TriState Bigfoot

Man Reports Three White Bigfoot in Ohio

2012-02-06T12:38:00.001-05:00

Usually we only post our case files on our web site : tristatebigfoot.com. Those are the files where we have went out into the field and investigated. Occasionally we receive reports from witnesses that have happened several years ago. Usually with these types of reports the witness isn’t requesting an investigation, they just want to share and talk about their encounter with someone who understands what they experienced. We do however keep these reports in our research files for future reference. The following report is one of those reports. I found it interesting and felt it was worth sharing. The gentleman that shared this story with us was only sixteen years of age when he had his experience; he is now in his late thirties. He never did tell his story to anyone for fear of ridicule. Only now did he feel he could share his story.

During my phone conversation with this person I found him to be a very sincere and creditable witness. This report occurred in Adams County Ohio.

While a teen, he and a group of his teenaged friends would gather together and hang out in a club house that they had built. They would also roam the numerous cornfields in this large farming community.

He said the duration of these occurrences’ was around a weeks’ time. He said they kept seeing a large shadows moving around their clubhouse when they were in their club house at night and just dismissed it as someone trying to prank them. They felt has if they were being stalked. They even named their stalker “Bertha”.

Then one evening while messing around in the fields the witness spotted what he described as three white fuzzy faces peeking at them from a small cluster of trees. He could only see their heads. He said that they would peek at them and then hide, then peek again. They were not close enough to give any details of their features. His friends hadn’t noticed them until he pointed them out. The boys were not too concerned about what was in the cluster of trees in front of them because there was a fence between them. Instead they became more concerned as to what maybe in the large open cornfield behind them and decided to quickly leave the area.

The witness then continued to tell me of another event that took place soon afterward. He said that in one of the fields there was an old refrigerator lying on its side. The group of boys was messing around this refrigerator when all of a sudden a stick came out of nowhere and hit the refrigerator. Then they heard what he described as a loud roaring scream. The boys then started running away except for one boy who was frozen in his tracks because this creature had ran out from hiding and was standing very near him. When the boy who was frozen was able to move he ran so fast that he passed the other boys up even though they had a head start on him. The witness said that the creature did not chase them as they ran away. He also remembered smelling a foul smell that was something similar to gas.

None of the boys ever spoke of this incident to one another again after that day, especially the boy who had been frozen in his tracks. The boy refused to speak of any details of what he saw, even to his friends. Even though they are still in contact with each other after all these years it has never been mentioned again. After that summer neither he nor his friends ever hung out in the clubhouse or in the fields again!

Some of the witness’s relatives still live at this property but they are elderly and never venture to far from the house. If they have ever experienced anything he has not heard about it.

By: Adrianne Arney

Who Made These Rock Stacks?

2012-01-11T18:26:00.000-05:00

Just imagine taking a hike in a remote area of a forest, a place where there are little or no trails or signs that anyone else has been there recently. All of a sudden you come upon a mysterious looking stack of three or more rocks, one on top of the other, perfectly balanced. You would have to scratch your head and wonder…. You know that this artifact had to be made by somebody or something, it just could not have happened naturally. One might wonder how old the structure is or its’ purpose for being there. Being in a lush forest is enchanting in itself, but finding something like this just adds to the enchantment.

If you are a Bigfoot researcher you might ponder the thought that it could be possible the creature you are looking for could have made this. You take photos of it from every angle. You examine it closely to see if maybe there could have been some type of evidence left behind, a nearby footprint, or maybe a lost hair. You look for other signs, such as broken limbs on trees. You mark it with your GPS. Measurements are taken and you might even draw a simple map to show where it is at in relation to other visible landmarks. You theorize that the creature that made this could have built it as a warning or a marker of some kind……what else could it possibly be? Why would a human make it? There are no signs of anyone around for miles. No other animals have the capabilities to make such a thing. It had to be a Sasquatch!

I guess it could be possible that Bigfoot may have built that stack of rocks. After all we humans have been doing it for hundreds even thousands of years! The most common name for them is a cairn. A cairn is an Irish term used to describe a manmade pile or stack of stones. They have been mainly used as landmarks since ancient times. They were also used for hunting, ceremonial, astronomical, and other purposes too. The indigenous people of the Americas used them to mark buffalo jumps, some date back to thousands of years ago. They were also used as landmarks and directional markers long before Europeans arrived. Some people believe they bring good luck. You often see rocks stacked at the end of people’s driveways to wish you good luck as you pass by.

In modern day they are most commonly used to marks trails in remote areas where the trail is not obvious. Most often they are found in mountain regions above the tree lines. A common name for them is ducks. They are called ducks because the top rock usually has a pointed end or a beak that shows direction. There is an expression that hikers use “Two rocks do not make a duck”. This reminds the hiker that two rocks on top of one another can happen naturally and may not be a marker. Ducks are always made with three or more rocks.

Rock stacking or rock balancing is also an increasingly popular form of art. Some artist are even paid to do this, some do it for free. You can find this form of art spread across the United States. Many of these artists create their art wherever they feel inspired. These works of art are in beautiful balance that at times seems to defy gravity. There are four different styles of this art: pure balance, counter balance, balanced stacking and free style.

It’s not wrong to consider that maybe a Bigfoot creature may have constructed the rock stack you have found. After all you did not see who or what made it. It is possible that they may make them for the same reasons we do. But if you have seen one of these stacks in the past or you run across one in the future it may be good for the sake of your own research to consider all of the other possibilities first and remember that we humans have a purpose for building them too before making that claim.

By: Adrianne Arney

Bigfoot and Wildman? Part 2: Footprints

2011-12-31T13:21:00.002-05:00

Let's actually consider this more of Bigfoot and Wildman Addendum than a "part 2" (or Jay's incoherent psychobabble??). In an earlier blog post, I presented the idea that it is possible that based on descriptions of Bigfoot sightings, that Bigfoot and Wildman (Wildmen) could potentially be two separate cryptids. Yes, this is still possible as all things in the cryptozoology field are until it is proven to be otherwise by the discovery of the creature in question at which point all the questions are answered.

It's amazing how much you can learn in this field when you don't think you know it all already or use television as your only source of research. I'm not talking about going to different Bigfoot websites and reading about the different researcher opinions that are presented as fact, I'm talking about developing an idea of what you believe and researching the avenues around it. Since writing that original blog I have done a lot of researching about early human ancestors and I am now almost fully in favor of this as the likely culprit for the "big guy" and his roots. Notice I said "almost".

I subtitled this article "Footprints" because a majority of the focus is on the prints left behind and casted. I apologize to you all who thought you were going to get to read (yet another) "how to cast a footprint" article but fear not because they are not hard to find. In order to get more in depth with Bigfoot's roots, let's first talk about those prints.

When we examine a casted print, nearly 100% of the time it looks to be nearly identical to our own with the size as it's exception. That being said, a lot of those prints show 4 or 5 toes and usually those toes are short and stubby compared to ours. Their prints are usually broader, but some are narrow, basically every cast is different just as your feet and my feet would cast differently.

