,000 to the Academy of Sciences for Ivanov's human-ape hybridization experiments in Africa. In March 1926 Ivanov arrived at the Kindia facility, but left after a month because the facility had no sexually mature chimpanzees. Ivanov attempted to organize the insemination of human females with chimpanzee sperm in Guinea, but the French colonial government objected to the proposal. There is no evidence such an experiment was arranged there. Back in France he corresponded with French Guinea's colonial governor and arranged to conduct his experiments at the botanical gardens in Conakry. Ivanov, assisted by his son (also called Ilya), went to Conakry in November 1926 where he oversaw the capture of adult chimpanzees in the interior of the colony. These were caged at the botanical gardens in Conakry. On February 28, 1927, Ivanov artificially inseminated 2 female chimps with human sperm (not sourced from him or his son). On June 25, he injected a third chimpanzee with human sperm. The Ivanovs left Africa in July 1927 with 13 chimps, including the 3 artificially inseminated females. They already knew that the first 2 chimps had not conceived. The third died in France and was also found not to have conceived. The remaining 10 chimps went to the Sukhumi primate station. Ivanov returned to the Soviet Union in 1927 and attempted to organize experiments at Sukhumi using ape sperm and human females. In 1929, with the help of Gorbunov, he gained the support of the Society of Materialist Biologists (a group associated with the Communist Academy). In Spring 1929 the Society set up a commission to plan Ivanov's experiments at Sukhumi. They required at least 5 volunteer women for the project. In June 1929, before any inseminations had taken place, the only sexually mature ape remaining at Sukhumi (an orangutan) had died. A new set of chimps would not arrive at Sukhumi until Summer 1930. That year, a political shakeup in the Soviet scientific world resulted in Gorbunov and several other Sukhumi scientists losing their positions. In Spring 1930 Ivanov came under political criticism and on December 13, 1930 he was arrested and exiled to Alma Ata, where he died in 1932. There have been persistent rumours of a Chinese humanzee experiment; the rumoured 3 month fetus died when the mother was killed during civil unrest. There are similar rumours of a humanzee or manpanzee experiment in the USA. In the 1960s there were persistent rumours of a Russian experiment to inseminate either a female chimpanzee or a female gorilla with human sperm. Bernard Grizmek, former Frankfurt Zoo director, wrote of rumors from the Soviet Union that the Russians had created a human/chimpanzee hybrid (probably a misreporting of Ilya Ivanov's experiments). More recently, a news story claimed that Stalin ordered his scientists to create an army of human/ape hybrids, because they would be less fussy about what they ate. Though nothing came of this, it may have been the origin of the rumors. According to a tale by Peter Damain in the 11th century story De bono religiosi status et variorum animatium tropolagia, Count Gulielmus had both a pet ape and a wanton wife. The woman was so wanton that she allowed the ape to become her lover. The ape became jealous of the Count and when it found him lying with the Countess, the ape attacked him. The Count died of his grievous injuries. Damain had learned of this from Pope Alexander II. The pope had shown Damain a monster that was supposedly the result of the ape mating with the woman. This ape-like boy was called Maimo after his simian father. If Maimo did exist, he was most likely a physically and mentally handicapped child. In the 19th century, a Khoisan (Hottentot) woman called Saartjie Baartman was exhibited in Europe in a cage. Black women with enlarged labia and enlarged buttocks were sometimes deemed evidence of chimp/human hybridization; such hybrids being called a "womanzee". This was based on the supposed resemblance of their genitalia to those of female chimps and fitted with the then prevalent opinion that Blacks were inferior, or less evolved, than Europeans. Enlarged buttocks occur due to a condition called steatopygia (extreme accumulation of fat on the buttocks), while enlarged labia, or "Hottentot Apron" can be either inherited or induced/enhanced by manual stretching (in some regions they were considered attractive). Neither trait is due to hybridization. The idea of human/ape hybrids has fascinated people and resulted in several films or TV series, some exploring whether such hybrids would have "human rights" or simply be experimental animals for use in vivisection. It is only a matter of time before curiosity overcomes ethics and an authenticated attempt is made.
Monday, August 16, 2010 Sunday, January 10, 2010 By PATRICK LEVO New Year Greetings from Salamaua Point. As they say in the local Gawac lingo – ‘Asalu ngayam’ or ‘good day’ which is the same as ‘sare lareva’ in my Toaripi of Gulf, ‘jobe’ in Garaina, ‘awinje’ in Menyamya and ‘zoang biang’ in Kote of Swit Finsch. From Malalaua to Salamaua is a long, long way. There are many rivers to cross and many more mountains to climb and an ocean to swim. But after many years of wondering in amazement and wandering around in circles, I finally set foot on the narrow isthmus that joins Salamaua peninsula to the mainland. I fulfilled my childhood dream of visiting this legendary place on Boxing Day last year in the company of another first timer Dadarae Logona and his son Titus. The Logonas are from Tubusereia in They say Salamaua is magical. I say it is still salacious and I will be going back. In its heydays, it was the place to be. Even now, it still has that magnetism. Lae expats have holiday homes here and they say the fishing is good, so good they always keep coming back for more refreshing Sadly the isthmus that connects Salamaua is slowly being washed away. Where once a road connected Salamaua point to the mainland, rising sea levels have eroded much of the land and the point is in danger of being cut off from the mainland. Valiant attempts have been made to save the isthmus including dumping huge tyres and rocks as a sea wall but to no avail as nature carves a future for the peninsula. Will Salamaua point, original home of the Buakap people become an island as a result of global warming and rising sea levels? I don’t know but if it does, one piece of history and my footprints will be washed away forever. My old man was a colonial era teacher. One fine day, he brought a text book home which had pictures of Salamaua, Rabaul, Wewak and Goroka. It was post card perfect, the coconut palms dancing in the breeze, a boat in Salamaua harbor and locals walking along the isthmus carrying coconuts. I asked the old chalk: “Where is this beautiful place?” He replied: “Son, Salamaua is near Lae. And Salamaua is very far from Malalaua.” From then on, even as a little kid back in the early 70s, I promised myself that one day I would walk on that same isthmus. I left my Kerema footprints there on the morning of Dec 26. When you stroll through that former colonial outpost, there are certain reminders of the past; a history steeped in affluent times gone by where the tapestry of the Salamaua was the one time staging post for the gold rush into Wau Bulolo in the 1920-30s and a wartime foothold captured by the Japanese on March 8, 1942 and then retaken by the allies a year later after much fierce aerial bombardment and ground offensive. The town was recaptured by Australian and Salamaua was originally built by the Germans and given the exotic south seas name Samoahafen just as Dregerhafen and Finschhafen up the north east coast remain today as reminders of the Kaiser’s influence in New Guinea of the 1800s. When gold was discovered at Wau, miners came from all over the world and made for the goldfields through Salamaua via the rough Black Cat Track which is today a major tourist attraction and an epic test of endurance for those foolish enough to retrace history. Today the villages of Kela and Laugwi still occupy the site as well as well as a variety of holiday homes, mainly for Lae based expatriates eager to escape the potholed city. Walking through the narrow strip, I could not help noticing adventurous names such as ‘Gilligans’ where you can get a cold drink, and ‘Margaritaville’ where they say the food is exceptional. Even the nearby Salamaua Guest House, owned by the Morobe Provincial Government offers a self contained room for K44 per night and you can always find the friendly caretaker manager Mathew Gomuna from Garaina ready to help you. Local legend has it that when the Japanese captured the town, they built an underwater tunnel under Salamaua Point to save their submarines and light landing craft. Our hunt for this piece of history turned up fruitless as our guides could not agree to the exact location. So we turned our attention to just enjoying the According to the online free encyclopedia, Wikipedia, early in 2007, a video production company from The "Destination Truth" expedition team was looking for the ropen, a cryptid that is described in terms suggesting a Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur, whatever lareva that is! The explorers, including the leader Joshua Gates, videotaped a glowing flying object that seemed to correspond to local native ideas about the glowing ropen. I did not see one such prehistoric creature but I came away happy at having fulfilled my childhood dream. On the dinghy back to Busamang village, we passed the villages of Asini, the mission station of Malalo perched high on a hillock and the I have a sentimental attachment to Asini but I know that I may never get to set foot on its beach. Perhaps, I will try one fine day. Finally, farewell to sportswoman Florence ‘Floss’ Bundu, who was a team mate at the Stars Club in the 1980s at Hohola basketball courts, and to Ovia ‘OT’ Toua of HB, who was the first PNG Chief of Staff of this paper and to my good mate the late Henry ‘HK’ Kila, who was never ever short of jokes! Thanks for the happy memories. Join me next week as we attempt to reel in the big one in one big fishing misadventure in Patrick Levo is Post-Courier Bureau Chief in Lae Tuesday, January 5, 2010 Lae business executive Namon Mawason, who is from Laukano village in Salamaua, was greatly shocked to see the rising sea levels when he spent the New Year weekend there. At a popular picnic spot, known to Laukano villagers as Aleawe, rising sea levels have swamped the beach and eaten away the roots of trees along the coastline. He has called on provincial and national authorities to immediately carry out an investigation into rising sea levels in Salamaua. Mr Mawason took photographs of the rising sea levels and sent them me. “The photographs show the possible effects of climate change on the water front in Salamaua, particularly in Aleawe,” Mr Mawason said. He said they also found a life buoy from the ill-fated mv Lihir Express, which had a mishap last October off the Salamaua coast. Wednesday, November 5, 2008 Minister for Culture and Tourism Charles Abel revealed this at the 11th Mamose governors’ conference last Friday in Salamaua, Huon Gulf district, while presenting a cheque for K50, 000 to develop Black Cat Trail between Salamaua and Wau. Mr Abel has called on all culture and tourism promoters and developers to document and compile proposals and submit them to make use of the funds. He said the master plan for the Black Cat Skin Diwai track was documented and compiled. The launching was held recently at Lae International Hotel and an initial funding for the track worth K70, 000 was given. Mr Abel said the Kokoda Track alone had attracted 6,000 tourists this year. “If we want to further promote and market tourism in the country, we have to change our behaviours, characters and attitudes,” he said. “The tourism and culture business is a total community participation venture and it benefits all. “Why are we killing ourselves committing hold-ups and hijacking our visitors?” Mr Abel asked. “If Salamaua local level government leaders and communities are serious about developing their two significant historical sites, they must wake up from their slumber,” Morobe Governor Luther Wenge said. Community leaders and people should work collectively with the Government to introduce a product to attract tourists, he added.Mr Wenge also accepted a petition from the Salamaua people to develop Black Cat Trail and build a sea wall to protect historical sites at Salamaua, the former colonial administrative centre of Morobe Wednesday, August 27, 2008 Laukanu villagers, in a reanactment of the arrival of the first missionaries Malalo as seen from the sea Part of the large crowd at Malalo It was a sunny day, not a cloud was in the sky, as if they did not want to spoil the celebrations. Hundreds of people from all over Salamaua, Morobe Province, converged on Malalo that Friday for the centenary celebrations. Work started on this icon - overlooking idyllic and historic Salamaua – exactly 100 years ago on October 12, 1907. Surrounding villagers and guests from Lae, other parts of Morobe, and Papua New Guinea, converged on Malalo for the 100th anniversary celebrations. The people of my mother’s Laukanu village rekindled memories of yore when they brought a kasali (ocean going canoe) to Malalo in a re-enactment of the arrival of the first Lutheran missionaries. The people of Laukanu were among the greatest mariners of the Huon Gulf, making long ocean trips throughout the Huon Gulf to exchange goods, long before the arrival of the white man. When the first Lutheran missionaries arrived in Finschhafen in the late 1880s, the Laukanu made the long sea voyage to Finschhafen, and helped to bring the Miti (Word of God) to the villages south of Lae. The launch of the kasali celebrated not only the great seamanship of the Laukanu, but more importantly, coincided with the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Malolo Mission Station - overlooking idyllic and historic Salamaua – on October 12, 1907. The people of Salamaua and surrounding villages, who make up the Malalo Circuit, converge on Malalo that week for this momentous occasion. It was a time for all to celebrate the important role the church had played in their lives, as well as remember the many expatriate missionaries and local evangelists, who worked through the dark days of World War 1 and World War 11 to bring the Miti (Word of God) to the people. These legendary missionaries include Reverend Karl Mailainder and Rev Herman Boettger (who started actual work on the Malalo station), Rev Hans Raun, Rev Friedrich Bayer, Rev Mathias Lechner, and Rev Karl Holzknecht. Rev Raun suffered the humiliation of being interned by Australian authorities during WW1 while Rev Holzknecht (whose family has contributed much to the development of PNG) suffered the same fate during WW11 – their only crime being Germans. Rev Bayer was taking a well-deserved leave in his homeland of Germany when he lost his life on July 24, 1932. The heart-warming and touching story of Rev Bayer and his wife, Sibylle Sophie Bayer, is told in Sophie’s autobiography He led me to a far off place. Rev Holzknecht replaced Rev Lechner in 1939 and was there when World War 11 broke out and wiped out Malalo and its famous neighbour of Salamaua. Missionary’s wife Helene Holzknecht accompanied her husband on all but the trips along the Black Cat Trail into the Wau and Bulolo valleys, ministering to village women and helping the sick she found in these areas. The outbreak of war in Europe in 1939 brought this idyll to an end. Karl Holzknecht – being a German - was taken prisoner as an enemy alien by Australian authorities, leaving a pregnant and heartbroken Helene at Malalo. Her eldest child and only daughter, Irene, was born at Sattelberg, on February 1, 1940, after Karl’s removal to Australia. Helene and Irene were returned to Malalo, but were eventually evacuated after Japanese bombers attacked Lae and Salamaua. Helene often talked of seeing those planes skimming the hills on their way to Salamaua, and the horror of the bombing of Salamaua. Soon after their evacuation by DC3 to Port Moresby, Japanese aircraft also bombed the Malalo Station, destroying all the family’s possessions. Reverend Karl Mailainder and Rev Herman Boettger started work on the Malalo Mission Station exactly 100 years ago on October 12, 1907. They had already checked out other places from Busamang to Kelanuc before settling at Asini at a place called Poadulu. At Poadulu, work started on Malalo. The local people were very happy and gave a large piece of land to the Lutheran Church. The Laukanu people had two kasali so they sailed all the way to Finschhafen and brought missionaries’ cargo back to Malalo. When Rev Mailainder was clearing land at Malalo, he had a surveyor, Mr Mayar, who worked alongside him. Work had already started when Rev Boettger arrived and the station was established. At that time, a church was made of sago leaves. This was after the congregation membership increased to 500. Work started on Malalo Mission Station on October 12, 1907, and the opening was on December 20, 1907. In 1908, the work of confirmation started and work started on a new church building with proper roofing iron. One missionary gave 1000 German Marks, while Munchen in Germany gave a big bell and a bowl for baptism. Work started on the new church building and on January 30th, 1910, it was opened with Holy Baptism. Malalo 100th anniversary organiser Elisah Ahimpum was pleased with the hundreds of people who turned up for the occasion, which also featured a cultural show. Plaques with the names of all missionaries and evangelists who worked at Malalo were unveiled that Friday. Invited guests to the 100th anniversary celebrations included Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG leader Reverend Dr Bishop Wesley Kigasung, Morobe Governor Luther Wenge, Lae MP and prominent Lutheran Bart Philemon, Huon Gulf MP and Health Minister Sasa Zibe, as well as Bulolo MP Sam Basil as the Miti filtered into his area from Malalo. Unfortunately, not all were able to attend, with only Assistant ELPNG Bishop Zao Rapa representing the church and Mr Philemon and Tewai-Siassi MP Vincent Michaels representing the government. However, that did not spoil the occasion, with hundreds turning up to witness celebrations marking the centenary. A soldier who died before WW11 Another graveyard from the gold mining days One of the earliest graves from 1930 Resting in peace on beautiful Salamaua To visit the old Salamaua cemetery is to step back in time, to rip-roaring period when gold fever struck men from around the globe. The discovery of gold at Edie Creek above Wau in 1926 sparked off a gold rush of massive proportions, which led to the development of Salamaua as the capital of the then Morobe District. Thousands of Europeans flocked to the jungles of Salamaua and Wau in search of gold in the ‘20s and ‘30s. Their legacy lives on today through the infamous Black Cat Trail, later to become scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of WW11. In those days, foreigners were regarded as insane by the village people because of the joy the strange yellow dust brought to them and the trouble they went to get it Gold-fevered foreigners from all around the globe were landing at Salamaua! The goldfields lay eight days walk through thick leech-infested jungle and steep razorback ridges. There was a real threat of being attacked by hostile warriors. And when they got to the fields, they were faced with the prospect of dysentery, a variety of ‘jungle’ diseases, and pneumonia brought on by the extremes of temperature between day and night. Blackwater fever, a potent tropical disease akin to malaria, claimed the lives of unaccustomed European gold miners by the score. Gold Dust and Ashes, the 1933 classic by Australian writer Ion Idriess, tells the fascinating yarn of the gold fields and of the trials and tribulations faced by the miners. Idriess, in his book – which remains a bestseller to this day – also writes of many of the colorful characters that now lie on a hill overlooking the sea in the old Salamaua cemetery. It provides probably the best insight into the history of the development of the Morobe goldfields, and is a must- read for students of colonial history. Today the old Salamaua cemetery, or what remains of it, is well tended to by the local villagers. The graves are mute testimony to the days when European man, running a high gold fever, was claimed by a fever of a different kind.
