Primatology From The Edge

Interesting article at the edge.org

OUT OF OUR MINDS: HOW DID HUMANS COME DOWN FROM THE TREES AND WHY DID NO ONE FOLLOW?
By Vanessa Woods & Brian Hare

In the 6 million years since hominids split from the evolutionary ancestor we share with chimpanzees and bonobos, something happened to our brains that allowed us to become master cooperators, accumulate knowledge at a rapid rate, and manipulate tools to colonize almost every corner of the planet.

VANESSA WOODS, author of "It's Every Monkey for Themselves", is an award-winning journalist who has a double degree in biology and English from the University of New South Wales. She is a researcher with the Hominoid Psychology Research Group and studies the psychology of bonobos and chimpanzees in Africa.

BRIAN HARE is an anthropologist and an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Anthropology and Anatomy at Duke University. His research centers on human cognitive evolution, and his experience in the field includes work in Siberia, the jungle of Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Today in BF History: APR 01

Today, April 01, 1969 in Skamania County, WA. An ordinance written and then made legally binding in 1984.



We had written about this before and even invited you readers to join us in a celebration in Skamania county. There will be another celebration this year and we encourage you to go.Visit the official website here. Where else can you have bigfoot draft beer for you at the tap.

Ohio Grassman in the News

Unimpressed with this 3 minute news article from Zanesville Ohio, but we believe in bringing all BF news to you in almost real time.

Check it out Emily Baird's news video here.

Today in BF History: MAR 30

Today, March 30th in 1984, Bigfoot was considered a protected non-game species that couldn't legally be hunted in California, state Department of Fish and Game officials said. Although we should note Skamania County in WA beat them to it in 1969 -- More on that in two more days.

Actually what is more fascinating due to some great investigative reporting by The North American Bigfoot Search website is the fact that the California State Department of Fish and Game has an entire file on Bigfoot. This is like a state-level project blue book for bigfoot.

Everyone here recommends visiting the The North American Bigfoot Search website for a great interview with Eric Loft, Chief of the Wildlife Branch. A masterful work of due diligence and investigative persistence.

Meanwhile expand the full post below to see a list of the entire contents of the DFG's file on Bigfoot.




California Department of Fish & Game/ The Bigfoot File Contents


The focus of this section will be the contents of the DFG file. DFG allowed us to copy each page in the binder. What follows is a list of the documents in the order they were inside the file:


