Boston's Bigfoot Research Institute: An early fascination with poetry — and Bigfoot

826 National is a nonprofit tutoring, writing, and publishing organization with locations in eight cities across the country. Our goal is to assist students ages six to eighteen with their writing skills, and to help teachers get their classes excited about writing. Our work is based on the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention, and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.

There are eight local chapters of 826, including Boston. While we think the goal of 826 is one of the noblest pursuits, we have a special love for Boston. The executive director of 826 Boston, poet and longtime writing teacher Daniel Johnson oversees not only volunteer-staffed writing programs, but also the Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Institute.

Our students have to walk through the Bigfoot Institute to the tutoring center, and so pretty regularly, Bigfoot or the chupacabra appear in their writing...

Below is a short excerpt from an article published at The Boston Globe's online site boston.com. Its great to see a successful non-profit organization encourage the young ones to read and write creatively, and to use the Big Guy as inspiration is all the better.

An early fascination with poetry — and Bigfoot
By Amanda Katz
Globe Correspondent / December 19, 2010
In 2007, Boston opened its own chapter of 826 National, the nonprofit cofounded by Dave Eggers to foster writing among students, ages 6 to 18. As executive director of 826 Boston, poet and longtime writing teacher Daniel Johnson oversees not only volunteer-staffed writing programs, but also the Greater Boston Bigfoot Research Institute, housed in the center’s Roxbury storefront. His first book of poems, “How to Catch a Falling Knife,” was released in April.

Given your work at the Bigfoot Institute, what are your preferred books on Bigfoot, Sasquatch, or yetis?

That’s a good question, and it relates to my early love of reading. My brother, who was eight years older than I am, had a book on Bigfoot, with a black and white cover and a pair of glowing red eyes in the woods. I remember looking at the pictures of the Patterson-Gimlin footage, and fixating on that book, but not being able to read it.

We carry one of the definitive Bigfoot texts: “Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science” by Jeff Meldrum. And we have a book that our kids absolutely love called “Cryptozoology A to Z” by Loren Coleman and Jerome Clark. Our students have to walk through the Bigfoot Institute to the tutoring center, and so pretty regularly, Bigfoot or the chupacabra appear in their writing, like a deus ex machina. You know, there’s a wedding, and there’s a problem, and then suddenly Bigfoot appears. Like a Bigfoot ex machina.

Read the rest of the interview here.

EXTERNAL LINKS
Src: An early fascination with poetry — and Bigfoot
Loren Coleman was there in the beginning

Childress Book Launch in Nepali: Yetis Sasquatch & Hairy Giants

David Hatcher Childress has a new book titled Yetis Sasquatch & Hairy Giants We did a little research on the guy and back in 2006 Loren Coleman was slightly critical of him for repackaging Sanderson's comments without contacting the Sanderson estate (which would have been a courtesy).

"Publisher/writer/repackager David Hatcher Childress, as some reviewers have found, likes to take out-of-print books, and frequently adds an introduction by himself. He puts on a new cover on the old text to sell these reprints, and he’s done several via AUP. It’s all part of his form of American ingenuity and capitalism at work, and that’s fine. But with a little more care in editing and writing, his reprints could be much better." --Loren Coleman

There is an update at the end of Coleman's post stating Childress had contacted him and "he would write Sabina Sanderson, to work out giving her royalties." We dont know if Childress followed through. Coleman also states he is grateful that many next-generation cryptozoologist are able to have access Sandersons words, thanks to Childress.

Most recently, David Hatcher Childress launched (re-launched?) his newest book in in Katmandu Yesterday Saturday, Oct. 23rd. At Amazon the book is described as:

Author and adventurer David Hatcher Childress takes the reader on a fantastic journey across the Himalayas to Europe and North America in his quest for Yeti, Sasquatch and Hairy Giants. Childress begins with his own decades-long quest for the Yeti in Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and other areas of the Himalayas, and then proceeds to his research into Bigfoot, Sasquatch and Skunk Apes in North America. He includes recent discoveries in the field of Yeti and Bigfoot research, as well important case histories. Tons of illustrations and a color photo section bring the astonishing subject to life!

Below is the the article written in the Nepali Paper The Republica:

Book on Yeti launched

(REPUBLICA)-- KATHMANDU, Oct 24: ‘Yetis Sasquatch & Hairy Giants’, a book authored by David Hatcher Childress, was launched here in Pilgrims Book House, Thamel on Saturday.
Amidst a large enthusiastic crowd, the author showcased a slideshow and briefed about the book, which revolves around the history and myth of the legend known as Yeti.

“Bigfoot, Sasquatch, skunk apes or Yetis have been very famous in the past through myths and their activities in the wild, and I have compiled this book from my research, not only in Nepal but the whole world,” he expressed.

The book, according to the author, is an investigation spanning over 20 years.

“There have been many instances of people coming in contact with Yetis in the Himalayan area of Nepal, Pakistan, India and Bhutan in Asia; also in the US and Poland, thus there is substantial proof that they exist,” he added.

Childress, who has published more than 25 books on various subjects, finds the topic of the Yeti very alluring.

“I firmly believe that the Yeti is real, and I hope to find more evidence to support my thesis,” he added.