Posted in Books, cryptozoology, monsters, strange creatures, tagged art, big birds, creature, cryptids, cryptozoology, linda godfrey art, strange wisconsin, thunderbirds on September 7, 2014 \| art by Linda Godfrey Super-sized birds are one of the most tantalizing topics for researchers of cryptid animals. Most of these weird flyers resemble some type of actual bird (often a type thought long extinct) that would seem to put them in the “likely to be ‘real’” category – except for their wingspan usually reported at 20 feet or more, their massive bodies, and their penchant for carrying off live creatures considerably larger than the rabbits, fish and squirrels preferred by even the largest of our known birds of prey. The 2005 sighting near Hayward, Wisconsin by a Minnesota businessman named John Bolduan that I chronicled in American Monsters describes one of the better observations I’ve seen anywhere of these creatures. Bolduan’s sighting was in close range in full daylight and included seeing the bird on the ground, taking off, and then flapping away, with nearby trees, tall grasses and roadway for size comparisons. It had a stork-like appearance, but Bolduan hasn’t been able to match it to any known species. Since the time that I had to submit the manuscript for that book, I’ve received other reports of oversized avians that I wish could have been included. A brief summary: - Pike County, PA, autumn 1996 or 1997: A woman reported seeing a huge birdlike creature gliding over the trees during the day. She stopped her car to watch it and estimated it was the same length as her car, 17 feet. She tried reporting it to an area animal preserve and to a game warden, who both told her she had probably seen a vulture, but she said it looked nothing like a vulture and could not find anything to compare it to other than something prehistoric. - State Line Island, Nebraska, May 1995: In another daylight sighting, a man hiking along the North Platte River encountered two birds standing in a clearing that appeared the size of large humans but were covered with black feathers and had raptor-like heads. No markings. One turned and looked at him, then both spread their wings to an estimated 20 foot span and jumped from the ground. One was carrying a small deer in its talons and had a hard time getting airborne with it as the other bird screeched from the treetops. He believed the deer was the same small doe he had seen at that site the day before and estimated its weight at at least 75 pounds. - Clements, Michigan, spring 2014: NOTE — I’m withdrawing this report of a “giant” bird that had been sent by a third party. Subsequent interviews with the actual witnesses revealed this was almost certainly a turkey vulture. According to the father and son, it had the typical pinkish-red, unfeathered head and other characteristics of this bird that is probably the Midwest’s most oft-misidentified bird of prey. Just goes to show the importance of a little extra digging, and my apologies for posting the brief version prematurely! - On the other hand, as if to make up for that one, I received another report from Brookfield, a suburb of Milwaukee, that was indeed submitted by the original witness who answered follow-up questions. Her sighting occurred in fall, 2006, in daylight, as she and her three-year old son stood in the backyard of the home they were renting. She noted that the area had enough natural cover that they often saw deer, coyotes and other wildlife. She wrote, “A bird that resembled a golden eagle, except that it was about the same height as me (five feet, four inches) landed 15-20 feet away from us, looking me in the eye. We all remained still, staring at each other for a while. I remember feeling a little scared, as it could easily fly away with my 3-year old, but also a great reverence as I felt the bird was deciding how it felt about us being on that land.” The woman added that they all stood for about 20 seconds, eyeing one another, before it flapped away with “great ease.” After it left, she took a yardstick and measured what its height and wingspan would have been according to where it had stood in relation to corresponding features of her lawn, and said it stood 50-55 inches tall (about a foot shorter than she thought at first) with a 12-foot wingspan. A golden eagle may have a 5 1/2 to 8-foot wingspan but stands only about 27-36 inches tall. She added that the breast color of the bird she saw was “creamish,” which is not usual for this species. Was it a golden eagle? If so, it was a specimen considerably larger than the known dimensions of that species, with unusual coloring. I do think what ever it may have been, it probably was interested in checking out her 3-year old, and that’s the scariest aspect of this encounter. Golden eagles have been known to seize small deer and domestic animals. Read Full Post » Posted in strange creatures, TV, Uncategorized, tagged beast of bray road, bigfoot, cryptozoology, dogman, Linda Godfrey, sasquatch, strange wisconsin, werewolf on January 8, 2013 \| 13 Comments » While waiting along with everyone else to see whether Dr. Melba Ketchum’s DNA study and/or the allegedly captured Bigfoot code-named Daisy hold any water worth wading into, I have been looking back at some of the better ‘Squatch reports I’ve received and collected from SE Wisconsin over the years. One of my favorites is the so-called “Bad Hair Day Bigfoot” observed by Matt Wakely in September 2005 SE of Lake Geneva, near the WI-IL border. The incident is described in full in my book Hunting the American Werewolf, and Wakely passed a polygraph exam of his story on the Monsterquest “American Werewolf ” episode. (The show didn’t mention he saw a Bigfoot rather than a dog man). This was a daylight sighting where the witness had a good long look at the creature. He called his mother and told her he had just seen a caveman, naked and covered with fur. The creature seemed totally unafraid of Matt, and its most unusual feature may have been its rather wild hairdo. My best guess is that it was perhaps an adolescent that had just risen from a midday nap in the cemetery, where it stood with 1 foot on a head stone. It also had less facial hair, according to Matt’s description, than any other Bigfoot ever reported to me. This also suggests an adolescent age group, but more importantly, it gave Matt an unusually clear look at facial features. Matt drew his own sketches ( below) and then worked with me to achieve what he agreed looked a pretty fair facsimile of what he saw. At that time, I privately thought the face seemed a bit too human, but my job is to draw and report what the witness saw without projecting my own biases. Over the past year, as I had my own encounter and gathered more local evidence, it’s occurred to me that if Ketchum’s study proves valid and Sasquatch is indeed genetically part human , then this drawing may be a closer stab at a real portrait than I previously believed. And Matt’s tag of “caveman” may have been very accurate! Read Full Post » Posted in Life, strange creatures, travel, tagged beast of bray road, dinosaur store, haunchies, haunchyville, Lake Geneva, midwest express, Mystic Drive, strange wisconsin, travel, witches of Whitewater on September 9, 2009 \| 7 Comments » I must be one, then. I’ve been called worse. So when an airline in-flight magazine gives me the title of monster hunter it strikes me only as a tad amusing, and perhaps even accurate. Midwest’s current fall issue chronicles the tour of southeast Wisconsin strangeness that I gave Chicago writer Rod O’Connor in July (read ONLINE ). Using my books Strange Wisconsin and Weird Wisconsin , we covered Lake Geneva’s lake monster, Jennie, the Beast of Bray Road (natch), the Millard dinosaur store (which didn’t make it in but see my photo below), Whitewater’s famed witch’s triangle, and the weirdest legend in Wisconsin: Haunchyville, alleged domain of tiny men with miniature but lethal baseball bats. O’Connor does a great job of contrasting SE Wisconsin’s pleasant, woods-and-cornfields landscape with the monsters and strangeness that lurk therein. He writes as fastidiously as he keeps his car — despite the fact that he often has a baby on board, the interior would put any dealer’s detailer to shame. “We never eat in the car,” he told me as I bit into the pita sandwich I had just acquired at the LaGrange General Store. His eyes followed a crumb that had dropped to the pristine passenger seat where I sat. I hastily retrieved it and made sure there were no more. You never want to tick off someone who is going to write a major magazine story about you. I did thoroughly enjoy the day, especially our side trip to Mystic Drive in Muskego where the Haunchies famously dwell. The tales tell of a forbidden lane at the end of the street that is guarded by a rifle-toting man in a black pickup truck, where you are sure to incur a whopping fine for trespassing. We did encounter a black truck with two men but no visible rifle. But the farm at the end of the street where the lane should have been is now busily subdividing itself like an amoeba, and the Haunchy habitat appears to have been obliterated. I was amazed then when we discovered a weedy yard on Mystic Drive itself with three small, strange-looking buildings. From the looks of them, no humans of any size ever dwelled here, but I wondered whether their presence was enough to have started the Haunchy legend in the first place? Supposedly the Haunchies were a colony of little people retired from area-based circuses, but I had expected to find nothing at all from this popular urban legend. The tiny buildings were a fun bonus. They can be seen from the road, no need to trespass. Here is a picture of the oddest one: It is obvious from the state of disrepair that this is no country for old, little men. The tour was fun, though, and we barely scratched the surface of weirdness in Wisconsin. I hope the Midwest passengers get a charge out of the article and a little crypto-education to boot. Perhaps more than one will be alert enough to glimpse that pterodactyl winging its way past their cabin window…. Read Full Post » Posted in Life, Uncategorized, writing, tagged book publicity, Book signing, Burlington Wisconsin, cheesecake, Lima ax murder, speaking, strange wisconsin on March 29, 2009 \| 2 Comments » Kenosha diner sign There is a reason I like to go out and talk to people about my books. Yes I like the sales, and the refreshments are often delicious. My gig last Thursday at the Burlington Antiques Club offered cheesecake and fresh fruit. The. Best. But what really got my boat afloat occurred after I finished blathering and took the opportunity to listen to the 10 people who had gathered to see me. That is when the good stuff always happens. This time was no exception. I found out that the host of the meeting, Laurence, grew up in the same town as the Lima Ax Murderer featured in my Strange Wisconsin. And that the murderer, after he went to prison for bashing his two elderly uncles to death, faithfully sent Laurence a Christmas card every year from Waupun. Touching! I also learned that another of the attendees was the wife of the prinicipal who hired me for my first real art-teaching job, many moons ago, and that they had been following my book publication trail. They had been making a pilgrimage around the state to key sites related to the books and she had brought their map to prove it. Seeing that was even better than the cheesecake. This wasn’t unusual. People have told me all sorts of things at signings. One woman had a doctor’s diagram to prove she’d been molested by aliens. Many have related their family ghost stories, or that they have seen unknown, upright canines. The sweetest are those who share that their kids who never read sat down and read Weird Wisconsin or The Beast of Bray Road. Out loud. To their little brother. Due to the inconvenience of there being only one of me, I sadly can’t attend all the events I’d like. But every time I have to say no, I wonder what I missed. What innermost secret did I fail to learn from some blessed reader? For it really is true. Get enough cheesecake into someone, and they’ll spill their souls. With raspberry sauce. Read Full Post »
Anyone who knows me, or perhaps who is a regular reader, knows that I have an affinity for big hairy hominids. Well, actually, I should probably clarify, there’s one particular big hairy hominid that I have in mind, not just dudes with a lot of back hair. I’m referring to Bigfoot, or Sasquatch if you prefer. To clarify further, I enjoy the Bigfoot phenomenon, and though I’ve written about this pinnacle cryptid in the past, occasionally giving it more credit that it is perhaps due, I am not a believer. I concede that it could exist, however unlikely that may be, but I have and will continue to reserve judgment until evidence is found to prove its existence. It is endlessly fun to speculate and theorise on its various attributes, behaviour and ancestry though. In that vein, I tuned in to Spike TV’s newest reality show last night, the 10 Million Dollar Bigfoot Bounty, starring Dean Cain. This show has been hyped in style over the last several weeks, especially among Bigfooters and their associated blogs and online communities, of which I am not necessarily a member. It had been promised that it would be a serious effort to find talented people, who are, after all is said and done, more likely than most to actually find that elusive evidence of Sasquatch. We’ve been promised that the cast and producers will take a pointedly scientific tact and that the whole thing will be treated as a scientific endeavour, rather than a TV spectacle. Last night was the premier episode, and I have mixed feelings about it now, having slept on it. If you follow my twitter feed, you likely saw my tweets about the show during and after it aired. I was happy with it. That is to say, I was entertained by it. The show is the brain child of reality TV producer and writer Mike Riley, who is known for his contributions to several reality TV programs and series. It stars, as mentioned, actor and avid outdoorsman Dean Cain (best known for his role as Superman in ABC’s Lois & Clark), as well as anthropologist and primatologist Natalia Reagan, and renowned anthropology professor at New York University and molecular primatologist Dr. Todd Disotell. It also stars a ragtag cast of contestants with varying levels of expertise and experience in the realms of biology, Bigfooting, hunting and wildlife preservation. The first episode served to introduce us and the cast with the format of the show and with each other, which in one case wasn’t really a welcome introduction, but we’ll get to that. The contestants will spend the next several weeks living together in a cabin, a la Big Brother, and will compete in a series of research or conservatory type tasks in various locations around the American North West. These tasks are meant to give each two-person team a chance to prove to the hosts that they have what it takes to be real Bigfoot researchers. Every episode will see one team sent home for failing the given task, in the spirit of Survivor. At the end of the series, the remaining team will win the contest and be awarded the $10 million dollar prize, which is being put forward by Lloyd’s of London Insurance. The winners will also become members of a rock star Bigfoot hunting expedition, which will include Disotell and Reagan, who will ostensibly have a better chance of actually finding the elusive beast than any other. Last night’s tasks were to collect viable DNA from a wild animal in an area described as a game preserve, so as to provide Dr. D. (as he’s being called in the twitterverse) and Natalia with something to analyse. And then to spend a night in a different area and try to come up with Bigfoot evidence to be analysed. I’ll say at this point, I like this format. It should serve to teach viewers a thing or two about the scientific method and about evidence standards. I did see some things I didn’t like though. The most glaring issue is the apparently blood-thirsty attitude of some of the contestants. Justin Smeja (partnered with “tech wizard” Ro Sahebi), who is a self-proclaimed hunter, and who claims to have shot and killed two Sasquatch at some time in the past, stated openly that his only interest is in finding and killing a Bigfoot, so as to put the argument to rest. This doesn’t seem in keeping with the promise we were given that this would be a scientific endeavour. Other contestants have a history of hunting, which, in and of itself isn’t a bad thing, but it remains to be seen if the show turns into a big game hunter type exercise. The first contestants to be eliminated were husband and wife team Travis and January Miller. They failed to bring back any evidence to be analysed by the hosts and as such were eliminated. To me, this was an incorrect choice. As the Millers reasoned, is it not better to bring back nothing, than to bring back false, misleading, or just plain silly evidence? The thing I really didn’t like to see happened in the ‘look ahead’ or preview of upcoming episodes. They cut to a scene in the cabin, with all of the remaining contestants sitting around the living room, arguing about who’s the better researcher and who really deserves to be there. It’s distasteful, it’s scripted drama and it really turns me off. If the next episode turns out to be more Big Brother/Survivor-esque reality TV, I won’t be tuning in for a third episode. After all, we know that the purpose of the show, despite what the charismatic hosts want you to believe, is to make money through viewership and ratings. Historically speaking, that’s achieved through hedonistic and pseudo-violent drama, not science. They’re off to a good start, I suppose, but in my mind the quality of the show could go either direction…and reality TV’s reputation doesn’t give me a great deal of hope. Latest posts by Martin J. Clemens (see all) - The Golem: Friend, Foe, or Farce? - 15 October, 2014 - Graham Hancock Offers Update on Gunung Padang Excavation - 2 October, 2014 - The Mysterious Celestial Spheres of the Ancient Mughal Empire - 11 September, 2014 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported.
