Monsters of New York and New Jersey

Researcher Brian Gaugler is working on a paper for us on strange creatures seen in the New York and New Jersey areas. Brian welcomes any and all input and data - modern day, historic, personal encounters and more.
He can be contacted directly at: putotenusagnosco@yahoo.com

Hidden Headlines of Texas

Here's a book I definitely recommend that you get hold of: Hidden Headlines of Texas: Strange, Unusual and Bizarre Newspaper Stories, 1860 - 1910. The book was researched and compiled by well-known paranormal author Chad Lewis; and I have written the foreword to it. Publication date is imminent.

This an essential piece of work for those that want to learn about some of the little-known stories on a whole range of high-strangeness that made their way into the newspapers of Texas in times past.

And fans of cryptozoology will find much to entertain them, including newspaper stories on giant wolves, sea-serpents, monstrous tape-worms, giant rattlesnakes, and something that became known as the One-Eyed Wild Man.

Cannock Chase - The Weirdness Continues

As I revealed last week, not content with being home to giant-cats, Bigfoot-style entities and even werewolves, Britain's Cannock Chase woods are also fast becoming a beacon for activity of a distinctly ghostly-kind.

And on this specific issue, here's the very latest from the Stafford Post newspaper that covers the area in question:

Last week's chilling tale of a ghostly female figure on the Chase has spawned a stream of X File reports from Stafford readers.
One housewife rang us to say her mother-in-law, now deceased, also saw the alien on a rain-lashed November 40 years ago.
She was driving on the Milford Road and had just passed Shugborough when she saw a bedraggled woman by the side of the road.
Our reader takes up the story: "My mother-in-law thought, 'she must be soaked' and offered her a lift. She was immediately struck by her clothes - the woman was shabbily dressed and her clothes were not in keeping with the times.
"They chatted and there was no sign of anything untoward."
But the driver never forgot what happened next.
"She dropped the lady off in Newport Road, Stafford, turned her head for less than a second and when she looked back the figure had vanished - disappeared-into thin air. She could not possibly have moved from the scene in that short space of time and my mother-in-law never forgot the encounter."
A 30-year-old resident will never forget the summer's day he went fishing, with his dad, to Hopton Pools.
It was 13 years ago, but the events of that day will always stick in his memory.
"Suddenly there was the sound of swords clashing together and the whistles of arrows flying over our head. There was not a soul about for miles, but we could hear a full-scale battle taking place around us."
Hopton was the scene of a bloody civil war encounter and there have been a number of reports of locals claiming to hear the battle.

Monster Hunting Memoirs Coming Soon

Although the publication date is still a couple of months away, New Page Books - who are publishing my Memoirs of a Monster Hunter book - have posted a few details of its contents to the Amazon page where it can already be pre-ordered.

As the publisher states:

For centuries, people across the world have had a fascination with monsters and strange creatures. They marvel at the tales and legends of the Bigfoot of the Pacific Northwest; of the Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas; of the infamous and diabolical Moth-Man of West Virginia; of fire-breathing dragons; and of those dark denizens of the deep: lake monsters and sea serpents.

But do such creatures really exist? Can it be true that our planet is home to fantastic beasts that lurk deep within its forests and waters?

Memoirs of a Monster Hunter proves the answer is a resounding yes!In this follow-up to his wildly successful Three Men Seeking Monsters, paranormal investigator and author Nick Redfern chronicles his surreal road-trip through the United States and beyond in search of all-things monstrous.

His strange adventures lasted five years and saw him doggedly pursuing a menagerie of creatures, including gargoyles, giant birds, and what some believe are living dinosaurs.

Follow Redfern as he:

* Explores the El Yunque rainforest of Puerto Rico in search of the terrifying Chupacabras: a razor-clawed, glowing-eyed beast that is part giant bat and part vampire.

* Seeks out the Goat Man: a menacing creature that evokes imagery of both demons and the fabled cloven-hoofed Centaurs of ancient mythology, and is said to inhabit the forests of East Texas.