1. DFG routing slip (47 Names).
2. Photo and short article on the PG film, dated 1/11/99
3. Sacramento Union article, 5/14/78, titled “Soviets Positive Bigfoot Exists”
4. Memorandum, From Ron Jurek (DFG), Title “Proposed Procedures for Processing Permit Applications to take “Bigfoot” and for Responding to Requests for Information”, 3 Pages, **NABS will further discuss this memo later in the story.
5. Record Searchlight Article, “Bigfoot Reported in Trinity County, 5/20/99
6. LA Times (No Date) “Bigfoot really was a fake says family of man who created it”
7. Letter from US Expedition and Exploration Society to Ms. Lorna Bernard, Wildlife Division, Dated 11/17/97, contents discuss the writers inability to get to Sacramento to obtain copies of file and requests they be sent.
8. Herald and News, Klamath Falls, Oregon, article- “Bigfoot Search Effort Eyed in Dorris”, 11/7/97.
9. Letter from US Expedition and Exploration Society dated 10/2/97, to Laura Bernard requesting that the name of the group be given to people writing the DFG asking for sighting information.
10. Letter from DFG Director Jacqueline Schafer to US Expeditions dated 11/11/97, states that DFG is writing at the request of an Assembly Member and states that they will keep their letter on file for future reference. The letter also describes the contents of the Bigfoot file.
11. Letter from Tom Woods, California Assemblyman to Jacqueline Schafer, DFG addressing the needs of a constituent, dated 10/16/97
12. Message note not dated to: Howard from Rev Schumacker.
13. Sacramento Bee Article, 11/30/75, “Scientific Opinion Mounts: Bigfoot More Than a Legend”, Photo of Peter Byrne goes with article.
14. Handwritten note from Doug Updike, regarding Ron Badal, regarding a sighting in the Lewiston Area, 5 Individuals observed a biped, 7-8 feet tall, followed people for 3 days. Note also states ”Grizzly in the Trinity Lake Area in 1978”.
15. Copy of article, “Bigfoot: A Bibliography by Patricia Katka, 3 Pages
16. Sacramento Bee Article, 7/11/81, “Bigfoot Hunters Stalk the Woods for Clues to an American Legend”
17. Sacramento Bee Article, “Man Goes in Search of Bigfoot”, By Rob Gold, 8/26/82
18. One page of a multi page letter to Mr. Thompson at DFG and speaks about a mystery animal doing destruction in the forests.
19. A 4 page proposal written by “Christian Bigfoot Project, Proposal for Financing”, for bringing in “a fresh killed body of Bigfoot”. The report has qualifications, Justification for project, Needed equipment with budget ($17,900) and is supported by “Sportsmen for Christ, Carmichael, CA.
20. Article, “I Touched Bigfoot”, no date and no name of where it originated.
21. Article, “Crazed Bigfoot traps Terrified Teens in Remote Wilderness Cabin”, no date, no name of origination.
22. Handwritten letter to “Mr. Fullerton” from “Ernest Sproles” about a scientific research proposal, one page.
23. Sacramento Bee article “Bigfoot Snapshot Claimed”, 5/11/81.
24. Routing Slip for DFG.
25. Letter from Richard Craig to DFG asking for assistance on writing a school paper on Bigfoot.
26. Letter to Rosalie Murillo (Redwood City, CA) from DFG (Gordon Gould) telling the subject that states “your family saw something that none of you can explain.” The letter implies that the family thought they saw a Bigfoot. The letter describing this event is not in the file.
27. Letter from DFG to Lynda Werner (Sacramento, CA) “The DFG feels the existence of Bigfoot is exceedingly unlikely. There is no scientific evidence which supports the existence of this mythical creature. Surely the scientific community and the military have sufficiently sensitive detection equipment to validate reports of Bigfoot. They have not done so, and therefore we cannot recognize Bigfoot as a living animal.” The name of the director that signed this letter cannot be recognized, dated 1/19/81.
28. Letter from DFG director to Ernest Sproules, Carmichael, CA. The contents of this letter mimic the content from above.
29. Article, Sacramento Bee, 5/6/80, “Sasquatch”.
30. Letter from Nick Kroeze, Yuba City, CA to Dept of Fish and Game Howard Leach. Kroeze writes about the proof of Bigfoot existence from he Smithsonian and forwards a photo (not in file) and a copy of the article, also not in file.
31. Letter from DFG to Nick Kroeze explaining the criteria for getting a creature on the endangered species act. Howard Leach from DFG writes, “Unfortunately until this animal is obtained, described and properly identified by the scientific community, we feel we cannot recommend to the fish and game Commission the inclusion of Bigfoot into California’s endangered species listing,” dated 2/21/73.
32. Article, “The Search goes on for Bigfoot”, by Russ Kinne, unknown where article appeared, 4 pages.
33. An unknown newspaper article with an unknown dated, titled, “On the Hot Trail of a Shadowy Giant”, dateline The Dalles, Oregon. Written by David P. Johnson.
34. Sacramento Bee article, Dated 5/16/77, “Bigfoot Sighting, Prints Convince Mounties.” The article talks about a Pacific Stage Line bus east of Mission, British Columbia had its driver and 6 passengers see a Sasquatch cross in front of the bus. The people followed a trail of stink and found some human type prints. The RCMP was called to the scene and believed that something had crossed in front of the bus.
35. One sheet with 2 newspaper articles, “Bigfoot Sighting in British Columbia. Dated 5/16/77, dateline Mission, BC, same story as in line 34. Another article from the Sacramento Bee dated 8/19/76, “Humboldt County Bills Shasta County for Bigfoot Hunt,” the article talks about a woman that is supposedly kidnapped by a Bigfoot.
36. San Francisco Chronicle article, dated 1/7/76, “Stomping on a Bigfoot, page 6 by Julie Smith.
37. San Francisco Chronicle article dated 1/3/76, “Lawyer Thinks it’s Bigfoot.” The article is about a NY attorney who purchased an animal for sideshows, it’s name is Oliver. The attorney thinks that the creature he bought is somehow related to the Bigfoot in North America.
38. California Threatened Species Data Form. Unknown person completed the form and wrote information that depicts a Bigfoot. The information was supplied by, Rev Schumacher, Sacramento, CA, dated 8/22/75. He lists “Destruction of forest habitat by logging operations” as the factors threatening the species. He also states “These people should be given full protection as soon as possible as they are human. I know because I seen them close up several times. They are as human as you and I, just hairy!” There are 3 pages to this document.
39. Newspaper article, unknown paper or date, “Report Seeing Bigfoot in Desolate Area near Yosemite”. The article talks about a pilot and passenger flying over Confidence Ridge north of Yosemite when they observed the brownish colored creature standing erect.