Posted by: Loren Coleman on January 23rd, 2011 The New Zealand Herald recently published this interesting story about the celebrity hobby of Rhys Darby. It will be recalled that Darby was Jim Carrey‘s manager, Norman, in Yes Man. That movie had an underlying subtle “Bigfoot” theme. Rhys Darby, comedian, plays the manager in “Flight of the Conchords.” Rhys Darby performing with “Flight of the Conchords” at Gramercy Theatre in New York, June 14, 2007. What is your hobby? My hobby is cryptozoology – the search for and study of animals that may or may not exist – creatures and predominantly monsters that live on this planet but have managed to hide from scientific classification. Why did you choose that? Because I have always been fascinated by the possibility that we humans still haven’t found everything on this planet. What do you enjoy about it? I’m an old romantic when it comes to exploration and adventure. I also love science fiction and science theory. There is a chance that we live in a multi-dimensional universe. If this is the case then cryptid creatures from another world may be able to enter our own through rips in the dimensions. Is it expensive? It’s free to study cryptozoology but it starts to get expensive when you embark on expeditions to exotic locations to look for yetis. What do your friends and family think about it? They think I’m an idiot. Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013.
Monday, June 11, 2012 Many of the readers of 'Phantoms and Monsters' and listeners of 'Beyond the Edge Radio' can recall my description of my 1981 encounter with a Bigfoot type being. If not, here are a few links: Man witness confrontation between Bigfoot and stray dog, near Sykesville, MD The 'Sykesville Monster' At the time, I called it a 'Bigfoot' because, frankly, that was the only way I could have described it. It wasn't human...it wasn't an ape. For over 30 years my encounter with this being has left a strange hole in my understanding of nature and reality. I have tried to comprehend exactly what it was I witnessed. Over the years, I have tried to gather more information on my sighting as well as other sightings in the general area. Since my sighting in 1981 there have been two (2) more BFRO 'Class A' reports along the Patapsco River Valley and another four (4) general reports and sightings in the same area from 1972-1979. I interviewed and got to know several of the witnesses of the 1972-73 flap after my personal encounter in 1981. Many of these witnesses have since passed away. There were other unreported incidents in the general Sykesville and Gaither, MD areas. I personally took statements to eight (8) more sightings / encounters between 1972-1979, including a home invasion on Norris Ave. and a utility shed break-in on Oklahoma Ave...both in Sykesville. There were also several chicken pens broke into up and down the South Branch of the Patapsco River in Gaither, MD - Sykesville, MD - Woodstock, MD - Daniels, MD and Ellicott City, MD. Most of the sightings have been within the Patapsco State Park...which has a history of unusual activity (UFO, paranormal and cryptid) throughout the park. I still live within 15 miles of all the locations. Over the past few months, I decided to come to grips with my encounter and have a sketch or image of the being's face created. I knew that if the image was similar to what I actually witnessed there would be controversy and doubters...but I can't let that bother me. After making a few inquiries, I was directed to a retired police forensics artist who is now a private investigator in Florida. The image would be created digitally. I forwarded all the facial descriptions that I had gathered from the witness' sightings and subsequent interviews. On Saturday, I received the image with a note from the artist that read 'are you sure this is what you witnessed? It looks like a rendering of early man except for a few features'. I called him and assured him that this is what I witnessed...this is what we all witnessed. This was the 'Sykesville Monster'. Lon Hunt Still in Progress Baltimore Afro-American - Jun 9, 1973 Sykesville, Carroll County, Maryland Sykesville, Maryland - The fear and uncertainty that has gripped residents here the past two weeks has been intensified by two new reports of monster sightings received by police Friday. The "Sykesville Monster" was seen Friday evening by an out-of-state truck driver who described him vividly. Of high significance is the fact the 1,400-population town, 20 miles North of Baltimore, Maryland in Carroll County, has jumped into nationwide headlines in the National AFRO and other news media. Following the Baltimore zoo assistant director Dr. Ted Roth called to say that he went to Sykesville and determined the footprint is by a large human foot "with fallen arches." He said he would report after he takes another trip to Sykesville to determine "what the balance of the body may be." A Baltimore scientific research firm is also in Sykesville checking AFRO caller's from 'educators to the man-on-the-street' are on their way to the small town. TRUCK DRIVER'S REPORT According to the truck driver, (who requested anonymity), the "it" stood approximately seven to eight feet tall and appeared to be dark brown in color." It could have been a man on stilts." he said. The driver stated that whatever it was seemed to be "caked with mud from the waist down." Although he was unable to pinpoint the exact location of the sighting, the driver said it appeared to be sitting down. According to the driver, the "thing", which was evidently minding its own business, stood, turned around and sensing danger, dashed into the woods. As the result of the AFRO story Friday, an investigating organization, Odyssey Scientific Research, Baltimore, is on the scene. John Lutz, director of Odyssey, talked to the truck driver, and said there is an additional witness in Anne Arundel who reportedly saw the monster. TALKING WITH EYE-WITNESSES Although reluctant to classify the "thing" which has been running loose in Sykesville, Mr. Jutz did state that at the present time, his corporation is, "listing the incident as an unidentified prowler until more information is gathered and more positive identification was made." Mr. Lutz added that tape recordings are being made of each witnesses account in order to form verbal records, which will be studied, by veterinarians, zoologists and biologists. According to Mr. Lutz, the entire incident could be the work of a prankster. "It's very possible that a prankster will call the police department and say it was all a big joke," he said. As of Sunday, when two AFRO reporters returned to Sykesville's "Oklahoma Hill," citizens were hardly joking about the situation, which they feel is very real. Mrs. Agnes Dorsey, mother of the' young man who first saw the "thing" said she thought more should be done to effect its capture and or destruction. They should have- -gangs of men out looking for it," she said, "I hope it's caught!" According to Anthony Dorsey, the monster has also been seen in Woodstock, and Marriotsville, Md., located 6 miles from Sykesville, Md. Lon Strickler - My Bigfoot Encounter - May 9, 1981 and BFRO report Michael Frizzell - A Synopsis of the History, Reports, and Investigation of Claims of Unknown Hominids in and about the State of Maryland History of the Maryland Bigfoot BFRO - The Woodstock, MD Encounter Carroll County Times Mark Opsasnick - The Maryland Bigfoot Digest: A SURVEY OF CREATURE SIGHTINGS IN THE FREE STATE Mark Opsasnick - "Monsters of Maryland: Bigfoot" - Strange Magazine 3 (1989) NOTE: I am not going to place a copyright on this image. I sincerely hope that those people who wish to use it will include the actual story behind the rendered image. I think the big question is 'are these natural beings or are we seeing interdimensional examples of early man or other hominids from another time?'...Lon Strickler
Written by Chad Groening An author and political activist says the Democratic Party is clearly controlled by far left-wing radicals who want to create a one-party state. Recently The Washington Free Beacon obtained some unpublished correspondence between Hillary Clinton and 1960s-era left-wing radical Saul Alinsky. The letters revealed a close relationship between Clinton and Alinsky, who wrote Rules for Radicals, a controversial guide to the ends-justifies-means approach to power and wealth redistribution through community activism. David Horowitz is a former member of the communist party who has now become a conservative and is the founder and CEO of the David Horowitz Freedom Center. “The aim of Democrats is to create a one-party state,” he says. “These are totalitarians. They think they know what’s good for everybody and they’re going to force you to follow their plan – and their means are deceptive.… Continue Reading By Bill Whittle The Loch Ness Monster is a “cryptid” — something rumored to exist but without actual proof. The Socialist Utopia of the progressives is a cryptid too. In his latest Firewall, Bill Whittle shows why Good Socialism, like the Loch Ness Monster, is a giant, air-breathing creature that (conveniently!) NEVER COMES UP FOR AIR. Written by Matt Barber Judge Richard Posner, a federal judge with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, recently become a hero to the pro-”gay marriage” left when, by way of a “legal analysis” free from the troublesome constraints of logic, case precedent, biology, tradition and reality in general, he managed to somehow divine a long-hidden constitutional “right” for two dudes to get “married.” “How can tradition be a reason for anything?” an incredulous Posner demanded last month of attorneys defending marriage protection amendments in both Wisconsin and Indiana. It would seem that Posner’s contempt for tradition extends to all things sexual, up to and including the puritanical presupposition that it’s always wrong for a man to rape a woman. This idea, according to Posner in his 2011 book “Economic Analysis of the Law” (8th edition), is evidently an equally archaic tradition that, like the institution of natural marriage, needs a significant overhaul.… Continue Reading Written by Michael Medved The New York Times described a disappointing Washington rally for Democratic Senate candidates pushing the slogan, “America Needs a Raise.” Only a few dozen attended the big event and the Times concluded: “The Democrats’ strategy of making an increase in the minimum wage a midterm election rallying cry has been drowned out by world events. The party continues to talk about it, but it appears that few are listening.” While threats from ISIS, Ebola and Russia certainly dominate the news, the minimum wage was bound to flop as an election issue in any event. Only 2.6 percent of all workers are earning the legal minimum wage—and a sudden, unearned raise for them would tighten business budgets and make it harder for the 97.4 percent who already earn above minimums to win their own raises.… Continue Reading Written by Michael Medved Since her disastrous showing in the Iowa caucuses six years ago, Hillary Clinton has stayed away from the Hawkeye State—until a recent visit viewed by many as the unofficial kickoff of her new presidential campaign. Speaking to more than 5,000 at a “Steak Fry” in Indianola, the former Secretary of State got by far her biggest applause with a ringing declaration that women deserve “equal pay and that means you should get equal pay for equal work.” Unfortunately, Clinton arrived about 40 years late on this issue: in 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed legislation guaranteeing equal pay for equal work and punishing any businesses that knowingly discriminate against women. The “equal pay” legislation Democrats push today would merely make it easier for lawyers to file suits, rather than protecting ordinary working women.… Continue Reading Written by Michael Lucci Illinoisans enjoyed a larger paycheck than their Iowa counterparts for 30 years – until 2012. For the first time ever, the median household in Iowa surpassed its Illinois counterpart, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. If you lined up all households in order of income, the median household would be the one in the very middle. The middle income in Illinois has collapsed by $12,000 in the last 15 years, indicating that the state is hollowing out its middle class. These shrinking paychecks have been driven by a number of factors, including state policies that smother entrepreneurs, a regulatory environment that strangles businesses, Illinois’ culture of cronyism and overall high taxation. In addition, Illinois’ out-migration crisis is magnitudes greater than Iowa’s, as Iowa has turned the corner and is stemming its annual loss of residents to other states.… Continue Reading Written by IllinoisReview.com The Illinois Libertarian Party candidates will be on the November 2014 ballot, the State Board of Elections Board decided Friday. “We’re certified and we’re on the ballot,” Brian Lambrecht of the DuPage County Libertarians told Illinois Review shortly after leaving the hearing in Chicago. “The Republicans did everything they could to discredit the petition signatures to get us from the 46,000 signatures we gathered to below the required 25,000 signature threshold, but they failed,” Lambrecht said. In addition to volunteer petitioners like Lambrecht, several professional petitioners had been hired by the Libertarian Party to gather petition signatures. Republican operatives worked especially hard to discredit those that had gathered 2000 or more, he said. “These people gather petitions for a living, so their livelihood was threatened by armed guards coming to their homes and demanding that they sign an affadavit admitting they had committed fraud,” Lambrecht told Illinois Review.… Continue Reading Written by IllinoisReview.com Neither Governor Pat Quinn nor his Muslim American Advisory Council have commented on, or condemned, ISIS’ beheading of American journalist James Foley. Quinn’s Muslim American Advisory Council is the only religious group to which the governor has reached out. Although the 500,000 Muslims in Illinois make the state home to the largest Muslim population in America, Catholics are the largest religious group, and unaffiliated evangelicals are the second largest. No advisory councils or committees representing those two religious groups are listed among the 58 commissions Quinn has created. He does list a “Holocaust and Genocide Commission,” although not directly linked to those in Illinois Jewish Community. In the past, Quinn has issued statements condemning attacks on mosques in Illinois, but did not comment on Foley’s death, or ISIS’ slaughter of Christians.… Continue Reading Written by Russ Stewart Illinois is an anomaly. It is “The Land of Lassitude.” Voters are passive, partisan and forgiving. In state government, there are no checks and balances to Democratic abuses, ineptitude and favoritism. In any other state, when a governor is impeached, indicted, convicted and imprisoned, the party of that incumbent would be shamed, tarnished and ousted. Not in Illinois. In any other state, when one party controls all the levers of government — governor, both houses of the state legislature and the supreme court — and that party fails to govern effectively, voters would hold them accountable and they would be ousted. Not in Illinois. In any other state, when a governor raises $24 million over a 5-year period, much of it from vendors doing business with the state government, there should be an inkling of voter, media and legislative concern, if not outrage, over “pay to play.” Not in Illinois.… Continue Reading