* Chases after what many people believe are real-life, flesh-and-blood werewolves that surface from hidden lairs and prowl the countryside when the Moon is full.

Part X-Files, part Crocodile Hunter with a mix of Jurassic Park and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Memoirs of a Monster Hunter takes you on a roller-coaster ride into the unknown. Read personal accounts of the monsters that inhabit your wildest imagination and your worst nightmares. The creatures you were told couldn't possibly exist, really do.

From the Back Cover: "This is one of the best books I've read in years. Redfern sweeps you away on his personal adventure. Around the world, from romance, to ghastly beasts, to the cosmos, Redfern has candidly shared the wonders of his young life."
--Joshua P. Warren, author of Pet Ghosts and How to Hunt Ghosts.

Werewolves, Bigfoot, and More...

Last year, I wrote the forewords to Linda Godfrey's book Hunting the American Werewolf and Lisa Shiel's Backyard Bigfoot.


Well, it seems that the dynamic duo have now teamed-up for an exciting new project. As Lisa states:


"Over the weekend, the city of Wausau, Wisconsin, unknowingly hosted a historic meeting. For the first time ever a woman Bigfoot researcher (me) hung out with a woman werewolf researcher (Linda Godfrey). Linda dubbed this meeting 'Bigfoot Woman meets Werewolf Lady.' We had a great time swapping tales of our experiences in the bizarre world of crypto-creature research. Like me, Linda is also a writer—and a terrific one at that. Her book Weird Michigan not only flies off the shelves, but contains enough freaky info to satisfy even hard-core weird-o-philes. If you haven't read Weird Michigan—or Weird Wisconsin, or Hunting the American Werewolf—buy it immediately! Here comes the best part..."


And for the full details of that best part, click right here...

Exotic Pets - The Website

The website of the Center for Fortean Zoology's forthcoming, new magazine, Exotic Pets, is now up and running.

Click here for details.

The Ghost Woman of the Cannock Chase

Readers of this blog will know from previous entries that I have a deep interest in tales of werewolves and lycanthropy; and I have been keeping you informed of the recent wave of sightings of werewolf-style entities seen at the German Cemetery on Britain's Cannock Chase, a large area of forest situated only a couple of miles from where I used to live.

Well, not only has the Chase been home to diabolical werewolves, mysterious big cats and even alleged Bigfoot-like creatures over the last few years, but now it seems that ghostly, spectral figures are also putting in an appearance, as this story below - from this week's edition of the local Chase Post newspaper demonstrates.

This particular incident apparently occurred last November; however, it was the recent publicity afforded the unusual and ever-present activity on the Chase that prompted the witness to come forward.

Whatever is afoot, it seems to me that the Cannock Chase is rapidly becoming one of those classic "window areas" that seem to attract such a high-level of extreme strangeness.

Here's the latest from the Chase Post:

Mysterious figure spotted on Chase
Jun 20 2007

A mysterious apparition confronted a local woman on a lonely stretch of road.
The unearthly figure has been dubbed 'The Lady of the Chase'.

In recent weeks there has been a rash of sightings of mysterious beasts on Cannock Chase.
If these reports are to be believed werewolves, cavemen, panthers and wolves could all be lurking on the Staffordshire beauty spot.

And as paranormal investigators from around the globe prepare to converge on the Chase, another eyewitness, 'Linda', has come forward to tell us her disturbing ghost story.
"I had what I can only describe as a totally surreal experience whilst driving across Cannock Chase last year," she said.

"I had not been able to tell anyone about this apart from my partner.

And he encouraged me to contact you following some of the reports you have made in your paper."

Linda was returning home after visiting a friend in Pye Green, near Cannock, last November when she was confronted by 'the lady'.

"It was about 11.30pm and I decided to cut across the Chase. As I neared Spring Slade Lodge I had to brake hard as a person suddenly stood in the road."

After Linda recovered from the shock of the near collision she turned her attention to the figure in front of her car.

"In my headlights the form was of a tall female, pale grey in colour. She appeared to be naked but with no visible breasts or genitalia.