We all know what our feet look like, if not, well... maybe it's time to hit the gym. All kidding aside, if you believe that Bigfoot is of ape origin, then the best resource we have to look at is known ape feet and their shape and size.

On the left, you have a gorilla foot. On the right, a chimpanzee. You notice that their feet are a lot like our hands with the big toe separate from the rest of the toes like our thumb is from our fingers. One could argue that Bigfoot evolved over time and because they walk upright and do not need to climb trees and that therefore their feet may have changed in that process. I can not dispute that as a possibility, only present my case with my opinion... which likely does not even represent TriState Bigfoot as a whole. As I combed through photos of casts and prints, I could not find a clear one that was remotely close to that of a gorilla or chimp... until I saw the photos taken by Eric Shipton in 1951 during a reconnaissance trip of Mount Everest of an alleged Yeti print.

These photos, assuming they are genuine and of an actual Yeti, show a print more similar to that of known apes than human beings. This just heaped more confusion fuel into the fire for me (and probably you too now). The problem is this, if Bigfoot IS Gigantopithecus or a direct decendant, we have to assume that Bigfoot and Giganto had/have feet similar to the apes of today. This is only seen in the above photograph and never in alleged Bigfoot prints.

I began toying with the idea that the Yeti could be a decendant of Gigantopithecus, whereas Bigfoot could be a distant relative of Homo Sapiens. That does not necessarily make Bigfoot in the United States a relative of Gigantopithecus, it just simply means that this planet is today (like it has been for millions of years) inhabited by several species of apes and several species of humans.

Every time I read about or watch a documentary about early human behavior, I see a lot of reported Sasquatch behaviors more so than I see when I read about apes... but again, this is simply my opinion and you are encouraged to read and research all this on your own to draw your own conclusions. You might read and watch the same things and see it differently. New early human ancestors are always being found and I have said in the past that presented candidates for Bigfoot as an early human ancestor could be Homo Heidelbergensis and Neanderthal man, but there are holes with those suspects... and considering that the early human "family tree" has many branches, it's more likely that the branch that began Sasquatch has yet to be discovered... but it can not be argued that in our ancestory, we had some relatives that were build for speed (Homo Erectus), some that were built for strength (Heidelbergensis, Neanderthal), some there were tall (Heidelbergensis again), and some that developed large brains capable of complex thought (Homo Sapiens). These facts alone would be enough to make me jump on the bandwagon for Bigfoot's roots as an early human ancestor.... but it's hard to ignore the holes. Bigfoot is often reported covered in hair, Homo Erectus would've been the first known humans to walk upright and they began losing their body hair in place of sweat glands. Early humans used fire... I've yet to see a Bigfoot report where someone walking through the woods saw Bigfoot huddled around a fire. It could be argued that maybe they do use fire and simply bury it when they are finished, maybe fire remains go unreported because they're dismissed as trespassing campers, or maybe they've realized over thousands of years "Hey, if I make a fire, one of these destructive Homo Sapiens might see us and do us harm!" Who is to say? Of course, I can also see that "covered in hair" could be in the eyes of the beholder... if someone were looking at a human ancestor and comparing them to what we've become as well groomed civilized beings then it's absolutely likely they would describe them as "covered in hair"... but how come in the colder regions they are not reported wearing animal hides for warmth? How come they are not reported carrying tools? Did they abandon what they discovered or have they simply evolved over time to not need these things anymore? Or do they still do and use these things and we simply do not see them often enough or long enough to take notice?

You are probably wanting to hit me at this point. I've really just put more questions in your head. I take an already debated topic and pull you one way and then pull you in another, I understand. However, in some sick, twisted way I may have got your mind wandering and wanting to turn off Animal Planet and do some good ole fashioned research for yourself and draw your own conclusions... and that, my friend, is enough for me.

I guess without having the ability to study these creatures.... (or people???) it will always be a mystery, especially to me because it seems every time I start to lean in one direction I come up with several questions that take me in another. Maybe it would be easier to be one of these "know-it-alls", develop an idea of what Sasquatch is, and then just stick to it and fight with everyone who disagrees. But that wouldn't be true research, would it? There is no question in my mind something is out there, it's up to us to examine all possibilities and search all paths to determine what it is exactly.

By Jay Buchwald, TriState Bigfoot Team Leader

Bigfoot Folklore: The Wendigo

2011-12-04T18:57:00.000-05:00

Often times Native Americans referred to Bigfoot as a cannibal because they believed it ate people, specifically trespassers. Which brings us to the Algonquian Indian legend of the cannibalistic Wendigo. During my research I came across several cryptozoology websites that claim the Wendigo meets the description of Yeti or the Abominable Snowman, Bigfoot’s Himalayan counterpart, because it is large, apelike, and covered in white hair. They go on to say that the Wendigo is an evil spirit of the forest that possesses a man and transforms him into a large, white haired, beast, with super-human strength, and a craving for human flesh. Only part of this is true. The description of a white haired Wendigo is actually the description of a comic book character named "Wendigo" created by Marvel Comics. While based on an actual Indian legend the white haired description is completely fictional. These works of fiction have been around so long that they are beginning to spill over into the world of non-fiction. Real Indian legends are becoming tainted with fictional Indian legends. I blame the Internet for this. When you do a search on the Internet for "legend of the Wendigo" it brings up everything related to Wendigo legends, whether it be truth or not. A Yahoo or Google search does not differentiate between fiction and non-fiction information.

The true legend of the Wendigo is a story designed to reinforce the belief that cannibalism is taboo. It is a story to illustrate the difference between right and wrong behavior. It was believed that if a person ever resorted to cannibalism that they would become possessed by a demonic spirit and be transformed into a Wendigo. Once transformed the person would become violent and obsessed with eating human flesh. At the same time, Wendigos are the embodiment of greed, gluttony, and excess; never satisfied after killing and consuming one person, they were always searching for more victims. Humans do not have an enzyme that allows us to digest human flesh. Even though the person is eating and has a full stomach the feeling of hunger never leaves and grows worse as the body is deprived of nourishment. Over time the mind snaps and the person enters a mental state known in the medical community as "Wendigo Psychosis". These crazed individuals would eventually resort to killing other humans for food, and could wipeout entire families and never satisfy their hunger. Basil Johnston, Ojibwa teacher and scholar, gives this description of the Wendigo. "The Wendigo was gaunt to the point of emaciation, its desiccated skin pulled tautly over its bones. With its bones pushing out against its skin, its complexion the ash gray of death, and its eyes pushed back deep into their sockets, the Wendigo looked like a gaunt skeleton recently disinterred from the grave. What lips it had were tattered and bloody. Unclean and suffering from suppurations of the flesh, the Wendigo gave off a strange and eerie odor of decay and decomposition, of death and corruption." So the Wendigos true appearance resembled something more like that of a modern zombie and not that of Bigfoot or Yeti at all.