Who am I..? 51 Things about Me (Updated!) 1. I live with my creative genius/vampire husband, teen son, and a very shaggy dog. (Well, our son is shaggy too.) 2. Time elapsed from beginning of the first draft of my first novel to actual publication release date = two and a half years. (Light speed in publishing time.) 3. I love the smell of Starbucks coffee but not their coffee. 4. Searching for the bright spot, sometimes with both hands, but still consider myself an optimist. 5. The first song played at my wedding: Unforgettable by Nat King Cole followed by Love Shack by the B-52s. Yes, the DJ actually played You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC. (We rocked those old Episcopalians.) 6. I will stop procrastinating tomorrow. 7. I like to write stories about my dog, but he doesn’t seem to “get” me. (Everyone’s a critic.) 8. If I had a magic fairy wand, I’d give all court reporters a raise. (Except for the sucky ones.) 9. I am a court reporter. (See above note.) 10. Still think that the Beatles are the answer. 11. And that Dav Pilkey and Jeff Kinney are flippin’ geniuses! 12. Could listen to Elvis Costello sing the phone book. (At least a page or two.) 13. Believe the Beatles are the greatest band ever, for many reasons. (Yes, I will fight over this. And have.) 14. Have a back yard squirrel with a bad attitude. 15. My neighbors, for the most part, don’t suck. 16. Without chocolate and coffee, life would be much less sparkly. 17. I love Cake – the band and the food. 18. Favorite new-ish show: Downton Abbey. 19. Think Don Draper, while super handsome, is kind of a jerk. 20. Enjoy reading magical realism. 21. Langston Hughes, Shirley Jackson, and Truman Capote are among my favorite short story authors. 22. Can’t even imagine myself in stiletto heels. 23. Live in a suburban area of Los Angeles where one city blends into the next. 24. My parents met in radio school during the golden age of Los Angeles. 25. Grew up in a small, noisy household with many pets, mostly cats. 26. Have been Rickrolled on occasion. 27. Live in a household where the men sometimes speak in a strange code. 28. Will watch the 1955 version of Guys And Dolls any time. Or Grease. Especially the ending sequence where Sandy and Danny switch roles and John Travolta is looking at Olivia Newton John wearing her black neoprene outfit and salivating like a hungry dog. 29. Think that the Easter Bunny may actually be a cryptid. 30. Still reading? Give yourself 20 points! 31. My work in progress may involve a werewolf. (Or something like a werewolf.) 32. My two essentials before embarking on a monk-like pilgrimage – lip balm and sunscreen. 33. Come from pioneer stock (but don’t really feel like a pioneer). 34. Think tacos are magic. 35. Am trying to get over this annoying money allergy. 36. Spend too much time on Absolute Write. 37. Two-time breast cancer survivor. (Is there an award for that?) 38.My name spelled backward is Teragram. (Sounds like a sci-fi character name, doesn’t it?) 39. I’m kind. 40. I’m lazy. 41.Wish people would be a little bit kinder to each other and less hung up on their differences. 42. Have been known to poke my finger into the underside, looking for the “good” chocolate. 43. If you’ve made it this far, you are to be admired for your fortitude and good looks. 44. Make my own soup. (Well, I share.) 45. Always seem to have an abundance of lemons. 46. Am a coconut lover. 47. Collected 45 records when I was a youngster. (Record stores. Remember those?) 48. Have three sisters and miss my brother. 49. My mother kicks all kinds of @ss. 50. My mother-in-law still loves me. 51. And, if I had my way, no one would ever go to bed hungry. …and here's the list from 2008… 1. In my husband's eyes, I'm always 10 years younger. 2. I adore my husband and our son. 3. I like to write about my dog. 4. I believe coffee is a necessity. 5. I believe life's too short to drink bad coffee. 6. Think the Beatles are the answer. 7. Passed my driver's license on my 16th birthday, then got my first job the same day (mall clothes store). 8. Received a ticket for making an illegal left turn on my 21st birthday (while sick with a cold). 9. My favorite solo artist is Elvis Costello. 10. I'm a court reporter (depositions). 11. I'm still a (very part-time) student. 12. I don't mind change except when it involves technology. 13. I still haven't mastered our universal remote control. 14. I don't take myself too seriously. 15. Am married to a creative genius. 16. I read 30 books while I was pregnant. 17. When I was young, historical figures I most wanted to meet: J.R.R. Tolkien and Walt Disney. 18. Am fascinated with Martha Stewart. 19. Am fascinated with the word "defenestration." 20. Have never had a manicure. 21. Older women love the men in my life (Husband and Charlie). 22. I don't care for Starbucks coffee. 23. I believe in volunteering. 24. Am a font of useless pop culture trivia. 25. Talk politics in the home a lot. 26. Have a husband who automatically takes the opposite side in an argument just for fun. 27. Spring and fall are my favorite seasons. 28. Spend too much time on the internet. 29. I waited tables in a Kosher-style deli/restaurant where I learned to love matzo ball soup. 30. I'm a cancer survivor. 31. My mother-in-law loves me. 32. I watch too much TV. 33. I'm completely befuddled by social media. 34. I once did a T.V. show taping for a court show - as the court reporter. (Didn't get it.) 35. Am a native Californian. 36. Have an activist mother. 37. Have three great sisters and a sometimes sweet brother who's the oldest (who has a very large CD collection). 38. My parents met in radio school. 39. Am a news junkie. 40. Won a city-wide essay contest in the 5th grade: “How I see our town in the year 2000.” (Let's see, moving sidewalks; reduced school days; food in pill form. No, no, and no.) 41. Would be lost without my lip balm. 42. Am anxiously awaiting the new season of "Lost." 43. Favorite music era: '60s - British Invasion and Motown. 43. Grew up listening to Gilbert & Sullivan and the Singing Nun. 44. Believe that love is the most complex of all human emotions. 45. Have learned to love ABBA. 46. Love the Kids in the Hall (favorite Kids' song "These are the Daves I know, I know). 47. Still watch Seinfeld (and it's still funny). 48. Listened to AC/DC, Pat Benatar, and The Pretenders in high school. 49. Believe that Mounds is the king of the candy bar. 50. Believe that good will always win/am an optimist. 51. I have double-jointed thumbs.
But as I see more and more episodes of "Finding Bigfoot" and get wind of new "Squatching" clubs cropping up, I have a simple question to ask: where the hell are the cryptoarcheologists and cryptopaleontologists? In the world of science it works like this: if you want to discover a new species, you have two choices: 1) find it in nature or 2) find its fossil remains. We already have cryptozoology - the search for "living" legendary creatures. So where are the researchers looking for these creatures in the fossil record? It's pretty clear that Bigfoot is an elusive guy - finding him in the woods is a moving target. That hasn't worked out so well. But he's not immortal - he has to die. Even if he scatters the remains of his dead, they're going to turn up eventually. Cryptozoologists like to famously proclaim that "no one finds bear bones in the woods." OK. I don't think that's true...but even if it is, we sure as hell find bear bones in the fossil record. And we sure as hell find the remains of gigantic primates in the fossil record, as well. In 1935 Ralph von Koenigswald turned up the first known fossils of the mega-ape Gigantopithecus in an apothecary shop. Where are the researchers scouring the riverbanks of the Pacific Northwest for washed out Bigfoot teeth or combing through museum collections for anomalistic fossils? This is an aspect of Squatchology that has always bothered me, for a rather simple reason: I don't think Bigfooters, deep down, actually take what they're doing seriously. This especially includes those who have actual scientific training. Two of the leading lights of cryptozoology over the past century have been men with university training in physical anthropology: Grover Krantz and Jeff Meldrum. Admittedly neither of these scholars are "fieldmen," but their professions rest on the work of analyzing data extracted from the environment. Without "physical" remains, "physical" anthropology has no work to do. It has always struck me as irresponsible on the part of these researchers to approach the question of Bigfoot without access to the kind of evidence upon which their professional opinion would necessarily be based. Forget about the dodgy folklore upon which Bigfootery rests and approach this question as a matter of serious scholarship. Like a police investigation, other than establishing a claim, it is a waste of time to rely on witness testimony as a source of objective cryptozoological evidence. Here's an example of why this fails. If someone comes to the local university's paleontology department and describes the bones of a new species of dinosaur that they have found on their property the paleontologist is not going publish a paper establishing this new species based on that information alone. The researcher is going to want to go to the site, examine the evidence for themselves, examine the remains, and perform an objective analysis. WITHOUT ACCESS to those remains there's nothing for the researcher to do but stay in their lab - otherwise they're merely adding to the extant body of dubious folklore by putting themselves on the record. In other words, it's the remains that speak - not the expert. All the opinons of all the physical anthropologists in the world matter nothing, if those opinions have no foundation in evidence upon which to rest. This is why I doubt the sincereity of so-called Bigfoot researchers - even those with professional training. They know better. They know that without physical evidence they have no work to do. Sure, Meldrum's interest in footprints brings him a bit closer to the realm of seriousness, but without understanding the means by which that print was created, that evidence is little better than worthless. In fact, a serious Bigfooter - as opposed to someone trying to get on TV, earn publicity for themselves, or simply having fun with their buddies in the woods, would spend their time doing what Raymond Dart, Ralph von Koenigswald, the Leakey family, Donald Johanson, and a whole host of anthropoligsts and archaeologists have done to better understand our human origins: dig for the remains. By digging, I don't just mean in the ground. Diggers have been pulling fossils out of North America for close to two hundred years by now. A serious Bigfooter would begin their search for evidence in the collections of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History or the American Museum of Natural History. If Bigfoot were truly real, there's a very good chance one of his teeth or digits got dug up and tossed into a bag or box at some point during a field expedition. New species are discovered every year by researchers working in old collections. This is a common practice of grad students looking for material with which to break new ground. So if you're looking for Bigfoot - or any cryptid, for that matter - put down the infrared camera and pick up a book on anatomy and get busy combing the museums for remains. Read old journals and catalogs of finds. Ask your local fossil club to let you tag along when they go to "Bigfoot country." In short, if you're serious, get serious about finding REAL physical evidence. If a great ape ever lived in North America, he had to leave some of himself behind.