"Immediately, I was drawn to her eyes - large hypnotic eyes that totally transfixed me. I was in dread and unable to move a muscle. I was aware I was being 'mentally examined' and there was nothing I could do to prevent this."

After a couple of minutes the figure turned and walked away into nearby woodland.

"It was only when she had disappeared that I could move again," Linda said. "I accelerated away in panic."

She told us she has not been able to drive across Cannock Chase since the incident and added: "Sometimes, after a dream, I can see a vivid image of the woman's face with those staring eyes. I'm not a very good artist, but felt compelled to draw the face of this figure. I call her 'The Lady of the Chase'. Has anyone else seen anything like this?" Have YOU seen The Lady of the Chase? Call the Post on 01543 501763 or email chase_post@mrn.co.uk

Neil Arnold's "Monster!": The Review

A few days ago I announced the publication of Neil Arnold's long-awaited book, The A to Z of Zooform Phenomena.

Well, I have now digested its packed 382 pages and I can state firmly that this is one title that should not be missed by anyone who has a deep interest in cryptozoology.

A handful or so books have been published throughout the last few years that detail - in A to Z format - the many and varied cryptozoological "things" that are said to inhabit the darker corners of our planet. And so, you might well reasonably ask, what does Neil's book bring to the table that the other books don't?

Well, fortunately, the answer is: a great deal indeed.

Whereas the rest of the A to Z type titles cover pretty much every aspect of cryptozoology, Neil's is devoted solely to those more Fortean-based critters that inhabit the subject. Or as Jon Downes of the Center for Fortean Zoology coined them: "Zooform Phenomena." Those things that appear to be animals - but almost certainly aren't.

As Neil himself states: "In my opinion, Bigfoot 'Nessie', the Yeti, sea leviathans, and lake dwellers, are quite likely to be real creatures, despite the mythical aura that surrounds them. Some may be discovered in the not too distant future, whereas others may be on the verge of extinction, or already a faded enigma."

Neil continues: "But there are some animal forms which can never be explained, let alone caught on film, or in the nets of fishermen. They are the zooforms. Some are mere ghosts...should you believe in such things, whilst others take the form of animals, but, quite simply, are something else entirely, whether ethereal, supernatural, or part of tribal lore."

And so, it is within the pages of Monster! that you will find much to ponder on concerning those creatures that inhabit the darker fringes of cryptozoology - such as Mothman of Point Pleasant, the Owlman of Cornwall, England, the Jersey Devil, the Chupacabras, and the Goat-Man.

But Neil's book is not just a study of those famous zooforms that have become renowned in monster-hunting circles.

No. Monster! provides the reader with literally hundreds of entries on creatures that seem to fall into the specific zooform - rather than the purely physical - category, such as the Griffin of Elizabeth Lake; the Henrico County Werewolf; Jenny Greenteeth (who - before anyone asks - is not a member of the CFZ, to the best of my knowledge!); Oregon's Kangaroo Man; the Manticore of Indonesia; the winged woman of Pavoldar; the Pelham Unicorns; Skinwalkers; the macabre Toronto Tunnel Monster; the Watford Winged Thing; the Bat Monster of West Drayton Church; the shape-shifters of Argentina; and much more.

Of course, a book like this - and one that runs to almost 400 pages - could easily become monumentally tedious in the extreme, if placed into the wrong hands. Fortunately, however, Neil is a fluent, entertaining writer who holds the reader's attention throughout.

And each entry is represented by a 'Zooform Rating System" that provides the reader with Neil's own assessment of the level of weirdness attached to it.

This is Neil's third book - following on from Odd-Bodies: An Investigation Into A Selection Of Monsters Triggered By The Cosmic Mechanism; and Clandestine Creatures: Animals, Manimals and Monsters Of The Mind.

Even if your main area of interest is with respect to those cryptozoological creatures that seem far more flesh-and-blood in nature than those phantom entities that appear in Neil's Monster!, I most definitely recommend that you invest in this title.

An essential and definitive piece of work for those who are interested in the wild creatures of the outer edge.