40. Letter addressed to “Mr. Fullerton” at DFG attempts to solicit assistance in killing two Bigfoot. Dated 11/12/80. Signed by Ernest Sproles in Sacramento area.
41. Letter from DFG director to Steve Valencia stating that they are replying at the request of the governor. The letter says that the DFG doesn’t recognize Bigfoot because the scientific community doesn’t. Dated 12/21/73.
42. Unknown newspaper article titled “To City on Columbia River”, by Philip Fradkin. It lists several Bigfoot incidents in Oregon.
43. DFG letter dated 4/23/76 from the State of Oregon, signed by Robert Mace “Deputy Director. The contents “We have checked out the Bigfoot news situation with the Post Office department and find that it is a subsidiary of International Wildlife Conservation Society, Inc. A non-profit educational permit for mailing has been issued through the Portland Post Office. Bigfoot news operates out of The Dalles rather than Dallas as you indicated. Otherwise the address is correct. I didn’t gather any information on money matters but could do so if you needed to know the income and outgo. I hope this helps.”
Written on State of Oregon, Department of Fish and Wildlife, Office of the Director- letterhead.
44. A copy of the Bigfoot news, dated March 1976.
45. A copy of the Bigfoot News, dated 12/75.
46. A copy of the Bigfoot News dated 11/75.
47. A copy of the Bigfoot News dated 2/76.
48. A California Threatened Species Data Form, Dated 6/18/76 and signed by Jon Beckjord, The Society for the Identification and Protection of Bigfoot. One section of the form asks “Numbers, Beckjord writes, “As of 1973, 59 sightings of this primate species have been reported in California.
49. Letter from DFG Howard to Leach to Jon Beckjord telling him he can appear in front of the commission to argue his cause for Bigfoot. The letter states that the DFG is recommending the denial of Bigfoot as a protected species. Dated 8/6/76
50. Letter from Mr. Beckjord to Howard Leach dated 8/5/76 stating that he does want to appear in front of the commission. Beckjord states that a large human skull was found in the Minarets by Dr. RW Denton who forwarded the skull to UCLA who promptly lost it. He said that the size of the cranium indicated it was possibly a Bigfoot. The document is one page.
51. Letter from Ron Jurek to Sergio Ramirez (Redwood City, CA). Ramirez had written requesting info on Bigfoot. Jurek says that there is no scientific basis for Bigfoot and encourages Ramirez to write to the Canadian Wildlife Service for info on Sasquatch, one page.
52. Three page letter written (almost a report) by Rev E. Watts Schumacher. This is a fascinating report!! He states that his first encounter with Bigfoot was in 1916 in Piercy, CA (almost on the Humboldt/Mendocino County line). He states that he was trapping furbearers and found 17 ½ inch tracks, 8 inches wide with toes, within 10’ of a trap. He was ten years old at the time. He said that his brothers often heard someone following them and paralleled them as they walked on trails. In 1925 he states that he was fishing on McCoy Creek in Mendocino County and camped there and found three sets of human type tracks. Later he said he was trying to rustle deer out of the brush when he awoke a red colored Bigfoot from its bed under the same brush. He said that it smelled like a sweaty human but he could see white skin under its reddish hair. Years later he stated that he was hunting in “Low Gap Creek” area when he saw a blonde Bigfoot crawl out of the tree and leave the area on two feet. “The next sighting was in 1953 while I worked for the City of Seatte Power and light company on their RR up the Skagit River. As I approached a talus rock slide I saw steam arising from the rocks (there was some snow on the ground) as I slipped up expecting to see a bear but it was a black haired B.F. curled up sleeping with its back to the crevice opening, it smelled human. That summer I was in a boat fishing on Ross Lake near Ruby Inlet when I saw something swimming across the inlet. I rowed over to see what it was, it was a big brown haired BF, so I got out of there as I did not care to have it hitch a ride in my small boat.” The paper is fascinating and contains many credible aspects of Bigfoot life.
53. Handwritten note from Rev Schumacher to Howard Leach advising him that there was a PBS special to be aired about the Search for the Great Apes., dated 12/28/75.
54. Letter from Tim Roberts (923 W. Watts, El Reno, OK) from Howard Leach telling Roberts to write to the Bigfoot Information Center for info on Bigfoot. The letter that initiated this response is not in the package.
55. Letetr from the National Wildlife Federation, director Louis Clapper, dated 3/19/75. It is addressed to Ron Jurek at DFG and addresses where the money came from for their Bigfoot expedition (restricted grant from a family in Florida). It also states that it has severed all relations with Robert W. Morgan. One page.
56. Letter to Scott Bravard (New Castle, Indiana) telling the subject to write to The Bigfoot Information Project for info on Bigfoot, signed by an unknown DFG director, 2/26/76.
56. State of California Office Memo. The following handwritten notes on are on the memo. The memo doesn’t state who it is from or to: Item 1- “Early Nov, rancher and wife on elk hunt “thing” came around their camp several nights in a row on the Klamath. Crashed through brush around camp 2/3 of way around it., 90-100 yards away. Made noise that was unheard of, slept with gun 3 nights in a row. Item 2- “Castle Crags State Park- Playing large predator call hears brush snapping w/ in 100 yards starts screaming and thrashing jack pines, 1969.” Item 3- “3am, along Walker River rolled off seat of car because something picked up car, 1957 huge car about 4000 pounds, three times. His friends asleep in back seat felt it too, feigned sleep while this “thing” stood at passenger door, breathing and making guttural sound. Walked away sounded like a two-legged animal. Ground too frozen to see prints. Trunk loaded with food was open but undisturbed. Bumper was completely twisted like a towel- how could an animal w/out opposing thumbs do that?” One page no other details.
57. Article, one page, “The Piltdown Man hoax.
58. State of Calif Office Memo. From “Loach, to “Files”. Dated 4/10/77. Subject, Bigfoot Sightings. “Rick Drovin, store keeper, Piercy, reported sighting Bigfoot on April 5-8. Allen Barry at lunch reported going to Piercy and interviewing Drovin, provided tape, sightings were inconclusive, Barry collected hairs and observed footprints, hair given to Oscar Brunolte.” No other details.
59. Letter to Eileen Havington, Damascus, PA stating that Bigfoot is not recognized by science, written by a DFG director, no other details. One page.