While it is true that the various Native American tribes have literally hundreds of names for something that many claim are actually Bigfoot, it is also true that each of those names has its own description. Many of which do not meet the eyewitness descriptions of Bigfoot. The "if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck it must be a duck" approach simply cannot be used when dealing with Indian legend. There are just too many variables to consider. Without being an Indian lore expert it is just too much for a person like myself to try and sort through all those variables and make so many different legends match something that has yet to be proven to exist. We very well could find a Bigfoot and then suddenly Native American tribes stand up and say, "Oh, well that’s not what we call a Sasquatch at all. That’s something different." We keep searching for the truth and the truth is that so many Native American stories and legends have become lost to our modern day society. Even members of the actual tribes have to dig through libraries and interview elder members in order to learn their own customs and legends. The information we do have is simply being interpreted by cryptozoologists and scientists using the "if it looks like a duck" philosophy and we have been interpreting it this way for so long that the truth has become lost in the mix.

By L.B. Powers, TriState Bigfoot Cryptozoologist

Human-Ape Hybridization

2011-11-25T18:13:00.000-05:00

Anyone who has been in this field for any more than 5 minutes knows that there are people who get their kicks out of interrupting your research with jokes. So when I originally received an email about "Bigfoot being a human-ape hybrid", I pretty much dismissed it and went about my day. As time went on, I received yet another email (same person, same claim) and dismissed it once again. Mind you, I don't make it a habit of dismissing emails but the way it was written led me to do so. After a few months, I had a reliable person approach me with the same theory. Bigfoot's origins is definitely the second hottest topic in the Bigfoot debate... the first being it's existence, of course. So, after hearing this theory once again, I decided to finally research it.

The possibility of a human-ape hybrid isn't as far fetched as I had thought. Humans and chimpanzees are actually closely related in terms of DNA. Other primates (besides humans) apparently have one more set of chromosomes than human beings do, but the DNA sequence of a chimp and a human are, according to the research I read, 95% the same.

The subject of a human-ape hybrid was presented publicly in 1910 by Dr. Ilya Ivanovich Ivanov of the former Soviet Union as a "Humanzee" (Male human x female chimpanzee) or a Chuman (Male chimp x female human). (It was alleged that the Soviets had wanted to create a army of human-ape hybrids according to some sources.) Dr. Ivanov's research went on for decades with many setbacks and a hybrid was never produced (at least publicly).

Since we our government was competing with the Soviet Union constantly, it is safe to assume they may have been attempting the same thing.

Now, for those who are thinking "Conspiracy! The government was experimenting on a hybrid and released these experiments thus creating Bigfoot!" will be upset by my take on the matter. One flaw with this is that the government would likely keep this under strict wraps and failed experiments would likely be "disposed of" rather than just released into the wild. Now, you may claim that an angry or pity filled scientist would turn these creatures loose... but if you say this, you likely have never been to a government facility. I would imagine to get to an top secret experiment area you would have to go through about 50 locked doors and several searches. It's highly unlikely that someone would sneak out humanzees in their jacket. And even if a few were to get out, keep in mind that Bigfoot is a global cryptid, the likelyhood that fertile hybrids (which are rare) that could create a global population is almost nil. Also coupled with that is that Bigfoot is mostly reported in size from 7 foot to 9 foot, human beings and chimps this size are not common. Not to mention the BIG killer to that theory.... Bigfoot folklore exists in native American culture... long before there was a government to conduct experiments.

It should be noted that there was a claimed Humanzee in the 70's named "Oliver", however after genetic testing, it was determined that Oliver was 100% chimpanzee.

Oliver, the alleged Humanzee

Since there probably aren't private scientists with the type of funding it would take to keep up with this type of experimentation and I'd like to think that they're aren't a bunch of people out there randomly having relations and offspring with apes, I'd say this theory is pretty much put to bed. There are just too many unlikely variables in it. The information I uncovered during my research did, however, shed some light as to what the origins of Bigfoot could be. At some point along the span of time, humans and apes split from each other, it is a widely accepted theory that there was interspecies mating during these times. Many scientists believe that it is these crosses and those that occurred throughout time that led to Homo Sapiens as we know ourselves today. It certainly is plausible that another primate, such as Bigfoot, could have been a biproduct of these interspecies relationships as well... but that is another topic for another day....

By Jay Buchwald, TriState Bigfoot Team Leader

Giants, Bigfoot, and DNA

2011-11-19T10:47:00.015-05:00

Giants you say? Yes Giants!

For centuries bones of giants have been discovered practically all over the world. Information about these discoveries has been suppressed because it does not fit into orthodox science or most religions. It would also nullify all history books.

When you have some time to kill do a Google search. Just type in: "Ohio giants", "Arizona giants", "Red-haired giants", "Peruvian giants", or just "Ancient giant Indian tribes" and you will find a wealth of information. You can even find more information offline than online in published books about the subject. Thanks to the internet, information like this is hard to suppress now a days.

I have spent a lot of time researching the Native American Giants and have read of numerous discoveries of their skeletal remains. I have read many stories about famous Spanish explorers documenting their encounters with the tribes of giants as they explored early America. It has been written that the giant tribes were mostly annihilated by Indian tribes when they took over their territories.

One particular story that really sticks out to me is one about a Missionary in Mexico in the late 1500’s. His name was Fray Diego Duran. He wrote of many accounts of contacts with giant Indians as told to him by the Aztecs.

It is a story about one tribe of giants called the "Chichimec". The Chichimec were described as brutal savage hunters. They lived on the peaks of the harshest mountains. They had no human organization and went naked without any coverings. When the new nations came, the Chichimec were in awe, they showed no resistance or anger. They fled into the hills and stayed hid there. The other tribes of giants were angered by the newcomers and were either killed in battle over the lands or were drove away from the country.

After reading that particular story it made me wonder. Could it be possible that the giants were not all killed out by the Indian tribes? Could Bigfoot possibly be a descendant of these ancient Native Americans?
Native races of the pacific coast have many traditions in regard to a previous gigantic race.

One of my many jobs with TriState Bigfoot is to interview a potential client after they report their sighting or encounter with us. If the person has had a visual sighting of the creature I always ask them for a description of what they saw. Their answers are very similar to other reports that you can read on the web. Most describe what they saw as being very tall and estimate them to be anywhere from 7 to 9 feet tall. They are always mostly covered in hair, very muscular, and have long arms. When I ask if they looked more like a human or ape, usually the reply is both. They say that that their bodies were more human like, just larger, and they were covered in hair like an ape. The majority describe the face as being more human also.

As said by David Paulides in the video below, there has never been an ape or gorilla hairs or bones found in the wilds of North America... But there have been giant Indian bones that have been found and they are human. He suggests that maybe we researchers have been looking at this all wrong, it’s not an ape, it is human.