Published on 2010-10-24 10:44:21

EXTERNAL LINKS
The Cryptomundo post re: Childress
The Republica's Report of the book launch
Yetis, Sasquatch & Hairy Giants at Amazon.com

Interview: A man who would kill Bigfoot

J Anderson is free-lance writer for Associated Content who plans on going on a BFRO Expedition soon. Recently he has been in contact with individuals who would favor killing Bigfoot in the name of science.

He writes an interview with one of the individuals with the pseudonym "Dave".

We have a short teaser of the interview below.

Bigfoot: Would You Shoot One?

Published September 10, 2010 by:J. Andersen

I'm excited about an upcoming Bigfoot expedition I will be attending soon with the BFRO in the northern region of the U.S. I always enjoy doing actual field research in addition to blogging about Bigfoot. What I'm also curious about is an invitation I recently received from a Bigfoot researcher who wants to shoot a Bigfoot in the name of science. And he's invited me to tag along. Is this guy crazy?

You might be surprised to know that a small minority of Bigfoot researchers carry out the same fantasy as this man (let's call him "Dave") and they believe the only way to prove Bigfoots exists is to shoot one. I personally don't believe that killing something is the best way to prove it's living, and most fans from www.facebook.com/findbigfoot and other Bigfoot sites would probably agree.

I've also been contacted in the last few months by a man from New York who is willing to hire retired military commandos to go into the field to capture or kill a Bigfoot. It beginning to feel like a techno-thriller Vince Flynn novel or maybe something from the late Michael Crichton (think Jurassic Park)...

It begins by asking the field research habits of Dave field research methods, but then gets into the ethics of killing Bigfoot:

....J. Andersen: Why do you hunt Bigfoot?

Dave: To prove that he/she exists I'm gonna try my hardest not to kill it if I can capture or immobilize it alive I would rather do it that way, but if I have to kill it then so be it. I will do it that way, Ican't say until that day comes.

J. Andersen: How do you plan on doing it?

Dave: The same way any other animal is hunted with a gun, proper camouflage and LUCK.

J. Andersen: Are you concerned with the Ethics of shooting a bigfoot?

Dave: Yes and No, there's no law against hunting Bigfoot where I'm from. Most people hate me for what I'm doing and that's fine but the only way to prove 100% that it exists is by capturing one dead or alive.

J. Andersen: What motivates you to shoot/capture a Bigfoot?

The thrill of being in its element, the thrill of being in his territory, the thrill of the hunt and to prove to the world that Bigfoot exists...

What Dave describes here is a real, growing frustration among Bigfoot researchers. Why can't we capture this thing on good video? With all of our modern technology and the hundreds of thousands of dollars of gear that the Bigfoot community owns, how do Bigfoots continue to avoid camera and thermal imaging? I can't answer that question...

Ho do long-term field researchers feel about the kill no kill debate?

Some serious researchers have been in the camp of killing a Sasquatch. Dr. Grover Krantz and John Green have been known advocates for killing one. On the other hand, more recent voices like Dr Jeff Meldrum, a protege of sorts of Krantz have distanced themselves from the idea of killing. Included in this alternate camp is Loren Coleman, in an 2006 article for Cryptomundo he gave a rational case for the captivity:

The first large unknown hairy hominoid captured will live its life in captivity, no doubt, and there it may be examined internally. MRIs, CAT scans, EKGs, and a whole battery of medical and other procedures may be used to examine it.

It is doubtful the first one will be returned to the wild, so, of course, it will die someday within the reach of future scientific examinations. Then it will be dissected, just as newly discovered animals, including various kinds of humans, have been for further study. But in the meantime, why not study the living animal’s captive and adaptive behaviors?

The days of Queen Victoria, when only killing an animal would establish it was real and not folklore, are, indeed, long gone. --Loren Coleman 2/6/2006

In case you were wondering, we do not think killing Bigfoot is necessary, and we aren't that frustrated that we don't have proof yet. There's enough unsorted data out there, that is still being dissected, to build a better physical and behavioral model of Bigfoot. As we build a better model and share information with each other, we will all eventually have the proof we pursue.


EXTERNAL LINKS
The full Interview with Dave
Bigfoot Civil Rights
Cryptomundo: To Kill or Not to Kill Bigfoot
Bigfoot Encounters: To Kill or Film

David Paleidis on Coast to Coast Tonite

Its no secret David Paulides is a controversial figure in the Bigfoot community. One post on Cryptomundo by Loren Coleman criticizes him for propagating the M.K.Davis fantasy.

David Paulides, in 2009, allegedly was the author of several communiques in which he extended some of the M.K. Davis fantasy theories about Bob Gimlin and Roger Patterson killing Bigfoot at Bluff Creek in 1967, and John Green, Bob Titmus, and others being behind a coverup of this “massacre.” He caused some folks to think he had some new, correct answers. Those “answers” crumbed like a house of cards when John Green decided to call Paulides on some of his accusations, such as the fact that the “Titmus” photos were of a pilot, and the “red blood pools” were color-filtered rainwater images. --Loren Coleman

In the same post Sharon Lee, one of the best journalist in the community, says this about David:

...Finally, the most difficult presentation to sit through was that of David Paulides….I had no idea who this Paulides guy was, but I guess I should have! In his words, he is the best researcher. His organization is the best. He doesn’t consider individual people researchers. He insulted Michael Rugg, the host of the event, by telling Mike that he was not a researcher, but just a museum. He then went on to talk about what a bad rap he gets, and how no other organizations will step forward to work with him...--Sharon Lee

On Paulides' North America Bigfoot Search site, they announce tonight's interview on the upcoming events page.