© 2009, North America Bigfoot Search

Sasquatchploitation: Top 51 Bigfoot Movies

Sasquatchploitation? Yeah I said it. Sasquatchploitation is an reference to the portmanteau of blacksploitation. Blacksploitation is a film genre that emerged in the United States in the early 1970s when many exploitation films were made that targeted the urban black audience.

Well I choose the term carefully. Blacksploitation movies stereotyped african- americans, the audience they aimed to appeal to, as pimps and drug dealers.

I feel most of these sasquatch movies also stereotype Bigfoot as a monster-of-the-week horror show or a cuddly cute wookie to have as a pet. Expand the full post to see the full list of the 51 BF movies and their respective The Internet Movie Database rating.

No.	Year	Movie Title	IMDB Rating
01	2004	Yeti Vengeance	10.0
02	2006	The Shabbos Bigfoot	9.7
03	2006	The Lumberjack of All Trades: The Bigfoot Massacre	8.6
04	2006	The Legend of Sasquatch	7.5
05	2008	Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie	7.3
06	1976	The Secret of Bigfoot	6.8
07	1999	Sasquatch Odyssey: The Hunt for Bigfoot	6.7
08	2006	Scream of the Sasquatch	6.7
09	1972	Bigfoot: Man or Beast?	6.5
10	1970	Yeti, El	6.5
11	1976	The Mysterious Monsters	6.1
12	1995	The Last Chance Detectives: Legend of the Desert Bigfoot	6.1
13	2006	The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang	6.0
14	1979	Revenge of Bigfoot	6.0
15	2007	A Yeti in the City	5.8
16	1987	Harry and the Hendersons	5.5
17	1977	Bigfoot and Wildboy	4.9
18	2003	They Call Him Sasquatch	4.8
19	1977	Sasquatch, the Legend of Bigfoot	4.4
20	2006	Yeti: A Love Story	4.4
21	1976	In Search of Bigfoot	4.4
22	2002	Julius and Friends: Yeti, Set, Go	4.4
23	2008	No Burgers for Bigfoot	4.3
24	2006	Bigfoot at Holler Creek Canyon	4.2
25	2008	Yeti: Curse of the Snow Demon	4.0
26	2006	Sasquatch Mountain	3.8
27	1976	The Legend of Bigfoot	3.6
28	1997	Little Bigfoot	3.5
29	2005	Sasquatch Hunters	3.3
30	1972	The Legend of Boggy Creek	3.1
31	1994	Bigfoot: The Unforgettable Encounter	3.1
32	1995	To Catch a Yeti	2.9
33	1997	Little Bigfoot 2: The Journey Home	2.7
34	2004	Suburban Sasquatch	2.6
35	2005	Clawed: The Legend of Sasquatch	2.3
36	1978	Curse of Bigfoot	1.9
37	1985	The Barbaric Beast of Boggy Creek, Part II	1.7
38	1977	Return to Boggy Creek	1.7
39	1979	The Capture of Bigfoot	1.6
40	2004	2004 East Coast Bigfoot Conference	0.0
41	2006	Hoax: In Search of Bigfoot	0.0
42	2007	Bigfoot Lives	0.0
43	2007	The Long Way Home: A Bigfoot Story	0.0
44	2007	Southern Fried Bigfoot	0.0
45	2007	Sesquac: The Story of Sasquatch	0.0
46	2008	Bigfoot: A Beast on the Run	0.0
47	2008	Hair of the Sasquatch	0.0
48	2004	Quest for the Yeti	0.0
49	2009	Tale of Sasquatch	0.0
50	2009	Sasquatch Assault	0.0
51	2009	Bloody Rage of Bigfoot	0.0

Those Who Live in Glass Houses

Any Bf Researcher worth their night vision goggles knows Bigfoot loves to throw stones.

MonsterQuest Sasquatch Attack I and Sasquatch II programs show the involvement of stone-throwing Bigfoot as major components of those documentary treatments.

Loren Coleman Posts on Cryptomundo

The best evidence for understanding BF behavior is through the study of the five great apes that we do have access to; Gorillas, Orangutans, Chimps, Bonobos and Humans.

Many of our old BF assumptions are based on our old primate assumptions. As the primate assumptions get upset we need to also reevaluate our BF assumptions. Who is our primate paradigm provocateur? Satino the Chimp.

Satino, a canny chimpanzee who calmly collected a stash of rocks and then hurled them at zoo visitors in fits of rage has confirmed that apes can plan ahead just like humans, a Swedish study said Monday. Santino's behavior fascinated researchers because it was so carefully prepared. According to a report in the journal Current Biology, the 31-year-old alpha male started building his weapons cache in the morning before the zoo opened, collecting rocks and knocking out disks from concrete boulders inside his enclosure. He waited until around midday before he unleashed a "hailstorm" of rocks against visitors, the study said.

Study: Belligerent chimp proves animals make plans

By MALIN RISING – Mar 9, 2009

STOCKHOLM (AP) — A canny chimpanzee who calmly collected a stash of rocks and then hurled them at zoo visitors in fits of rage has confirmed that apes can plan ahead just like humans, a Swedish study said Monday.

Santino the chimpanzee's anti-social behavior stunned both visitors and keepers at the Furuvik Zoo but fascinated researchers because it was so carefully prepared.

According to a report in the journal Current Biology, the 31-year-old alpha male started building his weapons cache in the morning before the zoo opened, collecting rocks and knocking out disks from concrete boulders inside his enclosure. He waited until around midday before he unleashed a "hailstorm" of rocks against visitors, the study said.