Now, on to the subject of the recent ongoing DNA project…. Dr. Melba Ketchum has been doing DNA testing on hundreds of supposed Bigfoot samples for the past couple of years. Dr. Ketchum is the president and founder of DNA Diagnostics, Inc. Established in 1985, DNA Diagnostics has become a leader in all types of DNA testing including: human and animal forensics, human and animal paternity and parentage testing, disease diagnostics, trait tests, animal and human identity testing, species identification and sex determination.

Recently Dr. Ketchum released this note to the community of Bigfoot Researchers:

"Ok, for the sake of time ( and I hope all of you understand), I will answer everyone publicly here. I keep getting a lot of emails from everyone wanting to know the status of the project. Though I cannot give details or timing, I will assure everyone that all is well and we are continuing to move forward. Good science cannot be forced or quickly completed. If it is not extremely thorough, then it will all be for naught and any paper rejected outright. So, I ask you to be patient and understanding and realize that extreme scientific overkill is required in order to convince a world full of skeptical scientists. 'Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof'. This is what we are doing. When we started this, I thought we would be finished in a few weeks, but instead as Sasquatch are known to do, they threw us curve balls even with their DNA which can be as elusive as they are. Thank goodness we are past that! As a result, we have assembled a renowned team, each of us with our own specialties to make this project 'extraordinary'. If everyone will hang in there, I promise it will be worth the wait. We have the proof, now just give us the opportunity to present it in a form that will even convince skeptics. Thanks so much for all of your emails and support. Best wishes to all."

There have been unverified leaks and a few hints thrown out that the results will show Bigfoot as a subspecies of humans. I am really looking forward to when all of the findings of this project is officially released. I will post updates to this blog as the information is released.

By: Adrianne Arney

Bigfoot and "Eyeshine"

2011-11-18T18:12:00.002-05:00

In many of the, now popular, Bigfoot related television shows and documentaries you will hear reference to a phenomena called "Eyeshine." What they are referring to is the belief that Bigfoot’s eyes can glow, usually with a red light. Very little is known about the subject as it pertains to Bigfoot but eyeshine has become synonymous with having a Bigfoot sighting. Youtube is filled with submissions of alleged Bigfoot sightings but are only video of two small lights in the darkness and nothing more. Cryptozoologists all over the nation claim they have seen Bigfoot because they have seen eyeshine in the dark. But here is the million-dollar question; did they see Bigfoot because they saw eyeshine, or did they see eyeshine because they saw Bigfoot? In most of the reports I have read about the owner of the eyeshine could not be identified because it was too dark. The two things that lead people to believe the eyeshine belongs to a Bigfoot is the height at which it occurs and the color of the eyeshine. In almost all the reports I have read about the eyeshine is said to be an average of 8 to 10 feet off the ground and red in color. There are many animals in the woods that display eyeshine but none are 8 to 10 feet in height that I know of.

Before we draw any conclusions we should examine eyeshine closer. Like I said before we know almost nothing at all about eyeshine as it relates to Bigfoot but we do know a little about how it relates to animals and humans. Eyeshine in animals is reflected light that causes animals eyes to appear to glow at night. Now this is reflected light only and is not light produced by the animal, like in cuttlefish, so the animal has no control over it. Animals cannot turn eyeshine off and on at will. What causes the eyeshine is a reflective membrane behind the retina of the eye called the "tapetum lucidum".

Pronounced "ta-pee-tum lu-si-dum", the membrane reflects light back through the eye to its source, just like a bicycle reflector. This allows the rods of the eye to receive a double dose of light, both coming into the eye and leaving the eye. The extra light to the rods allows the animal to see at night. Depending on the shape and position of the tapetum lucidum the light can be reflected in any number of ways allowing different degrees of night vision. In oxen the shape and position of the tapetum lucidum gives the animal about 1 foot of night vision, which allows the animal to identify plants and graze at night. In cats the tapetum lucidum is positioned in a way that reflects light directly back out of the pupil which allows the animal to hunt at night with excellent long-range night vision. While tapetums are not exclusive to nocturnal animals they are rare in diurnal animals. The eyes of nocturnal animals have adapted to low light and not only have tapetum lucidum but also tend to contain more rods than cones. Cones allow the eye to see color and rods aid in low light vision. Diurnal animals eyes contain more cones leaning toward being able to see color over having night vision. Basically if an animal can see color then it does not have tapetum lucidum. Humans and large apes, or dry-nosed primates, are diurnal, can see color, and do not have tapetum lucidum. This seems to be the only pattern currently known to tapetum lucidum. Human eyes have a dark layer where the tapetum lucidum would be and it absorbs light rather than reflects it. In order for tapetum lucidum to create eyeshine they must have light. So animals with tapetum lucidum can only see in low light conditions not in zero light conditions. Zero light conditions, such as in the depths of a cave, render the animal just as blind as you or I would be without light. As a matter of fact animals that live in these zero light conditions are usually blind. Most do not have eyes at all. The light from the moon or stars at night is enough to allow for night vision in nocturnal animals but any light source will work. Campfire light, your porch light, a flashlight, headlights, or any other light can create eyeshine and aid in night vision in animals equipped with tapetum lucidum. It is the source of the light, the angle at which it enters the eye, and the angle at which the resulting eyeshine is seen that dictates the color of the eyeshine. Eyeshine can be any color from white, blue, red, green, yellow, and orange. No one animal gives one exclusive color of eyeshine all the time. All creatures with tapetum lucidum have eyeshine and some form of enhanced low light vision.

These are the facts and cannot be changed. So what do we do with these facts? We must take them and apply logic to our situation. We simply have nothing else to lean on. Does Bigfoot have eyeshine? In order to answer that we need to have the answers to several questions. Is Bigfoot a dry-nosed primate, like Gigantopithecus? Is Bigfoot related to humans? Is Bigfoot diurnal? Can Bigfoot see in color? Logic would dictate that a "yes" answer to ANY of those questions would mean that odds are greatly against Bigfoot having eyeshine. I know what you are thinking; Bigfoot is an undiscovered species that we know nothing about. This is true. Without a specimen to examine we simply do not know the truth, but that doesn’t mean we should allow that fact to be used as an excuse to justify any theory people can make up. We are the only ones researching Bigfoot and we have a responsibility to the public to report the truth and if the truth is that we do not know then that is exactly what we must report. Until we have a Bigfoot to study then applying logic to the facts and drawing an intelligent conclusion is the only recourse we have.