David Paulides will be on "Coast to Coast AM" this Sunday morning [sic] (Really Monday morning from midnight-2am) discussing the latest research that NABS has been working on. The discussions will center on the research conducted in the past versus todays eforts and findings.

"...past versus today's efforts?" Will this be an attempt to hit the reset button and distance Paulides from his earlier, more controversial stands?

Are we reading to much into this single sentence? Either way, even if he isn't planning on resetting his public relations image, most of the crew at Bigfoot Lunch Club feel he should--if not for himself, for the community.

Regardless it should be interesting tune in to Coast to Coast for the last two hours to hear what the new research David Palides is up to.

RELATED LINKS
Cryptomundo quotes
Sharon Lee The Bigfoot Field Reporter™
David Palides' North America Bigfoot Search
Coast to Coast AM

OSS Dr Meldrum talks Asian Bigfoot

A new documentary coming out next month will include Meldrums work on
the Vietnamese version of Bigfoot

Người Rừngs ("forest man") is a creature said to inhabit Vietnam, reputedly similar to the bigfoot, sometimes also known as "forest people". It is described as being approximately six feet tall and covered with hair except in the knees, the soles of the feet, the hands, and the face. The hair ranges in color from gray to brown to black. The creature walks on two legs and has been reported both solitary and moving in small groups. The creature is most often sighted foraging for food from fruits and leaves to langers and even flying foxes.

Two Người Rừngs were reportedly captured by tribesmen near Dak Lak Province in 1971. In 1974 a North Vietnamese general, Hoang Minh Thao, requested an expedition to find evidence of the creatures, but it was unsuccessful.[1]

Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman believes that the Nguoi Rung are a surviving population of Homo erectus or Neanderthal.[2]

Professor Tran Hong Viet is a researcher of Người Rừng who in 1982 claimed to have located a footprint measuring 28x16cm.

Check out the Người Rừng on Bigfoot Lunch Club's International AKA Bigfoot map below.

View AKA Bigfoot World Map in a larger map

Profiling Hoaxers: The Psychology of Fame

Money and power are handy, but millions of ambitious people are after something other than the corner office or the beach house on St. Bart’s. They want to swivel necks, to light a flare in others’ eyes, to walk into a crowded room and feel the conversation stop. --Benedict Carey, New York Times

The News Tribune of Tacoma Washington, ran a story today about Cliff Cook. For those unfamiliar with Cliff Crook he is responsible for the photo in Benjamin Radford presentation below. The photo has been revealed as a hoax and has become a trophy to skeptics, along with the Frozen Georgia Bigfoot. They will probably be followed soon by the Sylvanic Bigfoot video footage.



What motivates hoaxers? I always get the sense that they believe in Bigfoot, despite the hoax. There has to be a more complete answer to their motivations. I wanted to know the psychology behind it. Oddly enough, there is not a lot of studies on hoaxing, but that's because hoaxing is really a polite term for what these "hoaxes" really are. These "hoaxes" are really lies, fraudulent lies. Y'see a real hoax is like what you see on Candid Camera, April Fools, etc. Proven hoaxes are lies. I'm not trying to be harsh, but if we are honest we might be able to understand motives better.

So why lie? Some have speculated greed as the motivation. After all, there is money to be made in the Bigfoot/CryptoZ industry. The only issue is, any proven "hoax" has never been profitable in the long-run. Although you can argue "hoaxers" are short-sighted and gambling on the bet they will not be caught, I think there is something that is a far stronger motivator. Fame.

Before you say, "Duh!" Give me a chance to be more specific. Fame is much more than "getting attention," it is deeper than that, its fulfilling a "need." Understanding a hoaxer's desire to attain fame can provide a few clues to overall psychological make-up of Bigfoot hoaxers. Let me quote Benedict Carey of New York Times.

For most of its existence, the field of psychology has ignored fame as a primary motivator of human behavior: it was considered too shallow, too culturally variable, too often mingled with other motives to be taken seriously. But in recent years, a small number of social scientists have begun to study and think about fame in a different way, ranking it with other goals, measuring its psychological effects, characterizing its devoted seekers.

People with an overriding desire to be widely known to strangers are different from those who primarily covet wealth and influence. Their fame-seeking behavior appears rooted in a desire for social acceptance, a longing for the existential reassurance promised by wide renown.

In a 1996 study, Richard M. Ryan of the University of Rochester and Dr. Kasser, then at Rochester, conducted in-depth surveys of 100 adults, asking about their aspirations, guiding principles, and values, as well as administering standard measures of psychological well-being.

The participants in the study who focused on goals tied to others’ approval, like fame, reported significantly higher levels of distress than those interested primarily in self-acceptance and friendship.

