Commenting on Qatar

Having read with much interest the Qatar-controversy over at Cryptomundo (concerning various photos of non-cryptids - models, toys and constructs, in reality - being passed off as the real-thing), I'm reminded of this photo which was sent to me around (I think) 1997 or 1998.

Nope, this is no cryptid either. Rather, it's a creation that can be found in a certain, very famous series of caves in England, and which is meant to merely offer a bit of "sword-and-sorcery"-style entertainment to those who visit the caves in question.

But what was interesting was the intricately woven tale that accompanied the picture when it was mailed to me. I forget the precise details now, but it all revolved around the claim that intelligent, sword-wielding cryptids were roaming the many and varied caves that exist deep below the British Isles.

The letter ran to 2 or 3 pages - and was, of course, all complete nonsense. So, if you too have ever been on the receiving end of this photo, just enjoy it for what it is: a piece of man-made entertainment and nothing else!

(Not) The Voice Of Reason...

Check out my latest Lair of the Beasts post over at Mania.com to learn all about some of the over-the-top responses I got when I dared suggest that Bigfoot might be more (or less) than mere flesh-and-blood...

A Glastonbury Thing...

Those of you who have read my book Three Men Seeking Monsters may recall the strange story of one Colin Perks: a somewhat odd (to say the very least) character who claimed to have had close-encounters with a gargoyle-type creature (seen both on the ground and in the skies) in the ancient English town of Glastonbury, Somerset.

Well, for those who are interested: the April issue of Britain's Paranormal magazine (edited by all-round good-bloke, Richard Holland) includes a short account (and accompanying photo) of a strange beast seen in the skies over Glastonbury in March 2007.

The letter-writer tells Paranormal that the beast in the photo seems to resemble a large jellyfish, with long tentacles hanging down - which, indeed, it does.

Could there really be two different types of winged-entity on the loose in historic Glastonbury, or are we talking about manifestations of the same creature - and maybe one that is a definitive shape-shifter...?

When is a Werewolf not a Werewolf?

It's not a literal werewolf, but this story is certainly getting media attention....

Resolving The Edalji Affair?

Some of you may be aware of an old, notorious case that occurred many-a-moon ago in my home-country of England - and actually only about 2 miles from where I used to live.

Some less-than-informed researchers have likened it to an early animal mutilation case. But, in reality, it had far more to do with human unpleasantness.

What am I talking about?

I'll tell you: the infamous "horse-ripping"/"slashing" saga of one George Edalji, who was jailed for seven years in 1903 for savagely mutilating horses in the village of Great Wyrley. A solicitor, George (the son of an Indian Christian convert and a parish priest) was ultimately released from prison in 1906.

But now, more than a century on, letters from George's sister - Maud - have been uncovered at the University of Texas that offer a startling insight into the events that surrounded his conviction.

In the letters, written to BBC broadcaster and writer Hesketh Pearson in 1956, Maud offered her view that racial prejudice on the part of the police chief involved in the investigation led to George's conviction. And Maud refuted claims that the family was shunned in the village after the horse attacks.

Maud wrote: “My father and mother did very good work in the parish and were very much beloved by the parishioners. I have been to Wyrley many times since my father was vicar there and always get a good welcome from the people. I always felt that colour had a great deal to do with the Chief Constable’s attitude.”

So, if George wasn't the culprit, then who was?

For that possible answer, click right here...

Neil & The Block Ness Monster

Check out Neil Arnold's excellent new post over at the CFZ blog.

A Mountain of Crypto-Anomalies...

Well, having been away at the Taps gig for 4 days, I just knew I would come back to an overwhelming amount of new stories courtesy of The Anomalist - and I was right! So, here they all are. Enjoy!

Whatever Happened to Bigfoot? NWA News. In October of 2003, the town of Decatur in Benton County, Arkansas, began to see Bigfoot. At least many citizens thought it was Bigfoot. Did Bigfoot visit Decatur in the Fall of 2003, or was a baboon on the loose? Cryptomundo has some interesting background on the town in Decatur's Bigfoot and Kin. Meanwhile, the pairing of two phenomena draws the attention of The Blogsquatcher in Bigfoot and UFOs: Pennsylvania 1973-74. And on an entirely different note, Cryptozoology Online offers guest blogger Richard Freeman's review of a classic book of a cryptozoological nature in Strange Snakes and Freaky Fauna from Charles Owen's An Essay Towards a Natural History of Serpents (1742) Part Five Dragons.