I'll be doing an in-depth interview with Neil next week, and which will be posted here. In the meantime, check out Neil's blogs, Beasts of London; Kent Big Cat Research; and Kent Monsters.

Monsters of the Ozarks and Missouri - Information Wanted

John Wooldridge, our representative for Missouri and the Ozarks, is preparing an article for posting here on the mystery animals of the regions in question.

Currently, the list below identifies those creatures, monsters and mysterious beasts that John has his sights set firmly on. If anyone reading this has any data that may assist John in writing his article, he welcomes any and all contributions, leads and material. You can contact him direct at brojo2005@hotmail.com

Aquatic:

Lake Monsters:

-“The Camden Sea Serpent”
-[also see “Old Blue”]
-in Lake Creve Coeur
-in Lake of the Ozarks (both aquatic megaserpent(s) and giant catfish)

River monsters:

-‘The Creature in the Hole” [Arkansas]
-in Kansas River
-in Mississippi River
-in Missouri River [see Missouri River “dragon”]


-Bally Sally Cato (giant)
-Bingbuffer/ Kingdoodle
-Bald Knob Buzzard
-Bloody Bones
-Bogie-Bird
-The Booger Cats
-The Booger Dog
-The Booger Under Nob Hill
-Boogers/ buggers (boogiemen/ bogeymen)
-Chawgreen
-Clew-Bird
-Cross-Eyed Crud
-Darby-Hick
-eastern cougar subspecies
-Fillyloo
-Galoopus
-Geek-Squaw
-Giant birds [Thunderbirds; Piasa birds]
-Giant catfish:
-“Old Blue”
-Giant centipedes
-Giant frogs/bullfrog(s)
-Giant woolybear caterpillars
-Giasticutus/Glasticutus
-Gollywampus
-Gollywog
-Gowerows/ gowers/ gowrows:
-The Gowrow In Marvel Cave
-William Hope’s gower
-The gower from “Jack and the Gower”
-Graveyard Dogs
-Great Galliwampus
-Guffel-Bird
-Hairy hominoid: Foukes Monster/ The Boggy Creek Creature
-Hairy hominoid: Momo/ Mo-Mo/ Mo Mo
-Hairy hominoid: Old Sheff [hairy hominoid;1869]
-Haunt/ haint (“as a noun, a spirit or ghost”)
-Heber Springs Water Panther
-Hicklesnoopus
-Jimplicute
-Milermore/ Mileormore
-Missouri River “dragon” (aerial cryptid; 1857-58)
-Missourium: The Missouri Leviathan
-The Monster of Peter Bottom Cave
-Moogie
-The Moon-Eyes/ The Moon Eyes
-Nighbehind
-The Old Black Booger [Satan]
-Old Blue (see giant catfish)
-Old Raw Head/ Raw Head/ Rawhead
-Old Walleyes
-Orance/ orange [Missouri]
-The Ozark Howler
-Ozarks Buck Bass
-Paynter
-Ponjureen
-Razorbacks/ razorback hogs
-Ring-Tailed Tooter
-Sally-bally
-Side-Hill Hoofer/ Sidehill Hoofer
-Snakes: blue-racers
-Snakes: coach-whip snakes
-Snawfus
-Spook lights/ spooklights/ ghost lights/ foxfires/ ignis fatuus/ feu folle
-The Spook Light/ The Hornet Light
-Taneycomo Turtle
-Toodalong
-Whangdoodle
-Whiffle-Bird
-Whistling-Wampus
-Willipus-Wallipus
-Wampus-pussy
-Wowser(s)/ Wowzer
-“Yellow-bellied marmot(s)”/ “big goldy groundhogs”
-Yowho

Big Cats Loose in Britain - Just Published

The Center for Fortean Zoology has just published a new book, Big Cats Loose in Britain from author Marcus Matthews.

Here's the details, direct from CFZ Director Jon Downes:

Big Cats Loose in Britain, has a twin-track theme. The author looks at the body of anecdotal evidence: sightings, livestock kills, pawprints and photographs, and seeks to determine underlying commonalities and threads of evidence.