Surveys done since then, in communities around the world, suggest the same thing: aiming for a target as elusive as fame, and so dependent on the judgments of others, is psychologically treacherous.

We think there is a lot more to to this, and although we can't assume whether a "hoaxer" is really interested in finding Bigfoot, we can assume finding Bigfoot is not their first priority. Don't get us wrong, we are extremely inclusive here at BLC, good research and theories can come from anywhere. As far as "hoaxers" go? We feel a "hoaxers" are repeat offenders. And we should always be leery when they appear back in the news.

Dislamer: I don't want anybody to think I am a "hater." I already have my claim to fame. My fame peaked in 2008 and I'm okay with that.

EXTERNAL LINKS
Cliff Cook Article at The News Tribune
The Fame Motive at The New York Times
Loren Coleman Weighs-in

Loren Coleman: Orang Pendek May be Documented in Foreseeable Future

There are so many Cryptozoological pearls of wisdom that are never harvested by the mainstream media. We can't blame them, most people, us included, ask the same basic questions when first bitten by the cryptozoological bug. However, and unfortunately, the consequence of the same fundamental question being asked over and over again is the same answer being told over and over again.

Loren Coleman seems to transcend this hurdle. He knows better than us, that he gets the same questions over and over, and yet his answers are always novel and topical to current crypto happenings. Due to his thoughtfulness, he is able to provide much more than a canned answer--every time.

Today's Pennlive.com's article is a perfect case-in-point. While the article is about the rash recent sightings in Pennsylvania, Loren Coleman seems to squeeze in some gems. Coleman's response includes an opinion about vocalizations, news about the Orang Pendak, and alternate theories to the Pennsylvania sightings.

...Loren Coleman, one of the world's most published cryptozoologists (researchers in the study of hidden species), said, "I'm very cautious of sound sightings." He noted that even the white-tailed deer is capable of producing vocalizations that most people do not recognize.

However, he believes there is something real causing some of the bigfoot reports. In the past month, he said, he's heard of at least 10 legitimate reports, in the northwestern U.S., not in Pennsylvania.

And, Coleman expects a bigfoot-type hominid - the orang pendek - to be documented in Indonesia in the foreseeable future by a well-funded, scientific team that has been searching for the species more than 20 years.

In Pennsylvania, he believes it's more likely that some unknown species of "mystery cat" will be documented, and even more likely that some smaller cryptid (hidden species) will be found...

EXTERNAL LINKS
PennLive.com Article
BFRO.NET list of PA Sightings
More about the Orang Pendek

BLC PENNSYLVANIA LINKS
Rick Jacobs of PA and his Bushnell Trail Scout Picture
Fayette, PA Sighting

G'Day Yowie!

G'Day Yowie! Yowie is the somewhat affectionate term for an unidentified hominid reputed to lurk in the Australian wilderness. It is an Australian cryptid similar to the Himalayan Yeti and the North American Bigfoot.

We get a double dose of Yowie on the web. First, Darren Naish at ScienceBlogs.com's Tetrapod Zoology reviews the book "The Yowie: In Search of Austrailia's Bigfoot."

Darren Naish is a vertebrate palaeontologist with six years of phd work on theropod dinosaurs behind him, he mostly spends long hours in the library, hunched over his laptop.

Naise makes it clear how he feels about cryptozoology--kind of.

"I'm of the opinion that the Australian Yowie is one of the most problematic of mystery beasts. It is, in fact, so ridiculous and inconvenient that it's difficult to take seriously. As if sasquatch, yeti and orang pendek aren't difficult enough...I don't reject the possible existence of these creatures out of hand.

The review of the book is fascinating and thorough, it almost goes chapter by chapter.

At Craig Woolheater's Cryptomundo, Loren Coleman says there has been an uptick in reports to him regarding Yowie.

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.

The Cryptomundo post also includes videos interviews with Yowie witnesses.

EXTERNAL LINKS
"What to Make of Yowies?" by Darren Naish at Science Blogs
"Awash with Yowies aplenty mate" by Loren Coleman at Cryptomundo
Update to AKA Bigfoot World Map by Epic Gilgamesh at Bigfoot Lunch Club

View AKA Bigfoot World Map in a larger map

Yes Virginia, there is a Bigfoot

"Dear Bigfoot Lunch Club: I am 8 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Bigfoot.
"Papa says, 'If you see it in THE SUN it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Bigfoot?

"VIRGINIA O'HANLON.
"115 WEST NINETY-FIFTH STREET."

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Bigfoot. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion and the coelacanth exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Bigfoot. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. Plus, Dr. Jeff Meldrum has several high quality casts of tracks and Loren Coleman, who has debunked many of monsters, still pursues the elusive Bigfoot. Yes Virginia, there is a Bigfoot.

Today fans we provide you with a bounty of Bigfoot for the little feet.


Let's Start with the Carolina Pad Company. They have a whole line of "green" products with Sasquatch as their official spokesperson. If you care about the environment and you want your kids to have the eco-friendliest stuff go to www.find-sasquatch.com. plus they have a Games and a Fun Stuff section.