Let's address eyeshine in humans for a minute. While human eyes do not have tapetum lucidum they do not produce eyeshine as eyeshine is defined. However all eyes have a smooth shiny surface and reflect a degree of light just like any shiny surface or glass does. But this light is usually not enough to be seen by the naked eye or usually only shows a glare on the surface of the eye. But cameras are able to see this because of the speed of their shutters. Cameras are also fast enough to capture what is known as red-eye in color photos of human eyes. While many consider this to be related to eyeshine it is not the same thing. What causes red-eye in color photos has more to do with the proximity of the flash to the lens and the ambient light than to the function of the eye. Almost all compact flash equipped cameras have the flash close to the lens, unlike professional camera setups where the flash is separate from the camera and sets high above or off to the side of the lens. Having the flash away from the lens is to avoid the red-eye effect in low light conditions. In low light the pupil of the eye is open wider to allow more light in. The lower the light conditions the wider open the pupil is. When a camera flashes in low light conditions the human eye cannot close the pupil fast enough to protect it from the bright light. The flash is so fast that the dark layer of the human eye that normally absorbs light cannot absorb the light from the flash fast enough. Therefore the photo catches the pupil wide open and spilling over with light. It is blood that produces the red color. Having the person in the photo look away from the camera can reduce this problem.

Dealing with infrared light and cameras such as those equipped with the Sony Night Shot feature can have similar effects. I am not talking about thermal imaging cameras that see infrared heat. I am speaking of cameras that use infrared light. In animals with tapetum lucidum the infrared cameras pick up the reflected ambient light from the eyes much easier, causing them to look brighter than they actually are. In humans the eyes can appear to have the same type of eyeshine. But it is not eyeshine at all. What causes it in humans is the same thing that causes the red-eye effect; the eye’s inability to absorb the light. The low light conditions cause the pupils of the eyes, human and animal, to open up. In very low light, like at night in the woods, the pupils will open up completely allowing cameras to see directly into the eye. In animals with tapetum lucidum this allows the camera to see all of the light reflected from the eye, including the IR light. The human eye does not see or need IR light to function and the eye discards it. At the right angle the camera can see this IR light and it appears as if the person’s eyes are glowing with eyeshine. While this is commonly referred to as eyeshine it is not, as true eyeshine requires a tapetum and this phenomena is only possible with infrared light using an infrared camera and cannot be seen by the naked eye. This type of eyeshine is also uncommon, In 5 years of using infrared cameras I have only seen it happen naturally once. The effects of red-eye and IR eyeshine can be purposely reproduced and are sometimes used in art. The effect was purposely used in the filming of Blade Runner to show the difference between humans and androids.

By L.B. Powers, TriState Bigfoot Cryptozoologist

Bigfoot Stick Structures, Nests and Other Formations

2011-11-08T18:50:00.000-05:00

Many researchers or Bigfoot enthusiasts snap pictures of every little pile of sticks, broken or bent trees and automatically assume that it had to be done by a Bigfoot creature. Don’t get me wrong, I too have run across some odd things in the woods that have made me wonder how it happened, but one must approach these things with common sense and rule out other possibilities first. The first thing that should be ruled out is natural causes such as wind, rain, snow or decay which is the culprit for many broken or bent sticks, limbs and trees.

One example would be tree bows or arches (figure 1). There is a natural phenomenon that causes it to occur. It is called “wet noodling”. It is when smaller trees bend under snow or their own weight; it is a sign that they have not grown enough supporting taper, or trunk strength to stand on their own. This usually happens when trees are allowed to grow very closely together as in a forest stand. There can be exceptions to this though. If you find a young tree that has bent over and weighted down to the forest floor with a rock or other device that could not have happened naturally, then you might have something to question.

There are other formations that have to be examined closely to make sure they did not occur naturally such as teepee structures (figure 2). One must look closely at these structures to determine if they are either deadfall or a natural occurrence. Trees get old, they crack and they break, they sometimes fall on other trees. Look at the surrounding area of this structure. Do you see anyplace these limbs could have naturally broken off nearby trees by the wind? Wind and high water can whip around sticks and limbs to make all sorts of odd accumulations. If no other explanations can be found, look at how these limbs are laid out and connect together. If it looks to have been deliberately placed, then you may have something that is worth taking pictures of for your research or Bigfoot scrapbook.

Tree breaks often happen naturally too (figure3). Sometimes larger trees can fall on to smaller trees and cause them to break. Snowfall or strong winds could also be a culprit, or the tree could have simply been rotted and snapped on its own. Look at the break, is it fresh? Was the tree still alive when it was broken?

Always take a close look at the ends of the stick or limb. I have seen unusual looking piles that could have possibly been used as a nest or shelter until I noticed the ends had straight cuts and was nothing more than a brush pile from a yard cleanup. Other piles of small sticks and twigs that look like possible bedding areas could just be from wind and water causing them to accumulate in a low spot.

Vines can also grow up and around bushes and shrubs choking them out and cause them to die, then when the vine itself dies out it can look like a nest or den.

After taking into consideration all other possibilities and no other explanation can be found can one start to wonder exactly who or what made it and why. The only way to be sure it was done by a Bigfoot is if you actually see a Bigfoot building it!

By Adrianne Arney

Ohio Cryptid: The Loveland Frogmen

2011-10-27T19:33:00.004-04:00

Our sketch artist's depiction of the Loveland Frog

This subject takes us to the town of Loveland in Warren County, Ohio. The Loveland Frogmen have a sketchy history. They are believed to be actual animals but my research has uncovered that they may actually have an extra-terrestrial origin if they exist at all.

The first sighting of the Loveland Frogmen happened in the spring of 1955. At about 3:30 a.m. Mr. Robert Hunnicutt, then a short-order cook, was driving down Loveland-Madeira Rd. near Hopewell Rd. When he saw a group of “strange little men” standing on the side of the road “with their backs to the bushes.” Curious he stopped the car and watched the little men. He described them as being humanoid, meaning they had a head, 2 arms and 2 legs. They stood 3 ½ feet tall with a straight slit for a mouth that stretched the length of their heads with no lips, like a frog’s mouth. They had rolls of fat across their heads like the molded hair of a plastic doll, gray skin, lop-sided chests with heavy hips and waists. They were standing in a triangle, one forward and the other two behind and flanking it, facing the opposite side of the road. The forward one had its arms raised above its head, holding a rod or chain. Blue sparks and "lightning" jumped across the rod from one hand to the other and they seemed to be concentrating intensely. Then the forward one bent down and fastened the object in its hands to its ankle and all three turned in unison to face Mr. Hunnicutt and gracefully stepped toward him. Mr. Hunnicutt started up his car and drove straight to Police Chief John Fritz’s home. Having known Mr. Hunnicutt, Police Chief Fritz became worried about his friends terrified behavior and he got a camera and his gun and drove up and down Loveland-Madeira Rd. 3 times but saw nothing.

Description according to the witness

UFOlogist group MUFON visited Loveland, Ohio in 1956. When they spoke to Police Chief John Fritz he told them about the Hunnicutt Incident, as it is now known. On Sept. 1, 1956 MUFON interviewed Mr. Robert Hunnicutt about his encounter and published the interview in the November 1974 edition of their "Skylook" newsletter. In that article MUFON also mentions that there had been a UFO sighting at the Loveland GOC post the same night as the Hunnicutt Incident.