Posted by: Loren Coleman on December 19th, 2005 The Top Cryptozoology Books of 2005 It is time for my annual overviews of all things cryptozoological. Here’s my top picks for the best cryptozoology books of 2005, in order of the books’ rankings of importance, plus the books’ individual achievements noted in recognition of each of their unique niches within the cryptozoological literature this year. If you are looking for “The Top Cryptozoology Stories of 2005,” please click here. (1) The Best Historical Book on Cryptozoology in 2005 In a year that may be remembered for the rediscovery of the supposedly extinct ivory-billed woodpecker, the top honors for the best cryptozoology book of the year must go to The Lady and the Panda. It is a wonderful old-fashioned tome on the discovery of the giant pandas – one of last century’s most remarkable stories – and the relatively untold details of the woman who should get more credit for "finding" them. The search for the first live giant pandas is a fascinating but true tale of cryptozoology discovery, captured with adventure in The Lady and the Panda . Vicki Croke’s book is an exciting, warm, and intriguing volume about Ruth Harkness’ personal journey to be the initial Westerner to catch and return with the first live giant pandas. This is a book I’ve wanted to write myself for years, and I’m glad to finally see someone, appropriately a seasoned woman writer, do a great job with this subject. The Lady and the Panda also gives due credit to Harkness’ Chinese guide and eventual lover Quentin Young, who showed her how to find the giant pandas. (2) The Best Reference Book on Cryptozoology in 2005 When Michael Newton’s Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology arrived, I stayed up until the wee hours of the night, reading, flipping, reading more, surfing, reading, and smiling. What a trip, what an adventure. Newton’s critical writing is right on target, with a light hand and open-mindedness to looking at all facets, in presenting cases, cryptids, and evidence, as well as the overturning of media-driven hoax claims (Nessie Surgeon Photos, Ray Wallace fiasco, and others). Most surprising of all the entries I read is Newton’s reexamination of the supposed 1990 expose’ of Three-Toes, with a fresh look again at "all" elements of those 1948 events. This volume quite correctly is as skeptical of blanket debunking claims as it is to the fast rush to specific cryptozoological hypotheses. Newton logically critiques the various theories of cryptozoologists who have ventured forth with their thoughts. His discussion of the Minnesota Iceman, for example, in its total fairness to several points of view, I found amazing. There are 2,744 entries, including 112 individual biographies, 77 cryptozoology groups described, and, of course, lots of location data, cryptids detailed, and illustrations sprinkled throughout. It also has some fantastic appendices that are comprehensive listings of new animal discoveries, cryptofiction, cryptozoology in films, and cryptozoology on television. At 576 pages in one oversized volume, it is a rather user friendly reference work. Michael Newton’s Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology is perhaps too expensive for most private libraries (at $95 US), but I highly recommend you mention it for purchase by your local, school, or university library (the target audience of a reference work like this, anyway). For those serious cryptozoologists who can afford it, for your personal research library, it, simply put, is a must buy. The one minor shortcoming is Newton’s lack of credit to at least one work that served as the basis for data in this book. George Eberhart’s excellent cryptozoology reference work, Mysterious Creatures (from 2002 at $185) is used but not mentioned in Newton’s work, in contrast to the generous citing of material Newton obtained from the affordable reference work, Cryptozoology A to Z (from 1999, at $14). (3) The Best Bigfoot Book of 2005 In Pursuit of a Legend: 72 Days in California Bigfoot Country by T. A. Wilson This Bigfoot book pick may seem an unusual choice considering some of the others out there (such as the historically significant reprint, The Bigfoot Film Controversy: The Original Roger Patterson Book – Do Abominable Snowmen Of America Really Exist?). But occasionally one needs to read a book of passion about the Sasquatch hunt, and not just another text on the facts and stories. In Pursuit of a Legend contains a grounded level of excitement for the quest, and should be read with that in mind. It is not a book of sightings and statistics on footprints, but it is a good revisiting of the dynamic gut feelings when in the midst of the search. (4) The Best Individual Cryptid Book of 2005 Lizardmen: The True Story of Mermen and Mermaids by Mark A. Hall At 132 pages and self-published, Lizardmen gives people a book to read containing what is out there on the contemporary research into the continuing question of the original Creatures from the Black Lagoon, the Merbeings. Whether you wish to deny, dispute, debate, or dive deeper into these investigations is the reader’s choice, but Hall is not shy about placing the material and his insights in front of you on this topic. If you decide to not digest it, you will be all the more hungry for this data someday when this book is impossible to locate. (5) The Best Cryptozoological Expedition Book of 2005 Carnivorous Nights: On the Trail of the Tasmanian Tiger by Margaret Mittelbach, Michael Crewdson, and Alexis Rockman This well-written book on the pursuit of information and feelings about the probably still existing (but officially extinct) Thylacine (a/k/a Tasmanian Tiger) is not to be used as a guidebook for your next expedition. But it’s a fun record of these three’s own trek in quest of this animal. And Alexis Rockman’s art is beyond belief. (6) The Best Cryptofiction based on a Cryptozoologically Fictional Motion Picture in 2005 The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island by Weta Workshop Hey, King Kong is a blockbuster. But beyond that, as far as cryptofiction goes, The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island is a work of fiction taking into account many threads of current cryptozoological thought, and in this book elevates to it all to a high art, graphically and textually. (7) The Best Mothman Book of 2005 Mothman: Behind the Red Eyes by Jeff Wamsley What can I say, Mothman (really, I sense, it is a misnamed large avian cryptid) has to be on the list again. Wamsley knows Mothman. (8) The Best Fortean Cryptozoology Book of 2005 Hunt for the Skinwalker: Science Confronts the Unexplained at a Remote Ranch in Utah by Colm A. Kelleher and George Knapp This book may have some bizarre interpretations for the cryptids being seen, but that doesn’t mean we can’t mine Hunt for the Skinwalker for the rich collection of data contained therein. (9) The Best Cryptozoology Book on the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker of 2005 The Grail Bird: Hot on the Trail of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker by Tim Gallagher Yep, the rediscovery of the ivory-billed woodpecker is one of the top stories of 2005, so we are going to continue to see books on these beautiful birds coming out during the next half decade. This one is worthy of our attention for 2005. Of course, in 2006, I’d trade in two books on this bird for one on the 2004 (!) discovery of the "Hobbits," Homo floresiensis. Such a book is long-overdue. (10) The Best Cryptozoology Children’s Book of 2005 I predict more and more children’s cryptozoology books in the coming decade, some good, some really bad. This one gets this year’s honors for best: Strange New Species: Astonishing Discoveries of Life on Earth, by Elin Kelsey, with a forward by Marc van Roosmalen. Copyright 2005 Loren Coleman. Books have to be received to be reviewed in Cryptomundo’s CryptoZoo News, and, of course, received to be placed on the Top Cryptozoology Books for 2006. Please send your review copies to Loren Coleman, Post Office Box 360, Portland, ME 04112 USA, for future consideration. Thank you. Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013.
Posted by: Loren Coleman on April 15th, 2009 The same news service that tapped into the Siberian Snowman reports that seemed to go nowhere have put out an unfortunately thin story about a new Yowie sighting in Australia. Ingrid Schoen, 23, of Germany and Adi Hassan, 22, of France, two backpackers in the Blue Mountains of Australia, told a All News Web reporter that they heard branches breaking and then vaguely saw a six feet tall hairy thing running away in the distance. You can read the release here, but you won’t learn too much more, sorry to say. For those interested in a deeper historical and current discussion of Yowie, I highly recommend the North American (2006) and Australian (2007) editions of the following tome. I named it “The Best Individual Cryptid Book of 2006.” The Yowie: In Search of Australia’s Bigfoot by Tony Healy and Paul Cropper. "It is destined to become an instant cryptozoological classic." – Dean Harrison, Austalian Yowie Research, October 6, 2006. If you have an extra $10 Australian dollars or American ones, please know that amount from you builds to what we need to save the museum. Do remember to… Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013.
Posted by: Loren Coleman on July 15th, 2006 Sometimes the strangest things you hear about in cryptozoology catch up with physical evidence years later. Take, for instance, Killer Kangaroos. No, I’m not talking about the Mystery Kangaroos that punched out the Chicago police in the 1970s. I’m thinking, instead, about the Killer Kangaroo of 1934. This week saw news out of Australia that “killer kangaroos,” “demon ducks of doom,” and eighteen other previously unknown species had been discovered by paleontologists at a dig site in Queensland, northern Australia. The new animals’ tags immediately made me think of the names I’d coined or heard before in cryptozoology. Who couldn’t love the “demon ducks of doom.” Obviously, someone in Australia is showing a love of the “d” sounds of alliteration for that one, just like I did when I gave the moniker to the “Dover Demon,” which was sighted in 1977, in Massachusetts. Paleontologist Sue Hand reported that during the dig that they found some very big birds — more like ducks — to which they gave the name “demon ducks of doom.” She said some may have been carnivorous. Obviously. In those same Riversleigh fossil fields, the University of New South Wales team was also uncovering evidence of a “killer kangaroo,” a flesh-eating marsupial, from 10 to 20 million years ago. Professor Mike Archer said that among the new species discovered “were meat-eating kangaroos with long fangs and galloping kangaroos with long forearms, which could not hop.” This, needless to say, reminded me of the cryptid Killer Kangaroo of 1934, which I had researched in old newspaper archives some 30 years previous. As I wrote in Mysterious America, reports of giant kangaroos are nothing new to cryptozoology. Over seven decades ago, the notorious “Killer Kangaroo” of South Pittsburg, Tennessee, even made it all the way to the pages of New York’s daily newspapers. During mid-January of 1934, a huge nasty kangaroo spread terror among the Tennessee hill farmers. This extremely atypical kangaroo was reported to have killed and partially devoured several German police dogs, geese, and ducks. The Reverend W. J. Hancock saw the animal and described it as fast as lightning, and looking like a giant kangaroo as it ran and leapt across a field. Another witness, Frank Cobb quickly came upon more evidence of the kangaroo’s activities. The head and shoulders of a large German shepherd or Alsatian were all that remained. A search party tracked the kangaroo to a mountainside cave, where the prints disappeared. In recent years, local rival newspaper writers have tried to blame this Tennessee Killer Kangaroo story on the pen of the late Horace N. Minnis, a South Pittsburg correspondent of the Chattanooga Times. The only trouble with this “newspaper hoax” theory is that Minnis was not a newspaper correspondent for the area in 1934. Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013.
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The apparent Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur called ropen is a cryptid, and that means we are dealing with cryptozoology. Scientific methods may be used in researching and searching in cryptozoology, yet a cryptid, by definition, is not an animal being studied in a laboratory, by a science professor; it is a creature known more from eyewitness testimony. One paleontologist, Dr. Donald Prothero, has gone far astray from scientific methods in his post about “fake” pterosaurs. It’s devoted to attacks against me, Jonathan Whitcomb, as he mentions my religious beliefs and proclaims my dishonesty, in spite of my explanations for my use of two pen names in a minority of my writings. The question now is this: Is it better for a scientist to use non-scientific methods to ridicule, through bulverism, someone he disagrees with or for a cryptozoologist to use scientific methods to examine the credibility of the existence of the cryptid called ropen? I choose the latter. I now respond to Dr. Prothero by quoting from my Searching for Ropens and Finding God (4th edition). The paleontologists are rare who take notice of my associates and me, at least through mid-2014. When one has commented on what we declare about modern pterosaurs, it’s usually with a word like “extinction” but in a difference sense: the demise of all species of pterosaurs. Am I slicing quarks? I know of nobody who denies that many pterosaurs may have lived without leaving any fossil. Beware of the fog around two meanings of a word. Even if all species of pterosaurs known from fossils had become extinct long ago, we live in the real world of the present, a world in which people report encountering living pterosaurs. [page 293] Mr. Collini and Mr. Cuvier [two centuries ago] assumed the strange creature that left fossil evidence of its existence was extinct. What else could they think? They knew nothing of anything like that in the modern world. Now look at the key word: assumed. Almost all biologists, from then until now, have assumed all species of pterosaurs became extinct, for those humans apparently knew nothing of anything like them in the modern world. Paleontologists are even more rare than eyewitnesses of ropens, and if one fossil expert saw one dragon fly overhead, how could the encounter be reported? That eyewitness would probably say nothing. Gradual accumulations of new fossil species were too gradual to alert anyone. Alert them to what? Simple probability. If we were to dig into a cliff, looking for fossils, what might we find? Quite likely we would uncover a fossil of something quite similar to a modern organism, for those are common. If paleontologists had examined objectively the axiom of pterosaur extinction, over the past 200 years, they would have noticed what few have considered: As each new pterosaur genus was uncovered, by fossil discoveries, the probability of a modern version increased. Experts now have dozens of those genera to consider, yet how few paleontologists have examined the universal-pterosaur-extinction axiom itself! [page 295] Science and mathematics Statistical analysis proves that hoaxes could not have played a major part in the 128 sighting reports that I researched by the end of 2012. This is in simple math, easy for most adults to understand. I don’t know why Dr. Prothero mentioned nothing about statistics in eyewitness testimonies, but if he had, it would have reflected badly on his case for trying to persuade people to dismiss from their minds the possibility of any modern pterosaur. How much easier to use bulverism to convince followers that I, Jonathan Whitcomb, have been dishonest! Please note, I am not accusing Dr. Prothero of dishonesty; I am replying to his accusations of deceit. Of course my use of math in that situation relates to the lack of hoaxes, not misidentification possibilities. But if many eyewitnesses have been telling the truth, what about the possibility that I too have been honest? And what if the ropen really is real? Both statements in each post are false, yet some of my proper use of two pseudonyms may resemble improper usage, so this needs to be explained in detail. . . . To publicize details about the encounters with apparent pterosaurs, I needed some way to emphasize those reports without my name getting in the way. [a perfectly valid reason to use a pen name] . . . It gives me some hope that Prothero was making an honest mistake, when he included that link; nevertheless, his post appears sure to lead his readers astray from the truth, not only about my motivations but about investigations of living-pterosaur sighting reports in general. I must respond. I continue to receive eyewitness reports of apparent living pterosaurs, as I have for the past eleven years. The following are some of the more recent emails: West Virginia (Oct of 2014) . . . Minnesota (Nov of 2014) [note: this post was written on Nov 29, 2014] Did you know that the living-pterosaurs investigations that started in the mid-1990’s were in Papua New Guinea? Some reports were of large flying creatures that were covered with hair. The Woetzel-Guessman expedition of 2004 (a few weeks after my own expedition) involved detailed questionnaires, the main one being two pages long. There was also a silhouette page: 34 images of birds, bats, and pterosaurs. Recent and older editions of the nonfiction books Searching for Ropens and Live Pterosaurs in America I am shocked that somebody with so much education would make so many mistakes, indeed errors that are facing 180 degrees away from reality. But I do not accuse this man of dishonesty, for I cannot see into his mind or into his heart. Being honest or dishonest is, after all, about one’s intention. Those who search diligently will find the truth. Searching for Ropens and Finding God – in its expanded fourth edition