Next, we have our dear friend Linda Newton-Perry of Bigfoot Ballyhoo. She has a Bigfoot Blog just for kids. She is the co-author of three Bigfoot children's books, which are EYE OF THE BEAST, LOCK YOUR DOORS COUNTRY FOLK and THE LITTLE RED CAR AND BIGFOOT. You can buy her books here. Check out her Bigfoot Fancy 4 Kids site here.



Finally we have something for the young adult. If you have a tween interested in the wonders of science the rigors of research and the adventure of new discoveries, the folks at the Mid-America Bigfoot Research Center have what you need. They offer free (they request you become a member) online courses to teach all the knowledge and discipline you will need to be a Jr.Field Researcher. The bonus is they don't stop there, if your serious about research and analytics, they have several more courses for members.

Oh and what about online games? We have two yeti games.
Penguin toss
Facebook App Gift of the Yeti
Snowdrift a game you can play in your browser.

Things I Learned From “Becoming Human,” part 3

This is my take on the last episode of Becoming Human, the PBS Nova series about human evolution and it says about Bigfoot. All three episodes are well worth watching. You can watch them and more here. This episode is called, “Last Human Standing.”

3) Being flexible omnivores made us human. Our closest cousins on the evolutionary tree are the Neanderthals. Besides slightly bigger brains and the occasional brow ridge, Neanderthals had another significant difference from us. They were nearly exclusively carnivores. The hunted and killed large herbivores like the wooly mammoth and other Ice Age mega-fauna, but unfortunately did not eat Brontosaurus Burgers. Curse you, Fred Flintstone! But as for wily Home Sapiens, we pretty much ate anything we could get our hands on. During one of the major African droughts, when most of Africa was uninhabitable, Homo Sapiens picked up and moved to the coasts of Africa and started eating shellfish for the first time. That was their survival method for dealing with the long-term drought. This is also the time when we started making specialized tools.

Over the millennia, we added fruits, vegetables, and grains to the diet in addition to animals, birds, and fish. However, when the climate changed enough and enough species went extinct, Neanderthals weren’t able to adapt and find something else to eat. They started out eating meat and finished up eating meat, and then they went extinct when there was nothing left to hunt. In a related note, Scientists can track the migration paths of early Homo Sapiens by the patterns of the animal extinctions we left in our trails. The evidence indicates that Homo Sapiens have always been hard on the environment and was a contributing cause to the Neanderthal’s extinction in Europe and Homo Erectus’s extinction in Asia. What is clear is that when we use up the resources in one place, we either switch our food sources or we move to a different place. And it is this adaptability that has made us so successful.

So what does all this have to do with Bigfoot? Well, Becoming Human has shown us the essential aspects for being human, for what separates us from the other apes. 1) Highly adaptive to terrain, climate, and food. 2) Carnivorous, while leaning toward Omnivorous. 3) Big brains. 4) Little or no body hair with full body sweating. Notice that bipedalism didn’t make the cut. It’s an important characteristic, but not essential to being human. There were lots of other bipedal apes around before us. It’s our brains that really separate us from other apes.

Today, while different kinds of unknown bipedal primates are reported around the world in different climates and geographies, the reports indicate these are different species that have adapted to specific environments, not one species that roams around the world and is able to live anywhere. This indicates a low level of adaptability for Bigfoot and his assorted cousins. Given the question of body hair and sweating, it could be assumed that Bigfoot isn’t as efficient in body cooling as we are, which leads to the matter of brain size. The body to brain size ratio for Bigfoot would not nearly be as great as it is for Homo Sapiens—a furry, hairy body wouldn’t support a bigger brain like ours. Most reports of Bigfoot’s diet indicates a mostly vegetarian diet with rare instances of opportunistic meat scavenging, similar to chimpanzees. This would also be an indicator for a smaller brain.

What this all adds up to is that, in all likelihood, Bigfoot is an ape, not a human variant. If we accept the theories given in Becoming Human, then one of the three major questions concerning Bigfoot from Loren Coleman—Is Bigfoot human or ape?—has been answered. At least according to our latest understandings of what it means to be human.

San Antonio Sasquatch and Body Shop Bigfoot are not alike

UPDATE! Cryptomundo reveals this odd coincidence! The founder of the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research(SFBR) was none other than Tom Slick!

From Wikipedia:

During the 1950s, Slick was an adventurer. He turned his attention to expeditions to investigate the Loch Ness Monster, the Yeti, Bigfoot and the Trinity Alps giant salamander. Slick’s interest in cryptozoology was little known until the 1989 publication of the biography Tom Slick and the Search for Yeti, by Loren Coleman.

As you can see in the map below the SFBR is nearby all the San Antonio Sasquatch action and dispatched two representatives immediately to investigate the mysterious primate at the Body Shop.


We just want to be fair. The sightings based on the San Antonio Police report have been loosely tied to a primate spotted at a body shop. The Body Shop "Bigfoot" should not be related to the San Antonio Sasquatch sightings. Why? Because based upon further research we have discovered the primate at the body shop was identified. Using a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the guys at the shop were able to lure the primate and videotape it. Katie Birk of Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation center was able to study the video and quickly identify the macaque.