South American Mystery Beasts Part One ShukerNature. Dr. Karl Shuker begins a two-part series on mysterious animals from a mysterious continent. Included in this initial report are gargantuan anacondas, an elusive Andean wolf and a subterranean creature that may be the source of some relatively massive earth movements. Elsewhere, at Cryptozoology Online, Richard Freeman turns his attention to South America, too, in Giant Snakes and Goblins in Ecuador, but, at Cryptomundo, Loren Coleman trains his sights on North America to review a television premiere in Carny: The Jersey Devil. With short video. Meanwhile, at Cabinet of Wonders, the attention is on Asia in Giant Spiders Invade Japan. "(W)here is Godzilla when you need him?" With videos.

PA UFO-Bigfoot Reports Alarmingly High Examiner. A call to Pennsylvania UFOlogist Stan Gordon on August 7, 1973, a time when the state was experiencing a rash of UFO sightings that had Gordon and authorities baffled, added another wrinkle to an already burgeoning caseload of the unexplained. What was looking in a bathroom window that was eight feet above the ground? Bigfoot joins the UFO parade in this third instalment of Roger Marsh's "Paranormal Pennsylvania" reports. With images. Elsewhere, The Blogsquatcher offers some classic Bigfoot video and a side trip to an Austrian news item ("It's hard to find an intelligent creature that doesn't want to be found.") to fill in the hours while you wait for Tonight on Sasquatch Watch Radio: Dave in KY.

Hunting Mythical Creatures Sunday Star Times. New Zealand has been rumored to be the home of some creatures of a mythical nature. Maori legends have contributed much to the mythical lore. But there are, or were, creatures in New Zealand that have become so scarce, or disappeared altogether, that to find one would be equivalent to finding what is known as a cryptid. Among the animals still being hunted by New Zealand's homegrown cryptozoologists: the moose (released in New Zealand in the early 1900s), the moa, the kokako, the waitoreke, a large black cat and the manlike Moehau, New Zealand's Bigfoot. Meanwhile, Cryptozoology Online is offering a link to its latest cache of New Zealand crytid articles in The Third Trenche of New Zealand Archives.

Patterson Gimlin Film -- Is This Too Damning? The Blogsquatcher. The faith of many who have viewed the 1967 Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot film as authentic is being shaken by a website attempting to debunk the footage with an image from a 1965 movie. Here's your chance to weigh in on the new controversy.

Beyond Reality

I got back home last night around the witching-hour after speaking at the TAPS' Beyond Reality gig in New Hampshire at the weekend; and an excellent time was had by all. And there was an interesting selection of lectures too: Ouija-Boards, demonology, ghost-hunting, and hauntings were all covered in an informative and entertaining style.

For my part: I gave a lecture on cryptozoology, but one that was focused more upon the paranormal aspects of the subject (Goat-Man, Owl-Man etc) - which is, of course, an area that provokes a lot of controversy. Nevertheless, I got good feedback from the approximately 300 people who were in attendance.

The TAPS group are a great bunch of people, and if you ever get the chance to attend their events, you'll have a great time!

Signing Off!

I'm signing off from now until next Tuesday, but until then keep looking in those dark woods for all-things hairy and glowing-eyed!

Richard Holland & Welsh Dragons

http://forteanzoology.blogspot.com/2009/04/guest-bnlogger-richard-holland-two.html

Tuesday's Monsters

From The Anomalist:

The Honey Island Swamp Monster The Blogsquatcher. The 1974 tale of a supposed encounter with a large, hairy, smelly biped in Mississippi's Honey Island Swamp catapulted the witnesses, Harlan E. Ford and Ray Mills, into the media spotlight. Here their tale is revisited with a video report, links and a photograph of the Bigfoot-like creature's footprint cast. Meanwhile, Loren Coleman at Cryptomundo is reporting on the Australian equivalent of the American Bigfoot in Yowie Kills Dog? With images. And Coleman has commentary on a recently resurfaced image in "Dead Bigfoot Photo" Deconstructed.