"These observations convincingly show that our fellow apes do consider the future in a very complex way," said the author of the report, Lund University Ph.D. student Mathias Osvath. "It implies that they have a highly developed consciousness, including lifelike mental simulations of potential events."

Osvath's findings were based on his own observations of Santino and interviews with three senior caretakers who had followed the chimpanzee's behavior for 10 years at the zoo in Furuvik, about 93 miles (150 kilometers) north of Stockholm.

Seemingly at ease with his position as leader of the group, Santino didn't attack the other chimpanzees, Osvath told The Associated Press. The attacks were only directed at humans viewing the apes across the moat surrounding the island compound where they were held.

However, he rarely hit visitors because of his poor aim, and no one was seriously injured in the cases when he did, Osvath said.

The observations confirmed the result of a staged laboratory experiment reported in 2006 by scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany. In that case orangutans and bonobos were able to figure out which tool would work in an effort to retrieve grapes, and were able to remember to bring that tool along hours later.

"Every time you can combine experimental and observational data and you get a consistent result, that is very powerful," said an author of the 2006 study, Joseph Call. "This is an important observation."

He noted that individual differences are big among chimpanzees so the observation might not mean all chimpanzees are capable of the same planning.

"It could be that he is a genius, only more research will tell. On the other hand our research showed the same in orangutans and bonobos so he is not alone," Call said.

Osvath said the chimpanzee had also been observed tapping on concrete boulders in the park to identify weak parts and then knocking out a piece. If it was too big for throwing, he broke it into smaller pieces, before adding them to his arsenal.

"It is very special that he first realizes that he can make these and then plans on how to use them," Osvath said. "This is more complex than what has been showed before."

The fact that the ape stayed calm while preparing his weapons but used them when he was extremely agitated proves that the planning behavior was not based on an immediate emotional drive, Osvath said.

For a while, zoo keepers tried locking Santino up in the morning so he couldn't collect ammunition for his assaults, but he remained aggressive. They ultimately decided to castrate him in the autumn last year, but will have to wait until the summer to see if that helps. The chimpanzees are only kept outdoors between April and October and Santino's special behavior usually occurs in June and July.

"It is normal behavior for alpha males to want to influence their surroundings ... It is extremely frustrating for him that there are people out of his reach who are pointing at him and laughing," Osvath said. "It cannot be good to be so furious all the time."

In the U.S. state of Connecticut last month, a 200 pound (90 kilogram) pet chimpanzee once seen in TV commercials mauled a woman trying to help its owner lure it inside and cornered a police officer in his cruiser before he shot and killed it, authorities said

The owner has speculated that the chimp was trying to protect her and attacked the woman because she had changed her hairstyle, was driving a different car and was holding a stuffed toy in front of her face to get the chimp's attention.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Merry Xmas Epic!

Man! The book to the left is indeed my favorite present this year. Which brings me to one of the things I forgot to mention in the previous post. This past year we had the honor of having the Loren Coleman leave a comment on our site...

Mr.Coleman's comment is reprinted below.

Welcome to the wonderful, crazy world of blogging.

At Cryptomundo, we deal in an extremely high volume of new reports and postings, so to say you *scooped* us is fine with us. We need not mention the scores of stories we paid attention to while you highlighted Cameron Gainer's newest appearance.

But let me mention that, yes, Cryptomundo's first posting about Cameron Gainer's art was on September 14, 2006, with a followup on October 22, 2006, and an added update on October 20, 2007.

I guess I could post on Cryptomundo, in response to this posting that we scooped you on posts about Gainer's art by almost 17 months, but I won't. LOL.

Keep up the good work.

Well thank you again sir I hope we still do you proud. Please folks if you get a chance please donate to the International Cryptozoology Museum as we have asked you to do in the past.

Oh and if you do not know who Loren Coleman is you can visit is fabulous sight Cryptomundo or check out his Bio at Wikipedia

As always Mr.Coleman any progress made in crytozoology is only due to our ability to stand on the shoulders of your achievments. BfRLC salutes you!

One Year Later

After 109 posts, over 3 million visitors, and 26 lunches we have achieved the high mark of our first anniversary.

Yes lunch clubbers when we reflect on the last year let me share some of the highlights. As we all know the biggest news was the Georgia hoax.

Before we go to the chart below I would like to present a link to our first post Since then we have come quite a ways. Although we endured the peak of August 15th -- the official press release of the Georgian Hoax. We scooped most media by posting the news July 30th.

As you can see though, news traveled slow for the rest of the world, bigfoot related searches and news media mentions waited a full 15 days. As illustrated below and at the google trends website.




Proud to be the first stop for all Bigfoot related news, we at the Bigfoot Research Lunch Club will continue to work even harder next year. Happy holidays. Happy Anniversary Bigfoot Lunch Clubbers! Many thanks to all who have made this a truly successful year!

Japan Yeti Hunters Hope 3rd Time's a Charm

By Gopal Sharma
Wed Aug 20, 2008 2:51pm IST

KATHMANDU (Reuters Life!) - It seems the search for mythical creatures goes on.

Less than a week after two men in the United States claimed they had found the remains of a half-man, half-ape Bigfoot, which actually turned out to be a rubber gorilla suit, a team of Japanese climbers began trekking on Wednesday to a mountain in Nepal hoping to find the Yeti, or abominable snowman.