There is one thing bigfooters can gain from this. We have learned that a PB & J sandwich is an effective lure to attract primates (like Bigfoot), although I would recommend leaving a cold glass a milk to wash it down. Be kind to the big guy.



Above is the footprint the macaque had left, which also help identify the three foot primate. Below is an exerpt from the article and interview from www.mysanantonio.com:

“We didn't know what to think,” Joe Duarte said.

But he did wonder if the animal could have escaped from the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, which keeps baboons on hand and is located just north of the shop at Loop 410 and Texas 151.

The two immediately called the foundation. Adrian Duarte, the shop's manager, said that a few hours later, two individuals showed up to inspect the prints. He said the men told them they resembled a baboon's print.

Foundation officials said Wednesday they don't know what it is but they do know it's not theirs.

Ty May, a veterinary resource manager at the foundation who's familiar with the incident, said it's not conclusive that the prints found at the business were from any type of primate. May said the research center was “not missing any animals and have not confirmed a sighting of any kind.” Worried about what kind of animal might be foraging from their trash bin, the Duartes set up a video camera to get a better look at the animal.

“I'm cautious to walk over there,” Adrian Duarte said. “I mean, I want to see him, but then again I don't. Those animals can be dangerous.”

Still, they left food on top of the trash bin, including a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, to try and lure the animal out.

The dimly lit and fuzzy footage shows some type of animal climb atop the bin, grab the sandwich and jump back down — all in a fluid motion. But the video camera is too far back, making it hard to clearly make out any of the animal's features.

So the guys at the body shop called the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation center in Kendalia for a second opinion. On Wednesday, Katie Birk, an animal caretaker at the rescue, went to the shop to see the video.

Her initial reaction was a large smile and a laugh.

“You got a little monkey friend on your hands,” Birk said chuckling. She said the creature was “agile” and it's movements resembled an animal “not native to the area.”

The Duartes showed Birk the evidence they had collected, including the prints and tufts of hair. Birk guessed the animal could be a macaque, a primate mostly located in Asia.

Although a macaque isn't as aggressive as a baboon, Birk said that if anyone comes across the monkey, they should walk away, go inside somewhere and wait for it to go away.

You can read the full article here.

Now that we got that out of the way, what did that woman see near Loop 1604 and Texas 151 Monday night?

Bigfooters can pick a Booger when we see one.

The Newnan Herald was Georgia’s first newspaper after Civil War. Eventually the title of the newspaper became The Times-Herald

Started as a sideline by two Newnan lawyers in the days after the Civil War ended, The Times-Herald has become an institution in the intervening 143 years.

For decades, Coweta County residents have turned to The Times-Herald for news about local government. Mothers of the bride have brought write-ups about their daughters’ weddings, and sports fans have checked out the results of the latest local games.

Recently one of the journalist, Jeff Bishop, has been writing about a local legend known as the "Belt Road Booger" also known as The Happy valley Horror

In short; it's a 30 yr legend with multiple sightings and several descriptions similar to Bigfoot.

A few descriptions from the Times-Herald article:

"It was dark. It stands about five feet tall. It's big across the chest. Its eyes look like diamonds at night when you shine a light on them," was how one local woman described the "monster."

The creature was reported to have "a face like a monkey and a long bushy tail."

Read the two articles below to learn what local residents have been saying for 30+ years.

Legend of the Belt Road Booger

Bigfoot researchers pick up on 'Booger'

To get the lowdown and perhaps a very astute prediction regarding these news stories and what's fueling them, we have the wisdom of Loren Coleman at Cryptomundo

The Green Man of Portland is Bigfoot

New artwork adorns the northwest streets of downtown Portland. These sculptures are creations of local artist Daniel Duford and they all feature an image or reference to the Green Man. The Green Man is a subject near and dear to Bigfoot, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

In a nutshell, the Green Man of Portland is really the pagan Woodosa or Woodwose, which translates to the Wildman of the Woods, which is where we got the Jolly Green Giant, who is really a Bigfoot played by Kevin Bacon. Okay, Kevin Bacon is excessive, but today’s post on Bigfoot Lore really feels like the game six degrees of Kevin Bacon. So you will have to forgive us for being a little “footloose” with the associations in this post.

Without Further Ado Here we go.

Let’s start with the Wildman of the Woods, AKA the Woodosa. The Woodosa is a mythological figure that appears in the artwork and literature of medieval Europe. The wild man can be described as a long-haired bearded man covered with hair from the neck down, he is often armed with a club, he considered the spirit that watches over the well being of the woods.




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The Green Man is often seen alongside the Woodosa, although he watches over agricultural concerns. Almost identical to the Woodosa, the Green Man has a face surrounded leaves, branches, and vines that often seem to sprout his mouth and nostrils.


The Woodosa and Green Man remained mostly just as decorated sculptures for centuries until they reemerged as advertising trademarks for modern American agriculture. One incarnation was the California Giant Lettuce company and the other is a more famous icon known as the Jolly Green Giant.