Posted by: Loren Coleman on March 22nd, 2010 As you may recall, in 2007, the strange piece of footage called the “Gable Film” popped on the scene. Now, it turns out, it shall be the centerpiece of MonsterQuest’s final episode. Before we get to the meat of the backstory (no pun intended), here is the History network’s blurb on the program: March 24, 2010, “MonsterQuest: America’s Wolfman” 9pm/8pm CENTRAL on History. On March 24, 2010, the MonsterQuest Season Finale examines one of the most controversial pieces of video evidence ever captured, as the team scours the Midwest for a seven-foot wolf-like monster that witnesses believe is a werewolf. On Wednesday at 9 p.m. Eastern on History, the episode “MonsterQuest: America’s Wolfman” closes out the fourth season of the popular investigative cryptozoology series. An expedition team will try to uncover the truth about what is striking fear into witnesses, while the science team will expose the truth behind “The Gable Film,” an internet phenomenon that is possible evidence of a werewolf-like creature. The film, shot on grainy 1970s Super 8, captures a hairy creature running on all fours toward the camera in an apparent attack, prompting widespread debate over its identity and authenticity. This episode of History’s highly acclaimed series features appearances by Wisconsin werewolf researcher Linda Godfrey and Michigan DJ Steve Cook, who first posted the Gable Film. There are frightening stories from witnesses including a former contractor for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and a Deputy Sheriff, who all claim to have encountered this mystery creature that has been part of local legend for centuries. MonsterQuest is produced by Whitewolf Entertainment; the episode “MonsterQuest: America’s Wolfman” is produced by Chicago’s Frank Haney Films. The Gable Film is what I called the “Blair Dog Project” in 2007. I stated at the time that it seemed to be an alleged hoax, but, of course, there was no proof of its background. Chris Noel did an enhancement of the supposedly more gorilla-like moments of the film now on video: In 2009, it was back, thanks to Fox News. New footage had been discovered that throwed some light on this case. Javier Ortega had this to say in 2009: The “Gable film” is an edited 8mm film that has been raising a lot of questions and theories for the last few years. Many have declared this to be an elaborate hoax created by someone wanting to capitalize on the “Michigan Dogman” stories. The film itself is owned by MindStage Productions and can be seen online in a very edited and low quality version. It shows what many have said to be the actual cryptid creature lurking around the Wisconsin and adjacent states. Many researchers have claimed that this is just a hoax created by a radio DJ by the name of Steve Cook. The same person who helped create a fictional story of the “Michigan Dogman” as an April Fool’s joke, stated that he had acquired an old 8mm film with the images of a strange beast that attacks the camera man. He stated that the film was found in an estate sale in the lower peninsula of Michigan. The 8mm reel did not have any detailed information about who or where the film was shot. The only information known was the inscription “Gable Case #MPO41177-1” that was on the film canister. All the recent chatter about the “Beast of Bray Road” and “Michigan Dogman” is kicking up dust again since the news report on Fox’s Sean Hannity show last week in which Linda Godfrey was interviewed and the Gable film was shown on national television…. See the rest of the story, with all the goods, including good comparative images, like below here, here. Below are my two postings from September and October 2007. Excuse the fact that some video and other links may have been removed since then: Our excitement was so intense, as we saw the way to Solomon’s treasure chamber thrown open at last, that I for one began to tremble and shake. Would it prove a hoax after all, I wondered, or was old Da Silvestra right? Were there vast hoards of wealth hidden in that dark place, hoards which would make us the richest men in the whole world?H. Rider Haggard, King Solomon’s Mines. It’s time to bring out the silver bullets. Okay, Cryptomundo will stop ignoring the Gable Film, and take up the hunt. Since September 24, I’ve tried to get some straight answers about a piece of footage that has been floating around the internet, the so-called “Gable Film.” The footage shows, well, let me just say it outloud, what appears to be a “werewolf” and is being promoted as nonfiction. As the story goes, Michigan disc jockey Steve Cook obtained the rights to the film reportedly taken with an old 8 mm camera. The Gable Film was allegedly found in an estate sale in the lower Peninsula. Steve Cook’s Michigan Dogman site was created around the song “The Legend” that was allegedly recorded a couple decades ago as a prank. After it aired, folks began calling the radio station and saying they had seen the creature described in the song. Fast forward to this recent “discovered” film that is said to “prove” the “Legend.” To me this sounds like a song and dance I’ve heard before, too good to be true. But Cryptomundo readers, here’s the footage – and the Dogman site (link below) gets their viewers from Cryptomundo. Below, there is more discussion. I’m not sure how long it will be there, but someone placed it back up on YouTube four days ago: Chris Noel has also done an enhancement of the more gorilla-like moments of the film now on video: What do you think? I wrote Steve Cook about this, being very open with my concerns about this footage: The Gable Film is a good story, and builds in many ways like The Blair Witch Horror and the discovered film canisters of the Jersey Devil film. As a work of cryptofiction cinema and art, it can stand on its own, without it being declared to be nonfiction. I’ve worked with Haxan Films folks, and understand [after the fact, why they went about] creating of such fakes, planted early, to promote such things. I am not saying you are doing any of this, but the background of the April Fool’s prank, the Legend, the poetry of it all, the scenario, the unfolding have to be seen as obvious clues. You have to be asked the hard question – is this a piece of creative narrative fiction performance art – before this gets all blown out of proportion and it becomes a cornerstone of supposedly real werewolf lore?Loren Coleman Steve Cook replied: First, let me re-state that I do not take a position on the authenticity of evidence presented on michigan-dogman.com. Of course I have a personal opinion, but to state it publicly would serve nothing more than to encourage the kind of charges your e-mail implies. The simple answer is, I don’t know what The Gable Film is or what it shows. I understand fully the scripted nature of this. For that reason, we expended considerable effort having it analyzed by a range of people from a variety of backgrounds. Even though none of those people was able to find an obvious flaw indicating a forgery, I still was very hesitant to release it before we had more answers. Then a few weeks ago, I offered a private preview of the film to Linda Godfrey’s Yahoo group, the Unknown Creature Spot. Linda and I are old friends, going back some 15 years. I placed the film on YouTube for two days and invited members of UCS view and evaluate it. In that time, the film was pirated by at least three and perhaps many more individuals. That forced my hand, leading to the release of the video now on my website. The key question you need to ask is, do I stand to gain by releasing a forged film? The answer is no. I have no intention of marketing or selling the Gable Film in any form. I have no desire to do interview shows or speaking tours. If the resulting publicity leads to increased sales of “The Legend,” it will just mean more work packaging and mailing – because I donate the profits from the sale of the CD/DVD set to charity. I put The Gable Film out there because I think it needs to be seen.Steve Cook Obviously, I understand the gray area inhabited by Steve Cook, but the bottomline is that Mr. Cook did not answer my question with a “yes or no” response. The footage in fact, I see, is now generating wider and wider discussions as if it is real, across the internet. People want me to state my opinion on Cryptomundo, declare one way or another – or even come out in careful support of the film. Other emails are also coming in, from fans like Melanie, asking me about the “Blair Dog Project.” Even with offers to look at this frame by frame that is not really illuminating. A deeper analyses of the frames merely will only convey what the creature, costumed or otherwise, looks like more clearly. It actually won’t do too much in revealing the reality behind what was filmed, one way or the other. At this point, this film is only as good as its context and its source. The origins of this footage are cloudy, at best. Unrevealed and untestable, if you believe the stories. A prank, if you consider the history, perhaps. I’ll stop there. Okay, I won’t beat around the wolfbane, any longer. I don’t buy it. My past experiences and eye for forgeries tell me there’s something here that smells like a fake, a copycatted forgery, with the telltale signs of a found-film, the shaky camera, and the blurry imagery. Steve Cook may be a film genius or he may have been hoaxed, but there’s something that is very off about all of this for me. I think this is cryptofiction, developed out of the traditional folkloric motif of found treasures. Other than that, until someone comes forth declaring they created the Gable Film to keep the tale going, what else do we all have to go on but our gut? As I recently noted here about a “Sasquatch” film shown as new on YouTube, these kinds of incidents are sadly piling up in an ever increasing daily body count. Perhaps a whole new division of cryptozoology will have to be cryptocinemahoaxology? “How would that strike you if you read it?” “It would strike me as either being a hoax, or else written by a lunatic.”Agatha Christie, The Secret Adversary. Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.Friedrich Nietzsche The Gable Film is merely, as seemed obvious in the beginning, an alleged hoax. Many readers have sent in comments and links. I will pluck one, that of Cyptomundo reader SC, as an example that gets directly to the point: Follow this link to read Mr. Steve Cook’s explanation as to the nature of the “unintended hoax.” It seems three frames of the film reveal a human leg moving to the side, which, according to him, exposes the “creature” as a man on all fours. Pondering the footage from this new perspective has lead Mr. Cook to conclude it is definitely faked, but not intentionally created to hoax anyone. It is merely vintage footage of an amateur crew of filmmakers working on their own backyard “Boggy Creek.” Pondering Mr. Cook’s conclusions, I can come up with a different idea. The obvious one. Let’s call it “The Intentional Hoax” theory.SC If you follow the link to Steve Cook’s posting, you will find his message ends with the following paragraphs: On the other side of that coin, I now fully understand why witnesses to real events are so reluctant to come forward with evidence; and even when they do, they do not want their name associated with the story. Despite the fact that I had no intent to ever market the film in any form, and that I never claimed it to be authentic, my character suddenly came into question. In the six days The Gable Film was publicly available, I was grilled, cajoled, insulted, and called everything from a profiteer to a liar to other names I would be ashamed to type. Not just from one or two people, but from hundreds. In addition, my website has been hacked, and the film and several other unpublished files have been stolen and posted on the internet. In conclusion, there are a handful of self proclaimed experts in the crypto-creature industry (make no mistake folks, it’s an industry, and a lucrative proposition for some of them) who have become so jaded and cynical, they really should look for a new line of work. It would seem that if evidence has not had the good sense to fall into their lap it is automatically dismissed as a fraud, and so is anyone associated with it. It is precisely that attitude that will prevent real evidence, when it comes, from ever seeing the light of day. There is no need to mention any names. You know who you are. First, one must wonder why he took this all so personally? The reality, of course, is that such discussions as evidenced above infrequently issue from people who seem to not understand that healthy skepticism is part of cryptozoology, that no one in cryptozoology really makes any money, and that most of us have all heard it before. As John Green says, it takes strong personalities in the field to deal with all the criticisms hurled our way, inside and outside the community. Those who have promoted this footage, who either were hoaxed themselves or were behind this alleged docudrama, should not be surprised by hundreds of people who wish to say something, one way or the other, about this Gable Film. That’s what happens, and that’s what is assumed would occur in our media age. It has nothing to do with people wanting to undermine the good stories and the remarkable sightings. On the contrary, it has a lot to do with the credibility of the field being maintained at a high standard, in an awkward age of YouTube-screened hoaxes and website showings linked to wild speculations. This state of affairs has been known in the Bigfoot world for years, and merely comes down to, “if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” Even a man who is pure in heart And says his prayers by night, May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms And the autumn moon is bright.The Wolf Man, 1941 Universal Pictures. Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013.
I will be there, having fun with friends. I'll be updating this post with any new info between now and then. :) San Diego Comic Con Schedule! Saturday, July 25 4:00-5:00 How to Create a Children's Book— Brianne Drouhard (Billie the Unicorn), Mike Collins (Monster Mythos), Erich Haeger (Rosita Y Conchita), Beth Sleven(Cryptid Case Files), and Steph Laberis (Ghost Chef) discuss the process of creating a children's book from scratch. Topics include designing a character and its world, choosing illustration materials, and creating a story. The panel participants have backgrounds in animation and gaming and will discuss how this influences their art. Development art will be presented, followed by Q&A. Room 30CDE ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆★☆UPDATE!: I'll be signing books at the Hard Eight booth #1802, Saturday after the panel at 5pm. Thanks so much Erich Haeger and the rest of you Hard Eight guys!☆★ Sunday, July 24 1:00-2:00 The New Wave of Children's Books — Artists/creators Attaboy (You Might Be a Monster & Other Stories...), James Kochalka (Johnny Boo), Ragnar (Got Your Nose), Rhode Montijo (Cloud Boy), and Brianne Drouhard (Billie the Unicorn) discuss the exciting new wave of innovative books for kids (and the rest of us!). Moderated by Bob Self (Baby Tatto Books). Room 24ABC Sunday, July 24 10:00am-12:00 Billie the Unicorn book signing Tr!ckster will be held across the street from Comic Con at the San Diego Wine and Culinary Center, 200 Harbor Drive, Suite 120. I'm planning on hanging around there Friday at 3pm, and Saturday afternoon before the panel, for anyone who would like a signed book. Tr!ckster will have Billie available in their pop up store during the convention. I'm very thankful they are willing to carry it and to let me sign! Also really excited to be on a panel with some good friends!
\|Last Sighting\|\|20th Century\| \|Habitat\|\|Remote Forests of US\| Unique breeds of monkey have been described as being about 3 to 4 feet tall, although some eyewitnesses have sworn that these furry fiends can reach a height that is in excess of 7 feet. It seems clear, however, that those who have had an encounter with this larger version of the beast are actually describing a run-in with a prototypical hairy humanoid and not the smaller, more primate-like Devil Monkey. Unlike the legendarily gorilla-like Bigfoot or Yeti , these creatures — which have been seen throughout the American South and Mid-West and as far North as Alaska — have been described as a shaggy, canine-faced baboon-like creatures with powerful, almost kangaroo-like legs, a trait they share with the South America’s notorious “goat sucker” the chupacabra. Other distinguishing traits that Devil Monkeys are said to bear include 3-toed, razor-clawed feet, tiny pointed ears and a long, often bushy, tail. The first reported encounter with this swift, dangerous predator occurred in 1934, in South Pittsburgh, Tennessee. According to the reports — which were allegedly published in national newspapers — eyewitnesses described a mysterious beast that could “leap across fields” with “lightening speed.” This ability to jump great distances — up to 20 feet according to some accounts — have led some to speculate that these animals may have something in common with the Kangaroos that have been seen throughout the United States for decades. The suggestion is that those who think they’re seeing kangaroos from a distance are, in fact, spying Devil Monkeys. While these 1934 encounters may or may not be associated with this phenomenon, the first “official” Devil Monkey sighting occurred in 1959, while a couple by the name of Boyd were driving through the mountains near their home in Saltville, Virginia. According to their account, an ape-like beast attacked their car, leaving three scratch marks on the vehicle. The Boyd’s daughter, Pauline, described the terrifying attacker: “(It had) light, taffy colored hair, with a white blaze down its neck and underbelly… it stood on two, large well-muscled back legs and had shorter front legs or arms.” Boyd went on to describe a second Devil Monkey encounter that occurred just days later in the same region: “Several days after this incident, two nurses from the Saltville area were driving home from work one morning and were attacked by an unknown creature who ripped the convertible top from their car.” Luckily the nurses — though surely frightened out of their wits — were unharmed. In 1969, esteemed mystery ape researchers Johnn Green looked into accounts of a long-tailed “monkey” beast that eyewitnesses claimed was lurking near Mamquam, British Columbia. This creature was said to have left a series of distinctive, three toed tracks — much like those attributed to Devil Monkeys as well as the legendary Bigfoot— in its wake. In 1973, famed cryptozoologist and author Lauren Coleman investigated reports of three, black bushy-tailed “giant monkeys” that were said to have slaughtered livestock in Albany, Kentucky. Coleman mentioned the event in an interview with Animal Planet: “I investigated that case in depth. I interviewed the people, who were very sincere. In the whole context of devil monkey reports, it seemed extremely sincere. You have these reports of hairy, monkey-like creatures with tails, very different from Bigfoot.” In 1979, there was a spate of reported encounters with a bipedal, monkey-like critter known as the Bigfoot which hailed from the rural depths of Georgia. One female eyewitness described it as: “The ugliest looking thing I've ever seen… (it had a tail) like a beaver’s, but it’s bushy.” She also claimed in bore “a face like a dog.” These traits are all known to be Devil Monkey characteristics. In fact, more than a few eyewitnesses have describe these beasts as resembling a wild dog at a distance, which suggests that this creature may employ both bipedal and quadrupedal locomotion. This depiction of the creature coincides with what some consider to be the most recent — and controversial — Devil Monkey encounter on the books to date. According to the report, On January 12, 2006, an anonymous witness claimed that he and his family entered their Chicago home to discover what he asserted was a “devil-like creature violently attacking my 6 year-old labrador dog.” The man further described the beast as being “an unusual combination of a monkey, wolf, and devil” with “long fangs, a monkey-like tail and extremely bright glowing eyes.” Surprisingly, this fellow — unlike so many others who are taken aback by their first encounter with an ostensibly violent cryptid — claimed that he remained calm enough to grab a nearby camera and snap a photo of the allegedly diabolical fiend. It was after the flashbulb’s burst that this creature purportedly “sprang to its hind legs and ran,” nearly pushing over this lucky fellow and his family in an effort to escape through the open door behind them. This unnamed observer also claimed that his neighborhood had been hereafter plagued with numerous reports of missing pets and even went so far as to state that there was an additional — as yet wholly unsubstantiated — account of yet another individual seeing an identical beast hanging from a local tree by its tail. While we here at American Monsters pride ourselves on being champions of the bizarre, rather than judges — a chore we leave up to you dear readers — it seems fairly obvious to us that this image depicts not an unknown cryptid but a typical canine with it’s eyes reflecting the camera’s flash. The Labrador, which it was supposedly “attacking,” does not appear to be in a state of duress — as one would assume it might be in such a situation — and there even seems to be an indication of a collar around this allegedly “unknown” animal’s neck. While the aforementioned case may reek of a hoax, some investigators feel that there is an intriguing link between these vicious, new world primates and the still controversial Deridder Roadkill photos — which appeared on the internet in 1996 — and seem to depict the CURIOUS CARCASS of an unidentified, baboon-like animal with canine features on a Louisiana road side. It’s worth mentioning that in 1996, Louisiana was also the site for another strange eyewitness report that seems very much like a Devil Monkey.