The 2nd and most popular sighting happened 17 years later on March 3, 1972. Police Officer Ray Shockey was driving down Kemper Rd. when he noticed what he thought was a dog lying in the road at the intersection of Twightwee Rd. He stopped the car and approached, then it stood up on 2 legs, jumped over the guardrail, and disappeared into the Little Miami River. Officer Shockey returned to the police station and got another officer to help him investigate the area. Story has it that that officer was Mark Matthews, but this is unconfirmed due to many conflicting stories. The 2 officers searched the area and only found scrape marks leading from the guardrail down the embankment into the river.

The third sighting and sketchiest happened just 2 weeks later on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1972. Police Officer Mark Matthews saw what he thought was a dead animal laying in the middle of Loveland Ave. He stopped to remove the carcass but as he approached the animal it stood up on 2 legs. Here is where the story becomes sketchy, some versions say the animal hunched down and rushed at the officer like a football player. The officer responded by firing shoots at it and missing it. However all the stories agree that the animal backed slowly away from the officer, slowly lifted it’s leg over the guardrail, and disappeared into the Little Miami River. What makes this story so sketchy is that I have been able to confirm that Ray Shockey was indeed a police officer for the Loveland Ohio Police Department, but I cannot confirm that anyone named Mark Matthews ever worked for the Loveland Ohio Police Department or ever lived in Loveland, Ohio. It is possible that Mark Matthews is an assumed name to hide the true identity of the officer involved. However this cannot be confirmed as several authors and cryptozoologists claim to have interviewed Officer Mark Matthews in person.

The original sketch of the Loveland Frog Creature

Both officers gave identical descriptions of the animal they each encountered. It was 3 to 4 feet tall, stood and walked on two legs, was approximately 50 to 75 pounds in weight, had the face of a frog, and had dark textured, leathery skin. Officer Ray Shockey’s sister did a sketch based on Officer Shockey’s and Officer Mark Matthews descriptions.
People have been reporting gigantic frog sightings in Loveland ever since these incidents were made public. "The Loveland Frog", as it is locally known, has become so popular that the city of Loveland has held Loveland Frog Festivals and Loveland Frog Hunts. There are those that believe the Loveland Frog was invented by city officials and local media to boost tourism in Loveland.

Let me add that this subject was quite difficult to research. Not because there was to little information but because there was so much conflicting information out there. In every book I picked up each stories’ details were slightly different causing each story to contradict the book before it. It also seems that as time has passed the stories have evolved creating a hideous frog monster that lurks the local rivers and tries to drown people. I have found nothing whatsoever to link any of these wild claims to the Loveland Frogmen. All the websites that I have visited seeking information have simply done a cut and paste of the information on Wikipedia. None seem to have researched the subject at all and have only recycled previous information. The accounts that I have written about are the accounts that started the entire “Frog” phenomena. They are the origin of the Loveland Frog. Three men state they seen something that had one frog-like feature and now there is a giant frog roaming Loveland. I wrote the accounts giving only the information that could be verified all other information is noted as unconfirmed. It is worthy of notation that years later after allegedly appearing at Loveland Frog Festivals, participating in multiple interviews for journalists and authors, aiding in the creation of a sketch of the creature, and allegedly filing an official police report about his experience, the man known as Officer Mark Matthews recanted his story saying he only saw an iguana and everything was blown way out of proportion. There is no evidence that any kind of report was filed by the two police officers, only several conflicting stories. The only report filed with the police was the one now known as the "Hunnicutt Incident" and there is a rumor that it has been lost.

In conclusion, truth is what we seek. Uncovering the truth is the reason why we do what we do. A search for truth is why you are reading this now. I encourage each person that reads this to go to the libraries and bookstores, and search the Internet to find the truth. Does the Loveland Frog exist, is it a story made up to boost tourism, is it media induced mass hysteria, or is it a simple case of retelling a story so many times that the details become twisted and evolve into half-truths? What I do know for a fact is that you can point at anything and say it is haunted or that a monster lives there and it is only a matter of time before someone stands up and says they've seen it with their own eyes.

By L.B. Powers, TriState Bigfoot Team Cryptozoologist

Photo Matrixing: Blobsquatch Lives!

2011-10-23T21:48:00.002-04:00

First I want to make clear, I am not bashing anyone's evidence, these kind of attacks get us as researchers absolutely nowhere. I simply want to have a conversation about photo matrixing because we in the field as a whole have to get on the same page with our evidence in order to bring any kind of credibility whatsoever to what we do.

Photo matrixing is a common occurrence. Everyone has seen the ink blot test in some way, where someone is laying on a couch looking at pictures of random shapes and telling a doctor what they see in them. Same thing as looking for objects in clouds as a kid. It's matrixing and, yes, it does happen in the field of Bigfoot research, commonly with photographs but video as well. A lot of folks snap pictures and then when they look at them on a bigger screen or get them developed, see objects in those pictures in the shadows, leaves, branches, etc. What is the best way to combat this?

One, don't just snap random pictures and go home and look at them. If you don't have a fixed subject for your photo, you might start creating one in your mind. It makes more sense to take reaction photos... you see something or hear something and you take a picture in that direction.

Two, don't just take one photo and move on. Snap a series of photos without moving the camera. If there is an object of interest in the photo, it should appear to move, blink, or do some living action while everything else in the frame stays exactly the same. If it moves, you might have something... if it doesn't, well, I'd trash it and move on. Basically, you should be able to lay all the photos on top of each other and nothing moves but the subject of the photo. This series of photos should be quick, it does absolutely nothing to simply snap the photo and then return to the area at a different time, day, etc. and try to recreate the photo because chances are you are not going to have the exact same enviromental factors.

Failing light is the easiest way to create a "blobsquatch". At dawn and dusk, the sun projects the light in a manner that makes the trees, leaves, branches, and everything else come to life in your photos. I'm not saying don't take photos during this time, I'm simply saying that be warned and consider being slightly more harsh on your own evidence during this time frame.

Three, do not "assist" viewers of your evidence in seeing what you see. Simply give them the photo and ask them what they see. When you circle things, point out things, etc. you are giving them your impression and possible matrixing. If you do it the right way and they point out exactly what you see in the photo without being prompted to, then you might actually have something.

As an experiment, right before writing this, I walked off my back porch and took one simple photo of the woods behind where I tore down an old shed, just to see how easily one can fall victim to matrixing.

Here is that photo:

It's difficult to see due to the resizing to fit this article, but you'll get the jist of it. When you look at this, you see a pile where I tore down the shed and have just been too lazy to clean it up. :) You see trees, bushes, and a fence. Not visible is the creek that runs on the other side of the fence.

Now let me assist you with a created story as a Bigfoot researcher who would not know my property:

"We had heard some rustling in the woods, we came up to the woods behind the old shed and snapped this picture. Where I circled, you can see the eyeshine we captured from what we believe is a Bigfoot crouched down in the creek bed looking around a tree at us. If you look closer, you can see the outline of a head and shoulders and an open mouth with teeth."