These two strands are repeatedly woven together into a highly readable, yet scientifically compelling overview of the big cat phenomenon in Britain. The sightings reports are meticulously researched, with particular reference to the 70s and 80s; decades in which legislation changes - in particular, the Dangerous Wild Animals Act - played a significant part in events.

However, this book provides the best collection ever, of big cat sightings in the UK from historical times up to about 1990. What is surely unique about this book is the depth and breadth of the investigation - and discussion - of the evidence.

Unlike many authors, who merely cut-and-paste from the Internet or rehash stories that are oft-reported elsewhere, the author draws heavily on personal contact with witnesses, drawing out detail that might well have been otherwise overlooked.

Gestation can be a lengthy process. The foundations of this book were written between 1987 and 1990, and the overall project clearly is a labour of love and, indeed, has already acquired a semi-legendary reputation.

The enthusiasm of the author shines through on every page. Much of the source material is from a time before many of the animosities, which have so plagued British big cat research in recent years, came to a head - a time when the CFZ Permanent Directorate were much younger than we are now, and did what we did purely for fun.

They were good days, and reading Marcus' book helped us relive them.

Full Moon Madness...

And while we are on the subject of werewolves, just what is the truth about all those tales of dark and diabolical activity when the Moon is full?

Read on....

Beastwatch Seeks The British Werewolf

Well, the quest for the truth concerning the werewolves of Britain's Cannock Chase woods shows no sign of stopping, as the following story from this week's edition of the Stafford Post newspaper demonstrates:



Chase Search for weird and wonderful Jun 13 2007

A team of investigators from an organisation called Beastwatch could be setting up camp on Cannock Chase to search for creatures 'real or surreal'.
Following a catalogue of reports in recent months about all kinds of bizarre sitings on the Chase, the Leicestershire-based team has offered to investigate the area.
They hope to establish once and for all if anything unusual - mammal or mystical - is stalking the area.
Recent reports have included a panther, caveman, werewolf, UFOs and even a floating ghost in the cemetery.
But in order to carry out the research they need your help.
Beastwatch, a voluntary organisation, relies on public donations to pay expenses. And as the investigators hope to set up camp for several days and nights they will need travel and subsistence expenses. The rangers have also informed the team they will be charged for staying on the Chase.
Beastwatch co-ordinator Chris Mullins told The Post: "We would be looking for footprints and laying sand traps. We put bait in the middle of the sand to see what comes. We will also look for underground entrances at various parts of the Chase.
"If it looks as if we are onto something we may be there longer."
Chris, aged 55, described himself as 'a person with an open mind who walks with his feet firmly on the ground'. He will be bringing infra red cameras and sound equipment.
Chris's team has already visited Sherwood Forest looking for 'a bigfoot-type, eight foot hairy man-beast with glowing eyes' said to live in the many underground caverns.
They didn't find him. Beastwatch has already visited our patch to investigate claims a crocodile is living in waters in Bridgtown.
That investigation did not find the croc' - but did not dismiss its presence either.
Chris has been involved with looking for everything from wild boar to tarantulas and the more mystical beings for six years.
If you would like to sponsor the vigil, or help in any way, contact Chris on 01509 551621 or 07769 693 459.
But any volunteers will be interviewed first.
"The last thing I want is someone who runs screaming out of the wood," Chris added.
For more information check out http://www.beastwatch.co.uk/

Neil Arnold's Monster! The A-Z of Zooform Phenomena

The Center for Fortean Zoology is pleased to announce the publication of Neil Arnold's book Monster! The A -Z of Zooform Phenomena.