Thursday, March 20, 2008 Loren Coleman thinks this video, of a "creepy gnome" terrorizing the Argentinian town of General Guemes, is a hoax. And it is true: ever since The Blair Witch Project certain stylistic tics derived from that movie have crept into fake Bigfoot/cryptid footage. Here, teenagers sit around filming themselves pointlessly on a deserted Argentinian street until something untoward (the gnome pitching stones, apparently) attracts their attention. Shaky, grainy cellphone footage ensues. This footage, genuine or not, has a certain grungy effectiveness, however. (You should see some of the lousy Bigfoot fakes out there!)The gnome has a certain resonance from 80s slasher flicks, and the scream at the end is fairly convincing.
All the creatures shown on this page either are or were believed to be REAL creatures at one time or another by one people or another. For the time being, please look up these creatures in The PIRG Paranormal Dictionary for more information on them. Over time, this page may become several pages of images like the few below as more are added from our archives to this one. Therefore, we suggest that you bookmark this page and check back with us often! Rabbi Paul E. Umbarger II The images below are of creatures that many in history have lived in fear of. They reflect the terror, imagination and creativity of diverse populations from various cultures around the world. Some of the following images MAY be disturbing to A creature form Japanese folklore. Literally,"Filth licker". A hideous type of Japanese bogeyman that quite literally licks dirty bathrooms clean with its tongue and the aid of poisonous saliva. It is believed that the monster may have originated as a way for parents to motivate their children to keep the bathroom clean. Deformed spirits from the folklore of the Tinguian tribe of the Philippines. They have wings, and their fingers and toes point backwards. Alans are said to take drops of menstrual blood, miscarried fetuses, afterbirth, or other reproductive waste and transform them into human children, whom they then raise as their own. They live near springs in extremely fine houses, made of gold and other valuables. The modern Alan spirit has long since left the Philippines, pointed their toes forward again and roam the wilds. (Filipino Folklore) The aswang is one of the most common of Filipino monsters since there are so many different types of Aswang. In general, they are shape shifters who are human by day and then at night turn into a dog, a pig, a bat, cat, snake… the type of animal depends on the regional lore. They break into funeral homes and steal recent corpses. They are also known to enter homes to drink human blood and can turn people into aswang by tricking the human to bite them in return. The aswang are especially hungry for human fetus so some of the more superstitious stories include neighborhoods patrols set up in front of the home of a pregnant woman to protect her from wandering stray animals in case they are the aswang in disguise. In Irish mythology, the Fomorians, Fomors, or Fomori (Irish Fomóiri, Fomóraig) were a semi-divine race who inhabited Ireland in ancient times. They may have once been believed to be the beings who preceded the gods, similar to the Greek Titans. It has been suggested that they represent the gods of chaos and wild nature, as opposed to the Tuatha Dé Danann who represent the gods of human civilization. Alternatively, they may represent the gods of a proposed pre-Goidelic population of Ireland. Creature from Japanese folklore. Buddhist name for restless or hungry spirits. (Visit our paranormal dictionary and see the definition for "Yurei" also). Artists depiction of a Gaki Painting of Gakis in a Japanese village. (Circa: 1700) A real species of bird from the Amazon sometimes mistakenly believed to be a cryptid. They are considered living fossils, which is especially impressive since these things survived since halfway back to the dinosaur extinction (about 34 million years ago), in an area crawling with anacondas and crocodiles, not to mention spiders the size of your head. Outside of having baby chicks that climb trees like lizards, they also have the distinction of smelling bad enough to literally scare away predators with their stink. Creature from Japanese folklore. A small goblin-like creature also known as a "Water Monkey". A Kappa has a dent in its head that is full of water from its native spring. If the water spills out of its head, it looses its magical powers. Kappas generally drink blood but can be either good or evil. Kappas love to eat cucumbers and a family wishing to gain the favor of a kappa, or at least avoid its wrath, writes their names on a cucumber and throws it into the Kappa’s pond. The creatures are known for being polite and always keeping promises. There are over a dozen different, weirdly specific categories of Kappa. There are different names for one-eyed Kappas, hairy Kappas, cowardly Kappas, mountain-climbing Kappas, and even a "party animal" Kappa. Creature from Filipino Folklore. Hairy giants with glowing eyes and a cigar that never burns out. They can usually be found sitting atop of trees waiting for nightfall to scare naughty children who are outside of their homes late at night. The Kapre is a unique Filipino monster because he doesn’t steal fetuses, eat people or cut them up. The Kapre simply enjoys terrorizing young children. Some stories claim they are actually very friendly beings who can grant wishes if you find their magical white stone. One can assume a Kapre is nearby when trees sway while there is no breeze or you see faint smoke from high above, probably from the Kapre‘s cigar. An animated parasol. An old umbrella that becomes spirit possessed. Apparently, at some point in Japanese history, umbrellas were reported to be animating so often that someone eventually decided that they required their own name, just to separate them from other Tsukumogami. "Kasa-obake" is the name for . (Visit our paranormal dictionary and see the definition for "Tsukumogami" also). A mythological aquatic creature with a female human head and torso and the tail of a fish. Mermaids have a broad representation in folklore, literature, and popular culture. The word is a compound of mere, the Old English word for "sea", and maid, a woman. The male equivalent is a merman. Much like sirens, mermaids sometimes sing to people and gods and enchant them, distracting them from their work and causing them to walk off the deck or run their ships aground. Other stories depict them squeezing the life out of drowning men while attempting to rescue them. They are also said to carry humans down to their underwater kingdoms. Mongolian Death Worm Crypid from the Gobe Desert in Mongolia. (Nation between China and Russia).Allegedly, a fat, bright red snakelike animal measuring two to four feet in length that supposedly has the dramatic ability to kill people and animals instantly at a range of several feet. The Mongolian Death Worm is believed to accomplish this by either spraying an enormously lethal poison, or by somehow transmitting high electrical charges into its victims. The worm is said to be found solely in the sand dunes of the southern part of the Gobi Desert; Allghoi Khorkhoi (local name, meaning "intestine worm," because of its color and appearance) is so feared among the people of Mongolia that the simple mention of it is considered bad luck. It is believed that touching any part of the worm will bring instant death, and its venom supposedly corrodes metal. Local folklore also tells of a predilection for the color yellow and local parasitic plants such as the Goyo. First reported in 1929, the Mongolian Death Worm is said to emerge during the hot months of June and July and to hibernate the rest of the year. Cryptid species of Buddhism. A pod people that appeared to Buddha as beautiful women while he meditated in a secluded area. They disappeared and left a humanoid pod form behind on a nearby tree. There are two alleged Naree Pon pods in a Thai temple near Bangkok in Thailand. Cryptid species from Japan. (Ningen is Japanese for "Human"). Gigantic humanoid life-forms inhabiting the icy waters of the Antarctic. Reportedly observed on multiple occasions by crew members of government-operated “whale research” ships, these so-called “Ningen” are said to be completely white in color with an estimated length of 20 to 30 meters. Eyewitnesses describe them as having a human-like shape, often with legs, arms, and even five-fingered hands. Sometimes they are described as having fins or a large mermaid-like tail instead of legs. The only visible facial features are the eyes and mouth. For the most part, the existence of the Ningen is considered an urban legend. Much of the information about this rumored creature can be traced back to a series of posts on the 2channel forums, written by a person describing the experience of a friend employed on a government “whale research” vessel. Nonetheless, there are many pictures claiming to be of authentic Ningen still circulating. The name of an evil spirit which is believed by residents to have first appeared on the Tanzanian island of Pemba. In 1995 it was the focus of a major outbreak of collective hysteria or panic which spread from Pemba to Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar archipelago, and across to Dar es Salaam and other urban centres on the East African coast. Popobawa has since joined the global pantheon of occult beings, a development fuelled by journalists’ reports and the dissemination of these on the internet. A type of "Yokai" similar to nukekubi but instead of heads that completely sever, the rokuro-kubi have necks that stretch to enormous lengths during night-time. They look like normal human beings by day, but at night they gain the ability to stretch their necks to great lengths. They can also change their faces to those of terrifying oni to better scare mortals. In their daytime human forms, rokurokubi often live undetected and may even take mortal spouses. Many rokurokubi become so accustomed to such a life that they take great pains to keep their demonic forms secret. They are tricksters by nature, however, and the urge to frighten and spy on human beings is hard to resist. Some rokurokubi thus resort to revealing themselves only to drunkards, fools, the sleeping, or the blind in order to satisfy these urges. Other rokurokubi have no such compunctions and go about frightening mortals with abandon. A few, it is said, are not even aware of their true nature and consider themselves normal humans. This last group stretch their necks out while asleep in an involuntary action; upon waking up in the morning, they find they have weird dreams regarding seeing their surroundings in unnatural angles. According to some tales, rokurokubi were once normal human beings but were transformed by karma for breaking various precepts of Buddhism. Often, these rokurokubi are truly sinister in nature, eating people or drinking their blood rather than merely frightening them. These demonic rokurokubi often have a favored prey, such as others who have broken Buddhist doctrine or human men. Tanuki often imitated rokurokubi when playing practical jokes on people. Literally "The corpse who stands up". A magical rite performed by Tibetan Buddhist ngagspas (sorcerers) for the purpose of obtaining a magical charm from them. It was first reported to the west by Alexandra David-Neel in the early 20th century. There are several versions of the rite practices but, the most common involves laying on the corpse in a dark room mentally reciting a specific chant. After a time the corpse is believed to begin to move and try to escape. At some point during this struggle, the corpses tongue will protrude and the sorcerer bites it off. The tongue is later dried and used as a powerful magic weapon. Losing control of the corpse means certain death for the sorcerer and there are stories of Rolang corpses that have escaped from the ngagspas and roam the countryside. Prior to the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet, the Rolang was practiced as a funerary rite by the shamans of Bon, the early shamanistic religion of the country. This is a suspected image of a "rolang". Unfortunately, we have been unable to determine for certain if it actually is a re-animated corpse or simply someone playing the part. Special thanks to Spencer Barrett and Maid Stone Paranormal, based in the United Kingdom, for granting the PIRG permission to use the image on his site. You can find out more about Maid Stone Paranormal by visiting their FaceBook page: Or by Email @: Folkloric Creature from Japan. The name given to an apparition resembling a man with an eyeball where his anus should have been. Now, we’re not given much, if any information on why such an apparition should exist at all. In fact, there is only one recorded story of the Shirime, but the idea was apparently so well liked by the Japanese poet and artist Yosa Buson that he included it in several of his paintings of supernatural creatures. The story of the Shirime simply states that a lone samurai was walking down a road at night when somebody called to him. He turned, to see a mysterious man undressing and pointing at his derriere when a large, glittering eye opened from the indicated area. The samurai was, understandably, so horrified that he ran away screaming, and the Shirime was never seen again. (Filipino Folklore) Described as having the head of a horse, the body of a man and the hooves of a horse where human feet would be. In northern regions, the tikbalang is considered a nuisance but generally harmless. They enjoy disorienting weary travelers and making them imagine things that don’t exist. Travelers can easily stop the pranks by turning their own shirt inside out and asking the tikbalang to stop bothering them. The stories of tikbalang from southern regions paint the creature as a much more sinister monster. He has glowing red eyes, a large cigar and smells of the stench of burning hair. When angered (and he angers easily), the tikbalang will stamp you to death. To tame the beast, the person must pluck the one of three unusually long hairs found in its mane. After that, the tikbalang is your slave. Folklore states that when the sun shines through the clouds while it is raining, a pair of Tikbalang are getting married. A creature which imitates the form of a child. It usually takes the form of a newborn baby and cries like one in the jungle to attract unwary travelers. Once it is picked up by the victim, it reverts to its true form and attacks the victim. Aside from slashing victims, the tianak also delights in leading travelers astray, or in kidnapping children. While various legends have slightly different versions of the "true" form of the tiyanak, the stories all agree on its ability to mimic an infant, with its ability to imitate an infant's cries the most powerful tool for luring victims into its trap. In some legends, the Tiyanak may take the form of a specific child. In its true form, there are varying differences of the tiyanak: The tiyanak is similar to the Greek mythological siren in that it lures its prey with its voice. A person hears a baby cry from deep in the woods and then follows the sound to rescue the baby. Some stories say the person wanders aimlessly in search for the baby and becomes hopelessly lost. Other stories claim that the person eventually finds a baby in the middle of the woods. When it is picked up, the baby then shape-shifts into a monster with large, sharp teeth. It then eats the person and transforms back to a baby to await its next victim. Mythical creature who rises up out of it's grave at night to feed on the blood of others. Mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person. Although vampiric entities have been recorded in many cultures and in spite of speculation by literary historian Brian Frost that the "belief in vampires and bloodsucking demons is as old as man himself", and may go back to "prehistoric times", the term vampire was not popularized until the early 18th century, after an influx of vampire superstition into Western Europe from areas where vampire legends were frequent, such as the Balkans and Eastern Europe, although local variants were also known by different names, such as vrykolakas in Greece and strigoi in Romania. This increased level of vampire superstition in Europe led to mass hysteria and in some cases resulted in corpses actually being staked and people being accused of vampirism. While even folkloric vampires of the Balkans and Eastern Europe had a wide range of appearance ranging from nearly human to bloated rotting corpses, it was the success of John Polidori's1819 novella The Vampyre that established the archetype of charismatic and sophisticated vampire; it is arguably the most influential vampire work of the early 19th century, inspiring such works as Varney the Vampire and eventually Dracula. However, it is Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula that is remembered as the quintessential vampire novel and which provided the basis of modern vampire fiction. Dracula drew on earlier mythologies of werewolves and similar legendary demons and "was to voice the anxieties of an age", and the "fears of late Victorian patriarchy". The success of this book spawned a distinctive vampire genre, still popular in the 21st century, with books, films, video games, and television shows. The vampire is such a dominant figure in the horror genre that literary historian Susan Sellers places the current vampire myth in the "comparative safety of nightmare fantasy". Mythical creatures of popular folklore, a man who is transformed, or who transforms himself, into a wolf in nature and appearance under the influence of a full moon. The werewolf is only active at night and during that period, he devours infants and corpses. According to legend, and the plant wolfs bane is said to act as a deterrent. Werewolf: Mythical creatures of popular folklore, a man who is transformed, or who transforms himself, into a wolf in nature and appearance under the influence of a full moon. The werewolf is only active at night and during that period, he devours infants and corpses. According to legend, and the plant wolfs bane is said to act as a deterrent.