Seven climbers, supported by sherpas and carrying cameras and telescopes, will spend 50 days on the lower reaches of the 7,661-metre (25,134-ft) Dhaulagiri IV to try and collect evidence of the beast's existence, team leader Yoshiteru Takahashi said.

Takahashi, who carried out similar missions in the same area in 1994 and 2003, told Reuters that one of his team members and three sherpas had seen "something like the Yeti" from a distance five years ago.

"We believe that was the Yeti," said Takahashi, a 65-year-old employee of a Tokyo furniture company. "So we are going to search for a third time. We need photographs and video tapes to prove it. It is very important."

Sherpas and climbers often narrate stories about a wild hairy creature roaming the Himalayas. Those tales have captured the imagination of foreign climbers of Mount Everest since the 1920s prompting many, including Everest hero Sir Edmund Hillary, to carry out hunts for the Yeti.

Some climbers even claim to have found Yeti footprints, but no one has yet actually seen it or produced irrefutable proof.

The Japanese will pitch three camps, manned by two researchers each, between 3,400 meters (11,154 feet) and 4,300 meters (14,100 feet) above base camp.

They will use binoculars during the day and also have long-lens cameras to take pictures at night.

"I want to shake hands if I meet him," said T. Onishi, another member of the team. "But it is very difficult. They are shy, so we want to just take pictures."

(Editing by Krittivas Mukherjee and Miral Fahmy)

© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved

Read Original Article Here

Darn Good Bigfoot Research

hey BfRL Clubber's theres some darn good research goin' on at http://sopebocks.blogspot.com/ they go into far greater detail into the georgian gorilla. Too much to repost here. From all of us at the Bigfoot Researcher's Lunch Club We salute you Charlie and keep up the good work!

'There's something out there,' Sasquatch expert tells Edmonton

Bill Mah , Canwest News Service
Published: Sunday, August 17, 2008
EDMONTON - When news broke Friday that two self-proclaimed sasquatch trackers in the state of Georgia claimed to have one of the fabled ape creatures in their freezer, Jeff Meldrum was quickly pulled into the story. After all, he's one of the few PhDs conducting field work on Bigfoot and reporters were quick to search him out for comment.

He was unimpressed about photos posted by the Georgians on the Internet.

And on Sunday, speaking in Edmonton Sunday at the Royal Alberta Museum on his research into Bigfoot that started when he discovered an unexplained set of tracks in the mountains of Washington state, he hadn't changed his mind.


Rick Dyer, 31, holds a picture he claims is the mouth of Bigfoot in Palo Alto, California, August 15, 2008. Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, is a mythical ape-like creature said to live in forests of the Pacific northwest region of the United States.
Reuters

"It was not compelling in the least," said Meldrum, an associate professor of anatomy and anthropology at Idaho State University and an affiliate curator at the Idaho Museum of Natural History.

"It didn't have the bulk or the mass. It seemed to be vacuous, the hair did not look natural and the face bears a striking resemblance to an off-the-shelf costume."

Still, he's quick to point out the real creature could very well be out there in the woods somewhere. There's just too much evidence to ignore.

Meldrum, author of Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science, said such likely hoaxes as the one in Georgia are damaging to the few scientists researching the field.

"People who are not well-informed on this subject matter then use this incident as a litmus test of the veracity of the entire subject."

His talk was part of the museum's lecture series entitled Here Be Dragons . . . and Other Creatures.

He said such evidence as many footprints and digitally enhanced versions of the grainy Patterson film shot in 1967 of a female Sasquatch show anatomical details that are difficult to fake.

"The amassed evidence of the footprints is strong evidence that there is a real animal that exhibits a consistent anatomy that is distinct from human anatomy and yet shows adaptations that are very elegantly suited to the habitat where they are reported to exist," Meldrum elaborated after his presentation.

Meldrum said he hasn't encountered face-to-face a sasquatch himself, but has seen fresh footprints on several occasions and had brushes where something has come into his camp and rifled through his backpacks, opening clasped flaps without tearing them. He's also had stones thrown at him in isolated woods.

"I'm not here to convince you that sasquatch exists," he told the audience.

"I was hoping to convey to you that there is a body of data that is extremely compelling," said Meldrum.

"I am convinced there is something out there. Something is leaving footprints. There's something out there that begs for our consideration."




© Edmonton Journal 2008

"Bigfoot" fails DNA test

Reuters
Fri Aug 15, 2008 6:48pm EDT

Results from tests on genetic material from alleged remains of one of the mythical half-ape and half-human creatures, made public at a news conference on Friday held after the claimed discovery swept the Internet, failed to prove its existence.

Its spread was fueled by a photograph of a hairy heap, bearing a close resemblance to a shaggy full-body gorilla costume, stuffed into a container resembling a refrigerator.

One of the two samples of DNA said to prove the existence of the Bigfoot came from a human and the other was 96 percent from an opossum, according to Curt Nelson, a scientist at the University of Minnesota who performed the DNA analysis.

Bigfoot creatures are said to live in the forests of the U.S. Pacific Northwest. An opossum is a marsupial about the size of a house cat.