At almost 400-pages, Monster! is sure to become the definitive, classic title on the specific zooform angle of cryptozoology. But what, you may ask, are zooforms? Well, to answer that question, let me direct your attention to the back-cover blurb for the book:

Zooform Phenomena are the most elusive, and least understood, mystery "animals." Indeed, they are not animals at all, and are not even animate in the accepted terms of the word, but entities or apparitions which adopt, or seem to have (quasi) animal form. These arcane and contentious entities have plagued cryptozoology - the study of unknown animals - since its inception, and tend to be dismissed by mainstream science as thoroughly unworthy of consideration. But they continue to be seen, and Jonathan Downes - the Director of the Center for Fortean Zoology - who first coined the term in 1990, maintains that many zooforms result from a synergy of complex psychosocial and sociological issues, and suggests that to classify all such phenomena as "paranormal" in origin is counterproductive, and for researchers to dismiss them out of hand is thoroughly unscientific. Author and researcher Neil Arnold is to be commended for a groundbreaking piece of work, and has provided the world's first alphabetical listing of zooforms from around the world.

A copy of Neil's book arrived in the mail today; and I will be reviewing it in-depth, here next week. But even a quick glance through its packed pages tells me that if you are even remotely interested in the more Fortean aspects of cryptozoology, this is most definitely a title to invest in.

India's Bigfoot

NEW DELHI, June 9 (Reuters) - After North America's "Bigfoot" and the Yeti of Nepal and Tibet, India is now claiming its own mystery monster, which tour operators say will help boost tourism in the country's remote northeast. The "eight-foot", hairy ape-like creature is believed to be stomping around in the deep, thick forests of Meghalaya state. "Since 1997, we have been documenting Mande Burung sightings and telltale signs such as giant footprints," Dipu N. Marak of A'chik Tourism Society, an adventure tourism group, told the Hindustan Times.


Click here for more details.

Sea Serpents on the Rise...

In the wake of the recent new film footage purporting to show an unknown animal in Loch Ness, there seems to have been a resurgence of interest in all things related to lake monsters and sea serpents.

Here's one example.

Robo-Bear: Coming to a War-Zone Near You!

Okay, it may not exactly be crypto-driven, but it's bloody strange! Welcome to the world of Robo-Bear: half machine, half-bear, and all very weird.

Further Cryptozoology by Ronan Coghlan - A Review

I recently received from Fortean, researcher and author Ronan Coghlan copies of his two latest books: Sherlock Holmes and the Heir of Albion; and Further Cryptozoology. I am half-way through reading the former, and a highly entertaining read it is, too. Expect a review here next week.

But for now, I am going to focus my attention on Further Cryptozoology. I have met Ronan on a couple of occasions at Fortean events in the UK and consider him to be one of the wittiest and most entertaining people in the field of Forteana; and certainly one of the finest lecturers, and someone who can hold an audience spell-bound for hours.

Ronan (who after meeting him at Jon Downes' Weird Weekend event last year, my wife Dana described as "a precious hoot" - which is a good term, for those who don't understand Texan) has done the field of cryptozoology a great service with his new title.

Basically a follow-on from his earlier books A Dictionary of Cryptozoology and Cryptosup, Further Cryptozoology is an A to Z style title that lists countless strange beasts said to inhabit the wilder (and sometimes not so wild) parts of our world.

So, under "A" we get to learn about the Alabama Goatman, the Alaskan Big Cat, and the mysteriously named Alom-Bag-Winno-Sis. And under "Z" you will find details of the hairy Zoobie of California and the dragon-like Zimitra, to name but just two. And, of course, the rest of the book is filled with similar entries of an equally entertaining, intriguing and monstrous nature.

Click on this link to a complete listing of Ronan's books (including both Further Cryptozoology and Sherlock Holmes and the Heir of Albion), or for more details contact Xiphos Books, 1 Hillside Gardens, Bangor, Northern Ireland, BT19 6SJ.

You will not be disappointed.

Animal Mutilations: US Vs. UK

Over at my UFO blog, you can find a newly-posted piece on animal mutilations in the UK. While in the US many such reports are viewed as the work of aliens, in the UK they are often relegated to the world of ritual sacrifice and the occult.
Occasionally, however, such reports have crypto-zoological overtones to them - such as the blood-sucking activities of Puerto Rico's notorious Chupacabras, a beast that features heavily in my forthcoming Memoirs of a Monster Hunter book.