Now, the actual story since I know my property. The rustling would be the stray cats that sit on and around the boards trying to catch the mice and rabbits that have taken refuge under the old shed after I destroyed it. The "eyeshine" is a distant porchlight from a house on the next street over. The head and shoulder is simply matrixed from the tree branches from the tree line that runs along the creek. The teeth are simply a random leaf on a branch that just happens to be right where the matrixed mouth is. Had several pictures been taken of this spot, it would've been noticed that the object of the photo didn't move, twitch, flinch, blink, and/or run away.

Am I starting to make sense now? Again, I'm not attacking anyone. I don't think people who matrix photos are hoaxers. I don't think they should be run out of town by an angry mob with pitchforks and torches. I simply think they are researchers who want to present their case for the existence of Bigfoot so bad that they get caught up in the moment after looking through endless photos of tree branches and listening to audio of nothing but crickets and dog barking. Let's face it, what we do takes a special kind of patient person to do it.

Education is the key. If everyone is on the same page and helps one another with evidence review in a friendly and professional manner without attacking what others present as evidence (whether it's matrixing or not) then maybe... just maybe we can get somewhere in this field. We're all after the same thing... proof that what we've seen and our witnesses have seen so that we can feel justified... but matrixing isn't going to get us there any faster.

By Jay Buchwald, TriState Bigfoot Team Leader

Trailcams and Their Effectiveness

2011-10-17T21:23:00.003-04:00

Anyone involved in the field has used a trailcam to try and capture evidence of a Sasquatch, most pictures I've seen out there don't offer definitive proof other than the typical matrixing "blobsquatch" effect.

Why is this?

If you talk to researchers who've been doing this for a length of time, most have stories of their trailcams being "messed with". I have heard of trailcams that have had sticks jammed under them pointing them straight up among other things. I myself have had a trailcam disrupted in the past. Typically, I stick tape to mine and pull leaves from the very tree I am using to attach to it to give it a more "in-depth" camoflauged look. One day, I found my cam completely uncovered with the tape and leaves throw about on the ground and my camera facing an entirely different direction and the buffet of bait I put out (whole fish, vegetables, and fruit) was completely wiped out overnight.

Can the very subject we're pursuing see (or sense?) our trailcams? Or are we falling victim to human interaction? Or possibly other animals messing about with our cameras?

Let's examine these options.

Human interaction: I have to wonder if a person happened along and noticed my trailcam, why wouldn't they have just stolen it? I don't lock it up, it's on my property. Why go through the trouble of taking my added camo off and turn my camera, just to leave it there? It does not make sense to me.

Other animals: I don't see many animals being able to reach my camera with the exception of deer, birds, and racoons. I have had deer practically stick their nose in my camera while it was taking a photo... but even if a piece of tape were to stick to their nose, would they be able to remove all the tape and turn my camera? Surely antlers knocking into it could turn it, but I just don't see the scenerio playing out in it's entirety that way. Racoons surely are playful, but my guess is with all the food lying around, they'd be more interested in that than my trailcam or at the very least, I'd have pictures of racoons eating, THEN wrecking my camera, but I had 2 photos.... me setting it up and me taking it down. I could see a bird or two landing on it and potentially knocking off the leaves, but removing the tape and turning the camera... I just don't see it happening.

So... how could Bigfoot know a camera was there before a photo was even snapped? I'm no tech guru, so I turned to a long time friend and tech wizard, Gerry from HEAT paranormal (heatparanormal.com), in order to learn more about these devices.

I was under the impression that a motion sensing device projected a beam that, when broken, prompted it to snap a photo. I was dead wrong. According to Gerry, "All objects above absolute zero emit energy in the form of radiation. Usually infrared radiation is invisible to the human eye but can be detected by electronic devices designed for such a purpose such as a PIR (Passive Infrared sensor). The term passive in this instance means that the PIR device does not emit an infrared beam but merely passively accepts incoming infrared radiation from what passes in front of the sensor (dog, deer, human, BF). The signal from the PIR is then used to trigger an alarm, camera, radio transmitter) if the sensor is remotely mounted), etc." So my theory that if some animals see UV light, possibly Bigfoot can see infrared light in the form of a beam from the camera was completely shot.

So I moved to theory 2. Is it possible a Sasquatch could be able to "sense" or "feel" a disturbence in the electromagnetic field even a minor one caused by a device like a trailcam? I asked Gerry if all electronic devices emit some form of an electromagnetic field, even if it is a slight one and his reply was simply "I would say that most electronic devices emit some form of an EM field."

I would then believe this to be a possibility. Afterall, you constantly hear talk of some people being sensitive to EM field disturbences, I myself get light headed and dizzy in extremely high EM fields. Obviously, as civilized human beings we are around electronics daily. A Sasquatch would have little interaction with these devices, my guess is they would not be as immune to detecting a device as we would be.

But then.... how would they know to avoid it? How would they know if they walk in front it took a photo? How would they even know what a photo is?!? My friend, that is a topic for another time....

There have been some advances in the field and some companies have created cams that are allegedly "undetectable" to both humans and wildlife, but are they undetectable to something that may lie inbetween those descriptions? Only time will tell.... I look forward to experimenting and seeing the results....

By Jay Buchwald, TriState Bigfoot Team Leader

Bigfoot and Wildman?

2011-10-12T20:12:00.007-04:00

It has always been bothersome to me while thumbing through reports the varying differences in descriptions of Bigfoot. I’m not talking about reddish hair versus black hair, I’m more interested in the fact that some witnesses describe a creature that is more ape-like, while others describe something that is more human-like.

Patterson's Bigfoot (left) and a reconstruction of Neanderthal man

We all know better, but let’s assume for all intents and purposes that there are no mistaken identities, all witnesses are describing what they are seeing accurately, everyone is telling the truth, and there are no hoaxers. (Wouldn’t that be lovely?) Wouldn’t the answer simply be that witnesses are seeing different creatures entirely?

It may be unlikely, but you cannot rule out the possibility that Bigfoot and Wildmen are two separate cryptids. You need not look further than a lot of the current reports from days past to present. Some reported behaviors are more ape-like activity… chest beating, roaring, throwing sticks, etc. Some behaviors are more human-like (or what you would expect early human behavior to be like) such as use of tools and clubs, grunting, etc. Sure it is not out of the realm of possibility that the combination of these traits could be attributed to something between man and ape, but then you have examine descriptions of Bigfoot. You hear everything from something that resembles a modern day gorilla that walks upright on two legs to the opposite end of the spectrum where you have descriptions of what looks like a caveman or human being that is very simply put, just covered in long, shaggy hair.