This story of these two advertising icons is neatly summarized in Loren Coleman’s Book “Bigfoot! : The True Story of Apes in America”

“However, one image, familiar to most of us, parallels the California Giant, which we must not ignore. This would be the Jolly Green Giant…
…in 1903, Green Giant was founded in Le Suer, Minnesota, as the Minnesota Valley Canning Company. In 1925, a pale, boy-like figure with a leafy bit of clothing was introduced to market the company’s new line of giant, sweet, early green peas. The name Green Giant for this marketing image soon followed, with the giants figure’s skin then turning green. Eventually the Green Giant came to symbolize not only the peas, but the company as well. In 1950, Minnesota Valley canning Company disappeared and became officially the Green Giant Company. Today the Jolly Green Giant is the name of the giant figure, having evolved from the youthful figure of 1925.”

Okay, so these are all versions of the Wildman, what about Bigfoot? The Wildman myth permeates all cultures and histories. Where do these memories come from? A time when we were closer to other bipedal apes that lived among us? Sightings of the Wildman are almost non-existent; in fact they seem to disappear sometime after Charles Darwin published his theory. Perhaps sightings of the Wildman have not disappeared, but merely replaced by a better model. Replaced by a yet undiscovered hairy hominid we call Bigfoot.

For your entertainment we have provided Jolly Green Giant Commercials from three different decades; the 1950’s, 60’s, and 80’s.

Oct 20th: A Special Day for Bigfooters

The Patterson-Gimlin film (also referred to as simply the Patterson film) is a short motion picture of an unidentified subject filmed on October 20, 1967 by Roger Patterson (Wall, South Dakota, February 14, 1926 – January 15, 1972) and Robert Gimlin (Missouri, October 18, 1931) who claimed the film was a genuine recording of a bigfoot. The film has been subjected to many attempts both to debunk and authenticate it. Some qualified scientists have judged the film a hoax with a man in an ape suit, but other scientists contend the film depicts an animal unknown to science, or cryptid, claiming it would be virtually impossible for a human to replicate the subject's gait and muscle movement. Source:Wikipedia

Today, October 20th, 42 years ago, Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin filmed the most famous Bigfoot footage to date. Always at the forefront BLC is one of the first to recognize this anniversary today.

Perhaps throughout the day more sites will recognize this date. In the meantime, I thought I would share some links around the web that focus on the historical film. On top of our list is Cryptomundo, because Loren Coleman has an exclusive tale straight from Bob Gimlin: Roger Patterson's little known deathbed confession.

1. Cryptomundo:Patterson's Confession
2. Wikipedia
3. BFRO
4. Cryptomundo
5. Pattersonfilm.com
6. Bigfoot Encounters
7. Anomaly Magazine: Film Analysis
8. Animal Planet
9. Timeline of Key events of from Oct 20-31, 1967
10. Patterson/Gimlin Film Site on AKA Bigfoot Map


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Loren Coleman makes USA Today News

Its was only a couple of paragraphs long, it is quoted below.

Bigfoot, Nessie to star in Maine's new Cryptozoology Museum

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Bigfoot is coming to downtown Portland.
Loren Coleman says his International Cryptozoology Museum will open in a Congress Street storefront on Nov. 1.

As a cryptozoologist, Coleman studies creatures that have been reported to exist but aren't formally recognized by science.

Among the displays will be his 8-foot-tall, 400-pound Bigfoot sculpture, which now stands on the front porch of his home. He'll also have a model of the Loch Ness monster, along with what he says are a footprint cast and hair sample from the Abominable Snowman, found during a 1959 expedition in the Himalayas.

Coleman, who has written 17 books on cryptozoology, tells the Portland Press Herald the museum will be in the rear of a new bookstore that will specialize in supernatural fiction, horror fiction and weird fiction.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

I'm looking forward to the museum, even if its in the other Portland. I offered to volunteer to illustrate a mural for the new museum, after all I am a paid published professional Illustrator, and avid Bigfooter, but never heard back from Mr. Coleman. I even shared a link to my illustration blog, I wish him well and you can always donate to his cause through paypal. His donation page is here

** NOTE! We have corrected the donation link above.

UPDATE: Orang Pendek

As promised we have an update on the Orang Pendek sighting.

you can read the article at the Sun
Loren Coleman has a great post on Cryptomundo.
Expedition leader Adam Davies has a journal
Some members of expedition are from the Center for Fortean Zoology (CFZ)

And Tonight Adam Davies will appear on the Mark Gary’s radio program tonight, October 1, 2009, from 9:00 PM to Midnight Eastern.




In a breaking news report from Cryptomundo, news of a Orang Pendek Sighting.

Orang Pendek (Indonesian for "short person") is the most common name given to a cryptid, or unconfirmed animal, that reportedly inhabits remote, mountainous forests on the island of Sumatra.

The animal has allegedly been seen and documented for at least one hundred years by forest tribes, local villagers, Dutch colonists, and Western scientists and travelers. Consensus among witnesses is that the animal is a ground-dwelling, bipedal primate that is covered in short fur and stands between 80 centimetres (31 in) and 150 centimetres (59 in) tall.

There seems to be quite a buzz in Sumatra right now. First a quote from Cryptomundo.