The CFZ's "Exotic Pets" Magazine Is Launched...

This just in from CFZ Director Jonathan Downes:

CFZ Press is happy to announce the launch of a new periodical called Exotic Pets. However, although the title may seem self-explanatory, we hope the magazine will do more than ‘it says on the tin’. Initially coming out four times a year, the magazine will feature authoritative articles on keeping herps and inverts, the more unusual fish, and even exotic mammals and birds.

However, although we intend to be the definitive magazine for those who believe in the responsible keeping of exotic pets, we want to do more than that. For 100 years, from the mid-19th Century, natural history was the premier British hobby.

Over the last 50 years it has declined in popularity for a number of reasons, most notably that killing living creatures for a hobby is quite rightly no longer seen as ethical. With the technological advances of the 21st Century, however, everything has changed.

With a digital camera one can have a butterfly collection for example, and with the advent of cheap air travel, places once only accessible by the Gerald Durrell's of this world, can be visited by everybody.

Suddenly, the amateur naturalist can come into his, or her, own, and there has never been a better time for people to get involved. Amateur naturalists across the world are carrying out valuable research, and participating in essential breeding programmes. If you are interested, this magazine is for you.

The first issue (out in June) features articles on the megamantis: a giant species from the Cameroons, keeping African fruit beetles, glass snakes – huge European relatives of the slow-worm, amphiumas – peculiar aquatic salamanders, and much, much more.

For a sample, post-free, issue send £3.75 ($8 US), by cheque (payable to Jonathan Downes) or by Paypal using our account: jon@eclipse.co.uk. Or for a four issue per year subscription, the cost will be £15.00 ($30 US).

British Werewolves - The Saga Continues...

The British Chase Post newspaper continues to report on the controversy surrounding the alleged werewolf encounters in the vicinity of England's Cannock Chase woods, as the following article from last week's edition demonstrates:

Internationally-renowned X-File investigator and author Nick Redfern has shed new light on the mystery wolf-like creature said to be roaming the ancient woodlands of Cannock Chase. Speaking exclusively to The Post from his Dallas home, Walsall-born Nick said he has been busily amassing credible evidence on paranormal experiences across the Chase.

And while his research has found that it is 'highly unlikely' to be a werewolf or 'caveman' lurking in the undergrowth, he believes the cause of people's sightings is of paranormal origin: "I have investigated reports of wild boar, wallabies, big cats and even Bigfoot-like beasts in the area. But the werewolves are definitely the strangest. Back in the eighties, reports surfaced of something that became known as the Ghost Dog of Brereton which was a strange, large dog-like animal. And last summer there were local stories of a wild wolf seen near the M6. So I'm convinced people are seeing something."

Nick also takes seriously the idea that a real-life wolf may be at large on the Chase."We know that people who have had big cats as exotic pets have released them into the wild when they got too big to handle. Perhaps something similar has happened here with a wolf."

But what of the idea that actual werewolves are on the loose on Cannock Chase? Nick said: "Britain has a long history of werewolf encounters, from the Flixton Werewolf of the 10th Century, to the story of the Hexham Heads of the 1970s. Personally, I think that if people are seeing some sort of werewolf-like creature, then it's likely to be paranormal in origin rather than physical."

Nick also notes that the German War Cemetery, where the sightings have occurred, has also been the site of many supernatural encounters with ghosts, UFOs, big cats and other strange things: "I think it is highly unlikely that an evolved, physical creature - a werewolf or caveman - could hide out in caverns beneath the Chase and remain undetected. But people are definitely seeing something out of the ordinary, and it is a fascinating story."

Nick also told The Post that his brand new book - 'The Lords of the Grey Woods: Strange Creatures of the Cannock Chase', which is scheduled to be published towards the end of the year, has a whole section on wolf and werewolf-style creatures seen on the Chase.

"I'll be investigating these new cases as they parallel some of the reports in the book already." *What's your view? Discuss this story - and lots more - by logging on to: www.iccannock.co.uk/messageboard