Otter Kings to Earth Hounds - Britain's Lesser Known Mystery Beasts ShukerNature. Dr. Karl Shuker takes you on a tour of the British Isles and the many mysterious animals reported throughout the isles over the years. Included: the dobhar-chu (or master otter) of Ireland, Teggie of Bala Lake, the earth hound of Banffshire, the cenaprugwirion of North Wales, the Beast of Soay, the horned monster of Lough Dubh, the winged snake of Hyde Park and Hammersmith and the walking fir cone of Dumpton Park. With illustrations. Meanwhile, Chris Clark, at Cryptozoology Online, mentions the Magnetic Mole, Giotto's Bat and the Antikythira Elephant (Clark says this tiny elephant could fly!) in Three Little Known Cryptids.

Mothman News

Here's the latest from Andy Colvin, author of the Mothman's Photographer series of books:

Hey folks:

I'd like to remind everyone to check out the new blog site for the League of Western Fortean Intermediatists (LOWFI). This is a quality group of researchers.
http://forteanswest.com/

Also, don't forget to check out my Washington State director's blog there. Recently I've been posting excerpts of interviews from my latest book The Mothman's Photographer III: Meetings With Remarkable West Coast Witnesses Touched by Anomalous Activities of Interdimensional Entities, Archetypal Avatars, and the Eerie Yet Enlightening Phenomenon Known Infamously as “Mothman.”

http://forteanswest.com/wordpress-mu/washingtonlowfi/

Things are going quite nicely with my fourth book, which should be out this Summer or Fall. It will feature lots of letters and updates from previous and new witnesses, as well as the conclusion to my series on The Grassy Knoll. The Knoll recently went on hiatus by the way, so it was good that we got a few final shows in. The last show was particularly good, as Robert Denton, Vyz, and I honed in on the apparent "earth energy" source of the phenomena.

Lastly, I am forwarding the press release for this years ConspiracyCon convention in Santa Clara, CA. Although I am not listed on the bill, I will be sharing a table with my friend Adam Gorightly, who has recently re-released his stellar book about my old neighbor, Charles Manson.

A "Squeaky" clean fun-time should be had by all.

By the way, The Mothman's Photographer III has an interesting interview with Manson from the 1990s, where he reveals a few of his secrets using "mountainspeak" code.

Get your copy now before Big Brother shuts down the internet! ; - )

Andy

Water-Beasts

Richard Freeman on monsters of the deep...

Monday's Monsters

A good amount of crypto over at The Anomalist today:

Does Bigfoot Roam the North Country? Plattsburgh Press Republican. At first, you might think this article is talking about Sasquatch in the Pacific Northwest. Not so. Look to the heavily populated northeastern United States and the area occupied by Vermont and northern New York state. Does Bigfoot roam the wooded areas on both sides of Lake Champlain, rivalling "Champ," the lake's supposed serpentlike denizen, as the area's cryptid of choice? Meanwhile, The Blogsquatcher offers a programming reminder in Tonight on Sasquatch Watch Radio and some enlightening video in Michio Kaku on the Multiverse Theory. Elsewhere, at Intangible Materiality, Bruce Duensing, in a segment he subtitles "The Reemergence of Animism," questions whether some experiences of a cryptozoological and/or UFOlogical nature might be a reawakening of a primitive form of initiation, as explained in Pt 2 of A Contest in the Ownership of Contingent Realities. With photos, illustrations and video. And, at Cryptomundo there's a retrospective in 75th Year: Famous Surgeon's Photo of Nessie.

Today in Crypto...