Results of the DNA tests were revealed in an e-mail from Nelson and distributed at the Palo Alto, California, news conference held by Tom Biscardi, host of a weekly online radio show about the Bigfoot.

Also present were Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, the two who say they discovered the Bigfoot corpse while hiking in the woods of northern Georgia. They also are co-owners of a company that offers Bigfoot merchandise.

Despite the dubious photo and the commercial interests of the alleged discoverers, the Bigfoot claim drew interest from Australia to Europe and even The New York Times.

Biscardi said the DNA samples may not have been taken correctly and may have been contaminated, and that he would proceed with an autopsy of the alleged Bigfoot remains, currently in a freezer at an undisclosed location.

(Reporting by Clare Baldwin in Palo Alto; writing by Jim Christie; editing by Mary Milliken and Peter Henderson)

CNN Coverage of Bf Press Conference

www.cnn.com is now playing the conference with the searchers from Georgia. The BfRLC will take in the press conference and have a posting sometime soon. This could be it folks....

We Got Their Attention. Now What?

Okay Folks. All you Bf hunters, enthusiasts and lunch clubbers, let's not let this new found attention go to waste. We really need to get the message across that Cryptozoology is research is founded on anthropology, biology, zoology. Refer to the Gigantopithicas theory posited by Grover Krantz of Washington State University. You could discuss how the research and debate is very active. Reference Loren Coleman's alternative theory proposing that Bigfoot lineage may have departed futher back than Giganto.

Discuss how the Giant Panda and the Low land Gorilla was only discovered within the last century 8000 of them just this last year. Real or Hoax, the Georgian Gorilla has afforded us, all of us a tremendous opportunity to share the our determined community tied together by a single curiosity in pursuit of an elusive creature mention in myth and famed by film.

You can stereotype conspiracy theorist, ghost chasers, and ufologist, but Bigfoot researchers are as diverse a group as this great country we all live in. I'm sure if we started to talk about politics or religeon we may discover how different we are, but we dont, we support each other, encourage each other and focus on what we have in common. So if the Media comes knocking on your door asking you about this corpse in Georgia, tell 'em about what Bigfoot research is all about. The pursuit of discovery.

Captured Bf Body Pics Analyzed

Here at BfRLC Labs we have taken the photo of the captured Georgia Gorilla, varied the midtones, shifted the contrast, and even reduce the noise to see if we could somehow gain more detail from the photo of the alleged Bigfoot corpse.

This is the most we could get out of the head and face. There does not seem to be much skull or teeth support under the skin. The face almost flattens sideways. However we were able to reveal the texture of the eyesockets and actually get more definition to the snout.

For reference you can see the two areas of interest where we decided to focus on, hoping to reveal any tell-tell clues.

Not as clean as we had hoped but a close up of the entrails does suggest they may have originated from a smaller animal. Even if we are seeing a partial intestine, the sudden tapering at any end can help estimate the length and size of an intestine. this one seems to taper too suddenly for a 500 pound animal.

Over all the jury at BfRLC is still out. We are anxious to hear what will be revealed Friday. As the first website to post the captured bigfoot last month we will contiue to keep you up to date with the latest and most up to date Bigfoot news anywhere.

BfRLC Scoops all Media

With all hoopla about the Georgia Gorilla, all of us here wanted to remind our constant readers that you heard it here first -- way back on July 27th. The post was entitled "Bigfoot Capture?" Ironically enough it had a picture of a guy in a gorilla suit. And as Co-Founder of the BfRLC, I just want to thank my great team for finding this story almost a month before the rest of the internet did. BfRLC team I salute you!

Official Georgia Gorilla Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 12, 2008
BIGFOOT BODY FOUND
DNA evidence and photo evidence to be presented at a
PRESS CONFERENCE
to be held on
Date: Friday, August 15, 2008
Time: From 12Noon-1:00pm
Place: Cabana Hotel-Palo Alto (A Crown Plaza Resort) 4290 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, California 94306

Searching for Bigfoot, Inc. Menlo Park, California
Tom Biscardi, CEO

BIGFOOT BODY FOUND - EVIDENCE AND DNA DETAILS TO BE PRESENTED AT A PRESS CONFERENCE ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 15th

FROM 12 N00N TO 1:00PM AT THE CABANA HOTEL-PALO ALTO IN PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA

A body that may very well be the body of the creature commonly known as “Bigfoot” has been found in the woods in northern Georgia.

DNA evidence and photo evidence of the creature will be presented in a press conference on Friday, August 15th from 12 Noon to 1:00pm at the Cabana Hotel-Palo Alto at 4290 El Camino Real in Palo Alto, California, 94306. The press conference will not be open to the public. It will only be open to credentialed members of the press.
Here are some of the vital statistics on the “Bigfoot” body:
*The creature is seven feet seven inches tall.
*It weighs over five hundred pounds.
*The creature looks like it is part human and part ape-like.
*It is male.
*It has reddish hair and blackish-grey eyes.
*It has two arms and two legs, and five fingers on each hand and
five toes on each foot.
*The feet are flat and similar to human feet.
*Its footprint is sixteen and three-quarters inches long and five and three-quarters inches wide at the heel.
*From the palm of the hand to the tip of the middle finger, its hands are
eleven and three-quarters inches long and six and one-quarter inches wide.
*The creatures walk upright. (Several of them were sighted on the same day that the body was found.)
*The teeth are more human-like than ape-like.
*DNA tests are currently being done and the current DNA and photo evidence will be presented at the press conference on Friday, August 15th.