Posted by: Nick Redfern on May 27th, 2012 The beast of Boggy Creek will be putting in an appearance in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Sunday June 10. Well, kind of… What’s actually happening is that Lyle Blackburn – author of The Beast of Boggy Creek – will be lecturing on the subject of his book and the history of the Boggy Creek affair for the DFW-based Extraordinary Phenomena Investigations Council (EPIC) group. Yep, I know it’s still two weeks away, but I figured that those who live close enough to attend, and who want to plan well in advance, would like to know what’s forthcoming. And, having seen Lyle lecture before, I can say with certainty you won’t want to miss this one! I will be attending as well. And here’s the group’s founder, Ken Cherry, to tell you all about the event: EPIC Members and Friends: EPIC Meeting, 2 PM Sunday, June 10, 2012 at the Grapevine Community Activities Center, Room 102, 1175 Municipal Way. EPIC looks forward to meeting our special guest speaker, Lyle Blackburn, June 10th. Lyle will discuss the true story for the basis of his book, THE BEAST OF BOGGY CREEK. For more than a century, reports of a strange beast known as “The Fouke Monster” have circulated among the locals in southern Arkansas near the Texas border. Over the years, the creature has been seen by numerous witnesses including respected citizens, experienced hunters, famous musicians, and even a police officer. The encounters were often so shocking, they served as inspiration for the classic horror film, THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK, by Charles B. Pierce. The movie, which became a drive-in sensation in the 1970s, influenced many of today’s top cryptozoologists, including Loren Coleman and others. Tales of the creature have long existed in scattered pieces across news clippings, memoirs, police reports, and movies, but it is only now that the complete history of the Fouke Monster has been assembled in one book: The Beast of Boggy Creek: The True Story of the Fouke Monster, by author Lyle Blackburn. At the upcoming EPIC meeting, Lyle will offer a visual presentation about his research regarding this fascinating and influential cryptid, which, according to recent reports, still lurks in the remote river bottoms just a few hours north of Dallas-Fort Worth. For more information about Lyle, visit his website at: www.monstrobizzaro.com Students $5.00 — Members $7.00 — Guests $8.00 Annual Memberships Available for $10 at the door. Correct Change Appreciated. Location: Grapevine Community Activities Center, 1175 Municipal Way in Grapevine, TX 76051. After the meeting, we will be seated in the banquet room at El Fenix, 401 S. Highway 114 in Grapevine. El Fenix is very conveniently located from the meeting room. Head south on Main Street, cross the bridge at Hwy. 114, turn right at the first driveway into restaurant row and proceed to El Fenix. There is plenty of parking and the location is wheelchair accessible. Location: El Fenix Famous Mexican Restaurant, 401 W State Highway 114, Grapevine, TX 76051. We are dedicating this meeting to long-time friend and EPIC Sr. Investigator, John Gilliland. We have reduced member dues for this meeting and we hope that you will all attend and meet afterwards at El Fenix to celebrate John’s life. Thank you all and hope to see you there. Punk music fan, Tennents Super and Carlsberg Special Brew beer fan, horror film fan, chocolate fan, like to wear black clothes, like to stay up late. Work as a writer.
Along the DMZ, golf is not a sport for the faint of heart. The golf course at Camp Bonifas, just south of the Korean demilitarized zone, boasts just one hole, but what it lacks in quantity it more than makes up for in hazards. Live land mines line the course, and bizarre animals stumble out from the woods. Formerly Camp Kitty Hawk, United Nations Command post Camp Bonifas was renamed in 1986 to honor Captain Arthur G. Bonifas, who had been axe murdered in 1976 during a conflict with North Korea soldiers over pruning a poplar tree. The camp lies 400 meters south of the DMZ's southern border, and that remote location offers little entertainment to the folks stationed there. So in 1972, a group of soldiers decided to make their own fun by constructing a golf course. There was only room for one hole, so the builders decided to up the ante on the hazards. The small astroturf green is surrounded on three sides by live mines. Once your ball has rolled out of bounds, it's gone. Still the soldiers have said there's a certain zen to hitting the balls down their deadly course. Par is three, but hitting par is rare. While the most obvious hazards are man-made, the soldiers have reported some natural hazards as well. Golfers have spotted wild boars, Korean tigers, and water deer (sometimes called "vampire deer" for their protruding fangs). Some have even claimed to have seen a creature they call "man-bear-pig," which sounds like Al Gore's least favorite cryptid from South Park, but which the soldiers were apparently serious about. What the folks stationed out there would really like, though, is a little money to help them clean up the course a bit. Not to remove the mines, of course. After all, the possibility of an exploding golf ball is most of the fun. Photo by Morning Calm News.
Posted by: Loren Coleman on July 30th, 2011 Due to my new posting yesterday about a Massachusetts “crazy croc,” an Australian commented on the Cryptomundo Facebook page a couple times, taking me to task for using “croc” regarding an alligator. As I tried to explain, alligators are crocodilians. Besides, it has become a shorthand Fortean and crypto way to talk about all of these out-of-place caimans, crocodiles, and alligators as “crazy crocs” for years. Then he came back with this: “I always read ‘Crocs’ to mean ‘crocodiles’ or, at a pinch, ‘very ugly shoes’. If one has to abbreviate, why not ‘Gators’? Not lovely and alliterative, but less misleading.” Actually, “crocs” is the least misleading term to use. Americans often “report” or “sight” an animal that they tell law enforcement officials are definitely “alligators,” but which turn out in reality to be a “cryptid” and sometimes do turn out to be caimans or crocodiles. Since alligators, caimans, crocodiles, and a few other species are indeed crocodilians, to call the initial accounts “crazy crocs” is more correct, in the long run. Tensions always seem high in the media when the subject of “crazy crocs” comes up every spring for one major reason: people have been killed by them. Florida suffers fatal alligator attacks more frequently than one might suppose, so Floridians are on super alert. “Croc” sightings (from places as diverse as Tennessee and Austria) and findings (especially of things like “Maine Gators”) are of interest to cryptozoologists. Why, you ask? Well, there are several reasons, including (please add your own, in comments): 1) some Lake Monsters are initially reported to look like alligators; 2) some water cryptids may turn out to be alligators or other pet croc escapees; 3) keeping track of the expanding or pet escapee enhanced alligator range is a good idea; 4) field-aware cryptozoologists like to know if there are any dangerous animals in the path of their pursuits; 5) out-of-place ‘gators are cool and very Fortean. Of course, getting killed and eaten by a gator is not cool, but it might be Fortean. Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct). Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013.
Archive for the “Living Fossils” Posted by: Karl Shuker on September 6th, 2014 With an area of more than 340,000 square miles, New Guinea is second only to Greenland as the largest island in the world (Australia is bigger than both but is officially deemed an island continent, rather than a mere island). Throughout its length and breadth, however, are dense and often little-explored rainforests where various surprising […] Read: Dung-Heaps, Devil-Pigs, and Monckton’s Gazeka » Posted by: Craig Woolheater on August 27th, 2014 …Kronos Rising delivers on the fun: it has plenty of plot twists, roller-coaster suspense, colorful characters, and action. On that score, I got my money’s worth. Read: Kronos Rising Reviewed » Posted by: Craig Woolheater on August 26th, 2014 Jonathan David Whitcomb offers his e-book titled Live Pterosaurs in Australia and Papua New Guinea for free! Read: Free E-Book: Live Pterosaurs in Australia and Papua New Guinea » Posted by: Karl Shuker on July 9th, 2014 Whereas the African pygmy elephant has attracted appreciable interest and even more appreciable controversy, both within and beyond the cryptozoological community, a second contentious proboscidean reported from the Dark Continent has received far less attention, but in my view is much more intriguing. This latter cryptid is the so-called water elephant. ((c) Markus Bühler The […] Read: Whither the Water Elephant? » Posted by: Nick Redfern on June 17th, 2014 “When the Wiltshire-based host asked me to comment on the theory that the Nessies are plesiosaurs, I replied it was complete nonsense. For a second or so, there was a noticeable silence…” Read: Nessie Is Not A Plessie » Posted by: Craig Woolheater on May 27th, 2014 Numerous eyewitnesses have reported seeing a living dinosaur in the jungles of Cameroon. The locals refer to the creature as Mokele-Mbembe and it may be the last living sauropod dinosaur. The dinosaur sightings report a creature with a heavily armored body, a fringe of scales down its back, three foot circumference footprints, long neck, snake like head, a body as big as an elephant, claw-like feet and a long tail. In the MonsterQuest Episode “The Last Dinosaur”, the team goes to Africa in search of this last living dinosaur. Read: Are Dinosaurs Really Extinct? » Posted by: John Kirk on May 27th, 2014 I want to let you in on a great documentary series done by my mate Wayne Hall. It’s called In Search of the Congo dinosaur. Yes, there are creationist overtones which some may not agree with, but the essence of Mokele-mbembe research is captured in this series. This is a real passion of mine and I reckon that all the deprivations that me (my) mates and I have undergone has been worth it. Read: In Search of the Congo Dinosaur » Posted by: John Kirk on May 9th, 2014 New findings concerning Mokele-mbembe have prompted us to launch a major expedition set for late 2014. Watch out for our crowd funding event with some great concessions, coming soon. Thanks for watching! Read: Mokele Mbembe – A New Hunt Is On! » Posted by: Scott Mardis on May 4th, 2014 Like many people, I’ve followed the hunts for the Loch Ness Monster, Sasquatch, and an assortment of other cryptids, over the years. Given the vastness of our largely unexplored oceans, it wouldn’t surprise me to have a supposedly extinct marine predator turn up entangled in a trawler’s net tomorrow. You just never know. ~ Max Hawthorne Read: Q & A With Kronos Rising Author » Posted by: Scott Mardis on April 28th, 2014 Freed by chance geologic events from the refuge that saved its kind 65 million years previously, a Mesozoic horror rises to engulf a quaint East Coast Florida town. An 80-foot eating machine that’s neither fish nor mammal, the relentless beast wreaks havoc in the already-complicated lives of several disparate people: a former Olympic fencing champion turned small town sheriff, a conservationist/marine biologist and a psychotic politician. Some other Mesozoic dietary staples of this monster make cameos along the way, as well as some familiar “sea monsters” of modern oceans. Read: Reviewed: Kronos Rising » Posted by: Scott Mardis on March 21st, 2014 “After 65 Million years, the world’s greatest predator is back…. “ Read: Kronos Rising Soon! » Posted by: Nick Redfern on March 19th, 2014 “Martin Clemens has a good, thought-provoking new article at Mysterious Universe on the Woolly Mammoth, and specifically on whether or not attempts should be made to clone the creature…” Read: Cloning the Woolly Mammoth » Posted by: Scott Mardis on March 14th, 2014 We must remember that the best case for most cryptids at this point in time is based on ambiguous, circumstantial evidence and any possible connections to extinct animals are tenuous at best. Assuming the bulk of descriptive and photographic evidence might be correct and bear some resemblance to a known fossil form, we should not overlook the remarkable phenomenon of convergent evolution. It’s within the realm of possibility that some recently evolved animal, unknown to us in fossil form, has developed features similar to some well known extinct forms. Read: Prehistoric Survivor Paradigm Under Fire? » Posted by: Craig Woolheater on March 13th, 2014 Sharon Hill, geologist, skeptic, and Sounds Sciencey columnist, has given the boot (boot? Hill? Get it?) to the claims that prehistoric survivors are still roaming around causing cryptozoologists to get all excited. Read: Putting the Kibosh on Prehistoric Survivors? » Posted by: Scott Mardis on March 11th, 2014 Vertebrate paleontologist Darren Naish has posted a wonderful article on the probable behavior and lifestyles of plesiosaurs at his Scientific American blog, Tetrapod Zoology. This is obviously of interest to those in cryptozoology with questions regarding what we know about real plesiosaurs versus speculation about “long necked sea monsters”. Dr. Naish himself does not endorse the “relict plesiosaur” theory but is open minded to the giant long necked seal idea. Read: Plesiosaur Peril and the Prehistoric Survivor Paradigm »