From The Anomalist:

They Stalk by Night: Vampires & UFOs? The Gralien Report. From today's collection of just plain odd reports: Micah Hanks tries to put together the legends of vampires, chupacabras reports, and alien abduction reports to see where there are similarities. There's vampirism afoot in Alan Friswell's Cryptozoology Online post, as well: The Great Highgate Cover-Up. North American Bigfoot: Orangutans Found The Blogsquatcher. Following the revelation that a previously unknown population of orangutans had been found, the new information, and what is known about orangutan intelligence, leads to an extrapolation concerning the elusive hairy hominid believed to be prowling the wilds of North America. Elsewhere, Anatomy of a Beast, the supposed revelatory Bigfoot book by obviously skeptical Michael McLeod, reviewed in Bigfoot Believers: Faith and Fakery, leads to the commentary Skeptify Me: Skeptics and their Skepticky Ways. Meanwhile, Loren Coleman at Cryptomundo has posted an image and is asking if it's a Dead Bigfoot Photo?

24 Hours of Mystery!

A very special event is happening tomorrow: namely, the Shadows in the Dark 24hr Anniversary Bash live from the Ripley's Museum in St. Augustine, Florida. This is - as its name suggests, of course - a marathon, 24-hour-long series of radio interviews with a whole range of authors, researchers, writers and investigators within the realms of the paranormal and Forteana.

Click on this link, and you'll find the complete schedule of events (in East-Coast times).

As you'll see, me and Linda Godfrey will be on the show from 3PM to 4PM, and the subject will be (what else?!) werewolves. Doubtless Linda will be updating the audience on her latest research, and I'll be discussing my werewolf investigations that appear in my book, There's Something in the Woods.

This looks to be an excellent event; and if you can stay awake for the whole 24-hours, you will be in for a great treat!

A Weird...Something...

Good mate Nigel Wright digs into an old mystery.

As Nigel says: "Nowadays we have become accustomed to hearing of strange and wonderful creatures, which arise from the depths of the world’s oceans and seas. However, I have come across a rather weird story that predates any of these modern stories. I live in Exmouth, a rather pretty town, located on the mouth of the Exe estuary, in Devon. Sometime ago I was researching for an article on local strange legends, when I came across this particularly good account of what appears to be, a first-hand account of a mermaid sighting!"

And here's the rest!

The Anomalist Speaks...

From today's Anomalist:

Sheregesh Yeti Cryptomundo. An area of Siberia famed as a snowboarding Mecca is now gathering tourists for its supposed Yeti habitat, as well. Loren Coleman explains. There are also reports from Russia's Kemerovo Region in southwestern Siberia saying New Bigfoot Activity Noted in Siberia. Meanwhile, at Inexplicata, Scott Corrales offers Oddities: Reflections of Winged Humanoids. Elsewhere, meet William Dranginis, a Bigfoot researcher from Manassas, VA, and learn about a Johnson County, TN, landmark, too, in Mike Conley's Tales of the Weird: Legend Holds You Don't Fiddle With Rattlers.

Hmmm.....

This just has to be a hoax, but it's done so well that I can't resist posting it! Enjoy! H.P. Lovecraft would be proud. The very end is the best bit...

Man-Beast Musings

Hairy wild-men (no, not Ozzy, nor Rob Zombie) are in the news again, courtesy of The Anomalist (who else?!):

North America's Elusive Babyfeet - Part 2 ShukerNature. Dr. Karl Shuker continues unwinding the legends of small people moving secretly through the wilds of North America. The Amerindian legends of small humanoids in the forests and mountains of the United States and Canada stretch from coast to coast, and, according to Dr. Shuker, several cases of discovery of small mummified beings have been reported. Elsewhere, Tim Matthews, at Cryptozoology Online, points out the discovery of a rare orangutan in Borneo as evidence that in the fields of Forteana and cryptozoology there is Still Everything to Play For; and The Blogsquatcher points you to the new Sasquatch Watch Radio Website. Meanwhile, Loren Coleman, at Cryptomundo, reports on the New Yowie Photo: Racism & Fakery Again.

Cannock Chase Creatures

In what some may surely say is a very welcome break from all of the discussion concerning the stranger beasts that are rumored to inhabit Britain's Cannock Chase woods, we say "welcome back!" to a far more down-to-earth critter...

Blogsquatcher Posts

Check out the latest posts over at The Blogsquatcher, where you can always find a good, wide and varied body of data on Bigfoot, much of which you won't find elsewhere.

Australian-Crypto

This just in from Australian researcher Gary Opit:

Hi fellow cryptos,I have finally finished writing & self published, limited edition, 162 page illustrated book Australian Cryptozoology, with the first ever drawings from life of yowies & field research by Pixie Byrnes, and includes contents as below.