I’m on my way to Tyler…but I just received this…so I’ll post it quickly:

“Yeti sighted in Jungle !!!! Two team members have sighted the Yeti while we were in the jungle. I heard a large animal moving towards us. Subsequently the creature was then sighted by team member Dave Archer and Sahar Didmus, a forest ranger. I have a sworn affadavit from Sahar to that effect. It hid from us by a tree, before moving rapidly and bipedally through the jungle. Dave describes the OP [Orang Pendek] as looking almost chimpanzee-like. Sahar was so upset and disturbed he began sobbing, and I had to comfort him. We have taken hair samples found at the site, and bagged some rattan which it was eating. We will have these analysed by Todd Disotell. Numerous tracks also found……………!!!!!!!!” ~ Adam Davies (enroute out of Indonesia via Singapore)

And then the guys at Centre for Fortean Zoology started a trip to Sumatra and have some exciting news that will posted on their website tomorrow!

AN unknown species of Indonesian ape could shed light on how our human ancestors began to walk erect.

The orang-pendek of Sumatra is said to be a powerfully built ape that walks on two legs like a man. Both native people and western explorers, including two noted scientists, have reported the creature from the deep jungle.

This week four English scientists and explorers will brave the rainforest in search of the orang-pendek.

The team from the Woolsery-based Centre for Fortean Zoology, will spend two weeks in Sumatra working with the Kubu people, the island's original inhabitants, who will help them track the mysterious ape.

The expedition comes shortly after the announcement of the discovery of a fossil hominid in Georgia. The Dmansis hominids lived 1.8 million years ago and had legs like modern humans, but primitive arms. Their early occurrence has made scientists rethink how hominids moved out of Africa to colonise the rest of the world.

Richard Freeman, the team's zoologist, said: "It was once thought that our ancestors became bipedal when they descended from the trees and moved onto the grass lands of East Africa in order to exploit new food sources. However, now it seems that many apes and hominids were moving 'bipedally' while they were still rainforest dwellers.

"As well as being a major zoological discovery, the orang-pendek could give us some clues on how bipedalism developed."

The group's trip will be recorded on the Centre for Fortean Zoology's website at

www.cfz.org.uk

Its Not Bigfoot

If the video doesn't show above click here.

I know its not Bigfoot but this creature is truly bizarre. Loren Coleman on cryptomundo calls it the Blue Hill Horror.

He's responsible for many great names by the way. Montauk Monster, Georgian Gorilla (the big 2008 hoax) and now the Blue Hill Horror.


Below is a translation of Panamanian website telemetro.com

The discovery of a strange creature in Cerro Azul has aroused controversy among the people, for while some say it may be a being from another planet, others simply believe that is an animal.

Four teenagers aged between 14 and 16 years, met him at the Jet Blue Hill, on Saturday, while having fun in the place.

According to one of them told the program code 4, they suddenly saw the creature emerging from a cave located behind the water jet. At her appearance and it began to climb over the rocks to one of them panicked and began to thrash him and throw sticks, getting killed, after which they threw into the water and ran.

Lloyd Pye Calls Bigfoot Hominoids

Lyoyd Pie is a UFOlogist ala Zacharia Sitchen. Now there is a camp (pun intended) of Bigfooters who believe UFOlogist should stay away from Bigfooting. I would say The Bigfoot Lunch Club falls into this camp. Bigfoot as an inter-dimensional extra-terrestrial biological entity goes against the grain of the credibility many scientists and researchers have spent much of their sweat equity on.

Prominent cryptozoologist Jeff Meldrum and Loren Coleman would prefer to study fossil records and modern primates as oppose to exclusively searching for clues in ancient Babylonian texts. My very moniker, Epic Gilgamesh, gives away I am at least interested in Babylonian kings, but mostly because it is the first recorded relationship between a mortal (1/3 mortal anyway) befriending a wild-man. Enkidu is probably literature's first bigfoot, in my humble opinion.

Going back to Pye, you can go to his Hominoids website to judge for yourself whether or not he has a place in Bigfooting. I will say this, although we disagree with his theories, his theories do suggest a great amount thought and are well constructed.

Below is an audio interview where he talks about human origins and what he calls hominoids A.K.A. Bigfoot.

Better and Better

Well Lunch Clubbers, what can we say. We've got the cool blog banner. We got the cool handshake, and the best blog orbiting the sun. Endorsements from Loren Coleman (Sorry for name-dropping Loren) How can it be any better?! How about a new URL? Yeah! Starting tomorrow you will be able to find us at www.BigFootLunchClub.com. Until then expect a few hiccups as we make this crucial transition.

Why the change? Expand the full post to find out.

Well all the great Bigfoot organizations have only four letters in their name; BFRO (Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization) to name one.

The second reason has to do with the removal of "researcher's" from our name. Although we believe research is essential in any Bigfoot endeavor, we wanted to make sure the name of our blog and URL reflected a more casual vibe.

Besides, with eleven less letters in our name that's 4015 less times your keyboard gets tapped (over the course of a year). So when you think to yourself Jeez we've had this keyboard forever thank us!

We appreciate all your support as we continue to provide you with the freshest Bigfoot news anywhere on the web.

Guy Edwards
Co-Founder

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.