The creature was found by Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer (residents of Georgia) in the woods in northern Georgia. (The exact location is being kept secret to protect the creatures.)
Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer will be flying in from Georgia to be at the press conference. Also present at the press conference will be Tom Biscardi, CEO of Searching for Bigfoot, Inc.
Whitton is a Clayton County, Georgia, police officer, who is currently on administrative leave after being wounded in the course of duty pursuing an alleged felon. Dyer is a former correctional officer. Whitton and Dyer are co-owners of bigfoottracker.com and Bigfoot Global LLC., a company that offers Bigfoot expeditions. Whitton and Dyer are working with Bigfoot hunter, Tom Biscardi, and Biscardi’s Searching for Bigfoot, Inc., to present and conduct the scientific study of the evidence and information on this body.
A few weeks ago, Whitton and Dyer announced the finding of the body on the “Squatch Detective” radio show, an internet based radio show hosted by Steve Kulls. While on that show, the commentator asked Rick Dyer “Would you allow one of our people to come down and verify the body?” Dyer replied, “The only person we would allow to come down and verify the body was ‘the real Bigfoot Hunter,’ Tom Biscardi.” The next day, the producer of the Squatch Detective show contacted Biscardi with pertinent information on how to contact Dyer and Whitton.
Extensive scientific studies will be done on the body by a team of scientists including a molecular biologist, an anthropologist, a paleontologist and other scientists over the next few months at an undisclosed location. The studies will be carefully documented and the findings will be released to the world, according to Biscardi.
Biscardi is known as “the real Bigfoot Hunter” because of his extensive investigations out in the field. He has been searching for Bigfoot since 1971 and over the past several years, he has been criss-crossing the United States and Canada tracking down the hottest leads on Bigfoot sightings.
Videography on the studies will be done under the supervision of Scott Davis, an independent producer and owner of TV Biz Productions in Phoenix, Arizona.
Currently, Tom Biscardi and his Searching for Bigfoot Team, in conjunction with Bigfoot Global LLC., are preparing to capture another of these creatures alive. That expedition will start very soon. The dates and the locations are being kept confidential.
The body that is currently being studied is being referred to as the “RICKMAT” creature, a name derived from the names of Rick Dyer and Matthew Whitton. [Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman recommends the term “Georgia Gorilla” be used to remove any taint of ego from the discovery, and so the general public, media, and science will have a comfortable moniker until a formal zoological name may be bestowed.]
Last year, a film that Biscardi produced about his investigations, called “Bigfoot Lives,” won first place in the Documentary category at the Pocono Mountains Film Festival. Biscardi also hosts a Bigfoot oriented internet radio show that can be heard on Wednesday nights from 7:00pm to 8:00pm PDT at www.bigfootliveradioshow.com. The show is heard in over thirty countries.
Searching for Bigfoot, Inc. has exclusive rights to all publishing rights, photo rights, television and film rights, production and distribution rights and other commercial opportunities related to the discovery and findings regarding this body and these creatures.
Interested parties may contact Searching for Bigfoot, Inc., in writing, at their mailing address, 1134 Crane St., Suite 216, Menlo Park, California 94025.

Update - Dead Bigfoot Pictures Now Online, Press Conference Scheduled

In the most exciting Bigfoot news to come along in a while, photos of the recently found dead Bigfoot creature have been posted online and a press conference to go over DNA and photo evidence are scheduled for this Friday, August 15th. Check out the link http://www.inquisitr.com/2357/has-bigfoot-been-found/ which shows the photos and the time and other pertinent info regarding the press conference. The photos have a rather tall, hairy creature in what looks to be some sort of freezer. Again, the BfRLC will monitor this event and report as we know more info. Keep on checking in...and make sure to follow our news ticker as it will have up to the minute news regarding this hot story.

Bf Corpse Discovered in Georgia

Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, Georgia residents who lead Bigfoot-tracking expeditions, say they found the body of what appears to be a Bigfoot in the woods of northern Georgia and will join local Bigfoot researcher Tom Biscardi at a news conference, according to Robert Barrows, who is publicizing the event.
Among the creatures's other physical characteristics of the body -- according to the hunters website -- http://www.searchingforbigfoot.com/ -- were flat feet similar to human feet. Its footprint is 16 ¾ inches long and the length from palm to tip of the middle finger is 11 ½ inches long.
"I think you'll find that this is the real deal," Barrows said of the alleged discovery.
The Bigfoot Researchers Lunch Club will be keeping close tabs on this story as it develops. As of yet, no body has been produced, nor has the group let the public know where the body is being kept. This could very well be it! Stay tuned to the BfRLC for up to the minute information.

Bigfoot Researchers Unite for Rick Emerson Address today 8/8/8 at 2 pm

Greetings fellow Bf Researchers,

Please be aware that today, 888 at 2 pm, Rick Emerson will be adressing the masses. If possible, tune in to am970, online at www.970.am for this historic moment. Although the BFRLC does not generally promote non-Bf related items, we find Rick's address to be something that will benefit people everywhere. Thanks for tuning in!