Now available for $55 a copy, postage included.

Included is a drawing by a Kakadu national park ranger of an ancient Aboriginal cave painting ofthe striped marsupial cat & drawings of the animal by various witnesses.

If you are interested, please send me a postal note for $55 & post to Gary Opit PO Box 383 Brunswick Heads NSW 2483 with your postal address.

Introduction Cryptozoology 3
Chapter One The Australian Environment 17
Chapter Two The Aboriginal People and the Australian Mind 24
Chapter Three The Australian Hairy Man, Australian Gorilla or Yowie 27
Chapter Four Pixie Byrnes' Research on the Yowies 32
Chapter Five The Search for Evidence of the Yowie 47
Chapter Six Yowie Tree Rips and Territorial Marker Sticks 62
Chapter Seven A Short History of Yowie Reports 62
Chapter Eight Njimbin, Junjadee or Little Hairy Man 76
Chapter Nine Homo erectus, Evidence for its Survival 84
Chapter Ten The Striped Marsupial Cat 86
Chapter Eleven Australian Big Cats 113
Chapter Twelve The Bunyip 116
Chapter Thirteen Mainland Thylacine, the Marsupial Wolf 129
Chapter Fourteen The Ri or New Guinea Mermaid and the Evolution of Humanity 143

Cheers, Gary.

Anomalist-Crypto

The Anomalist has devoted a HUGE amount of space to Cryptozoology in the last few days, and here it is:

Mexico: State of Chihuahua Terrorized by Inexplicata. On the evening of March 6, 2009, a student claimed a "creature (that) has wings and its face is covered in fur" chased him for 15 minutes near La Junta in Mexico's Chihuahua State. With illustration. And there's more on the effects of the encounter in Mexico: Panic Over "Humanoid" in Chihuahua. Is there a "Silver Bridge" in Mexico's Chihuahua State? Meanwhile, there's analysis of a recent Bigfoot-related report at The Blogsquatcher: Link: Interview With a Choctaw Medicine Woman and a request for commentary about Audio: Union Pacific Crewman Reports Bigfoot, that could indicate a hairy hominoid or a large-tired truck. There's a programming note at The Blogsquatcher, too: Let Me Not Forget to Mention about tonight's (and every Monday night's) broadcast on Sasquatch Watch Radio. Elsewhere, Cryptomundo wants to make certain you don't forget [Today] SFB: World Broadcast Premiere with a cameo appearance by expert Loren Coleman.

Choctaw Medicine Woman Reveals Details of Bigfoot Encounters Alternate Perceptions. Brent Raynes interviews Choctaw Indian medicine woman Khat Hansen, who says she has been interacting with Bigfoot since she was five-years-old. She also says Bigfoot gave her a name to call him that means "to forget (me)," and that Bigfoot is "neither animal or human, and can do very incredible, if not downright supernatural sounding things." Meanwhile, there's a programming note at Cryptomundo, where Loren coleman reminds you of Monday night's television premiere of a documentary about a southern legend that many say is real: SFB: World Broadcast Premiere. With two video trailers.

The Feline Canine Beast of the Mystery Spot The Alien Seeker News. Paul Dale Roberts responds to a note from a reader who visited the Mystery Spot outside Santa Cruz, CA. The Mystery Spot is one of those widely-spread locations where the senses are challenged: balls rool up hill, GPS units don't function, etc. Here Roberts remarks on a strange creature his reader encountered at the Mystery Spot and wonders if it could be the "mitla," a cryptid described by famed explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett in Bolivia. With photo and illustration. Elsewhere, there's continued wonder at the proliferation of large felines in the United Kingdom, as seen in The Saturday Strangeness: African Big Cats in London?

Offline

I'll be offline from now until Monday, so have a good Easter weekend!

The Creatures of Kent

Good news! I received in the mail yesterday a review-copy of Neil Arnold's new book: Mystery Animals of the British Isles: Kent; which, as its title suggests is Neil's personal study of the strange beasts that inhabit his very own home-county of Kent.

Almost 400 pages in length, this whopper looks to be an excellent, definitive study that encompasses big-cats, black-dogs, water-beasts, Bigfoot, and much more.

As soon as I have finished reading it, I'll be both reviewing it here and doing an in-depth interview with Neil about the book and its contents.

But, having only read one chapter thus far, and checked out the photo section and the other chapter titles, I can say for certain that this is one of the most in-depth, regional studies of weird beasts ever written. A great job, Neil!

From Today's Anomalist

The Anomalist tells us today...

Sing Me a Lullaby, Boogeyman The Blogsquatcher. Many Bigfoot researchers have come to the conclusion that Bigfoot has the vocal ability to influence humans. This posting examines some reports that this effect of Bigfoot vocalizations, known as "infrasound," may be correct. Listed are some instances of supposed Bigfoot use of the infrasound effect. Elsewhere, Cryptomundo has a report, with photo, of the recent capture of the rarest of all sharks in First Ever Luzon Megamouth Caught and catches us up on the medical status of a key Mothman figure in Healthwatch: John A. Keel, with photo and video.

Before Bigfoot Was Big...

While most people have heard of Bigfoot, few people realize the significance of (or are wholly unaware of) the stories of smaller hairy entities, which we might call Mini-Feet, Tiny-Feet, Baby-Feet, or...well, you get the picture!

Fortunately, for those unacquainted with this issue, here's Dr. Karl Shuker to tell you more...

Anomalies

Check out the latest from The Anomalist. Do I need to say it's all good stuff, as per usual? No - but I will anyway!

Bigfoot Came Out of the Trees -- Part 2 From the Shadows. When we left the couple featured in Part 1 of this account and identified only as Ben and Marli, they were sitting petrified with fear as a dark, hulking figure silently stalked out of the woods at Pleasant Hill Lake in Missouri. The nighttime encounter has left the two thinking Bigfoot came within a twenty feet of where they sat in Ben's truck, too frightened to fire up the engine and leave. Bigfoot investigators are scheduled to inspect the area, and Ben and Marli returned to the area March 26, despite having said they never would. Key quote from Marli: "I've never been afraid of the dark, but I won't even go outside after dark now." Meanwhile, hundreds of miles north of Pleasant Hill Lake, MO, a veteran woodsman thinks he and his companions have run across something as frightening as what Ben and Marli faced, as the unidentified hunter relates in Personal Experience: The Wisconsin Dogman.

Monsters and Devil Names Cryptomundo. Loren Coleman points out the relationship between some place names and events that fired the imagination of the settlers who named the places. Such a place is La Laguna de Diablo, now known as Elizabeth Lake, in California. The lake was originally named for the belief a monster inhabited its waters. Having established the Fortean link between place names and events, Coleman offers a short review of Henry Franzoni's new "groundbreaking" book that looks into, among other things, the connection between Seatco (Sasquatch) activities and place names. Includes a short description of Franzoni's book, In the Spirit of Seatco. Meanwhile, Regan Lee believes there's a connection between words and actions that takes on a Fortean factor, as she reveals in "Lethal Removal": Twilight Language Embedded in Industrial Animal Sacrifice at Oregon L.O.W.F.I. Elsewhere, "Suspicious Animal Sightings" signs have gone up around Tallman Mountain State Park, as explained in Mystery Black Cat Sightings Around NY Park.

The Weird Weekend

Here's the official poster of this year's Weird Weekend event - and a pretty good poster it is, too!

Monsters - Various!

Well, of course, having been off-line for a few days, there is a wealth of material on which to update you - and here it is!

1. As always, there's been some good stuff at The Anomalist over the last few days, including the following: US Documentarists in Search of "Lake Van Monster"; Huge Sea Worm Captured; Sasquatch, Real or Imagined? You Decide; Bigfoot Came Out of the Trees -- Part 1; Scottish Sea Serpents; On the Track: April.

2. A Thylacine on the Prowl?

3. Nigel Wright on how a Ufologist became a Cryptozoologist, or maybe a combination of the two.

4. Neil Arnold on Monster-Fish.

Going Offline

I'll be offline from today until Monday of next week. No doubt there will be a huge amount to report on when I get back; so until then, have a good weekend!