Gigantopithecus Blacki reconstructed

Personally, I have always been a fan of the Bigfoot is Gigantopithecus or a descendant of Giganto theory and I’m having a hard time letting go of that, a lot of Bigfoot reports that you come across sound strikingly similar to what Giganto is described to have looked like. Then, as you continue to research, you come across more descriptions and some of these will sound more like what you would expect Neanderthal or Homo Hiedelbergensis to look like. Can you accurately lump the two into one single cryptid? Looking at it logically, how can you?! Frankly, I can accept that someone would see a Bigfoot with brown hair while another witness sees one with white hair, but how can we accept the difference in appearance of ape and man without them being two separate entities?
More to think about is the height issue. Assuming again that witnesses can accurately depict height, Bigfoot reports vary in ranges from 6 foot to 10 foot roughly with most being between 7 to 9 feet. Gigantopithecus was said to reach heights over 9 foot tall. Neanderthal man averaged 5 foot 6 inches for adult males, while Heidelbergensis averaged 6 foot tall with some specimens reaching as much as 7 foot tall. It would be interesting I'm sure to compile all the varying reports and see what the height looks like for reports that seem more human-like versus reports that seem more ape-like.

Based on the assumption that both examples are 100% legit, examine the Patterson/Gimlin film. Does the subject in the film have a human look to it? Not to me, it looks more ape-like than human. Now research the story of Zana, the Russian “wildwoman” captured in the 1850s. Since no photos exist of Zana, you have to read the description of her from witnesses at the time. She was described as “having thick arms, legs, and fingers. A massive chest and large hips”. Her skin was “black or dark gray in color”. Her hair was “reddish black in color and covered most of her body”. Her facial features included “high cheekbones, a flat broad nose with turned out nostrils, a ‘muzzle-like’ jaw, wide mouth, and large teeth”. She had a “low forehead” and her eyes had a “reddish tint”. Zana “showed signs of intelligence but was never able to adopt social skills or the ability to speak”. During her time in the village, Zana was reported to have 4 human children with various unidentified males. According to the reports I've read, Zana still has descendants that are alive today. Does this sound like an ape to you or a primitive human being like a Neanderthal or other? Patterson's Bigfoot is estimated to be female based on the body shape, Zana was said to have been female as well. The difference is at first glance you cannot tell that Patterson's Bigfoot is female but when Zana was captured, they knew immediately she was female based on visible parts of her anatomy despite her being covered in hair. When you compare these examples side by side, what makes sense to you? That Bigfoot is one single species or that reported Bigfoot sightings can be attributed to two separate species?

I’m not presenting this so that everyone will run out and change every Bigfoot book ever written, I’m presenting this to show you that there may be another option when conducting your research. I’m simply saying that in the field of Cryptozoology in order to seek pure truth, you must examine ALL possibilities to draw conclusions from.

By Jay Buchwald, TriState Bigfoot Team Leader

Giant Chimpanzees- Bili Apes

2011-10-10T19:46:00.002-04:00

Once thought to be a legend, the Bili Apes can be found in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They are gigantic when compared to a standard sized chimpanzee. They can exceed 5 feet in height, and have a larger skull than the chimpanzee. They also leave a larger footprint than a gorilla.

Years of civil war in the Congo has made travel to this area to observe the apes difficult. Only in the last decade have the apes been studied in detail. A researcher by the name of Cleve Hicks, with the University of Amsterdam, spent 18 months in the field observing the apes in 2004 and again in the 2006-2007 field seasons.

Locals of the area refer to the apes as “Lion Killers”. Cleve Hicks did observe one of these apes feasting on a leopard’s carcass, but he did not observe the ape killing it. They also have been observed catching fish, honey dipping, and smashing snails and fruit. Unlike the chimpanzees that usually nests in trees, the Bili apes make their nests on the ground like the gorillas.

At first they were speculated to be some sort of gorilla/chimpanzee hybrid, but have since turned out to be a giant sized chimpanzee with their own unique culture.

In September 2007 Cleve Hicks reported on the Richard Dawkins Foundation’s web site that the Bili Apes are in trouble (link found below). They are the largest population of chimps in Africa with at least 35, 000. In 2010 it was reported as “witnessing the beginning of a massive ape decline”. They are in trouble because large scale gold mining has flooded the area. Cleves said that the miners themselves consume large amounts of bushmeat (chimpanzee) and their activities provide cover for poachers hunting leopards and elephants. Once this untouched forest is invaded by hundreds of poachers, it may be impossible to ever undo the damage. He also said “it would be a terrible shame if the Bili apes were to disappear from the planet just as we were getting to know them!”

http://richarddawkins.net/articles/1650

By: Adrianne Arney

Black Panthers in Ohio and Kentucky

2011-09-20T19:26:00.000-04:00

There have recently been multiple sightings of a large black cat in Ohio, more specifically in Montgomery County north of Dayton. These large black cats are commonly called black panthers and the media refers to them has black leopards. Black Leopards are native to Africa, Asia, India, and China.

The most recent report was made by a resident of Harrison Township in Montgomery County. He reported that he was looking out his window and noticed a large cat-like animal walking across his yard. He was quoted by the Dayton Daily News as saying “It was like stalking, the way it was walking. He was stalking real cautious. Real aware of everything around him.” The witness estimated that the cat weighed between 160 to 200 lbs.

An earlier sighting in the same area reported spotting one near the Still Water River also in Montgomery County. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff the leopard has been spotted 5 or 6 times in the last 15 months. No reports have been made of a missing pet leopard

Ohio does not regulate private ownership of dangerous wild animals. It is not uncommon for wild animals to be sold as pets. Usually they are sold as babies when they are all cute and adorable. When the animal reaches maturity the owners can no longer control them and they often escape or are turned loose.

These recent sightings in Dayton, Ohio are nothing new. For decades there have been numerous reports of large black cats in both Ohio and Kentucky and actually throughout the eastern United States.

I, myself, had my own sighting in Kentucky when I was a teen camping with my family. We have a private family campground in Bath County, Kentucky. This camp was located on my grandparents’ property very near the Daniel Boone National Forest.

A group of us were standing near a car at the edge of the camping area. There was a huge bonfire going in the camp and it lit up the field below the camp all the way across to the tree line. While we were standing around I caught site of something running along the tree line across the field. It was very long and black and was running at an incredibly fast speed. I pointed it out to my brother and we saw it run into the tree line. My brother reached into his car and grabbed his spotlight and shined it on the spot we saw it enter the woods. A large tree in the tree line was rapidly shaking.

The next morning we decided to go check out the tree and the area where we saw it enter. The tree had huge claw marks around 5 or 6 feet up the trunk like it was used as a scratching post. The ground was hard and covered in leaf litter so there were no tracks found. There were also other strange things that happened that same night. My brother decided to sleep in his car that night instead of his tent and in the morning his tent had been torn to shreds. Whether or not it was related to the panther we do not know.

There were all kinds of sighting in that area around that same time. I remember my Grandpa telling me that the government had released 16 black panthers in the Daniel Boone National forest to kill out the diseased deer. Where he got his information from and whether it is true or not, I do not know.

By: Adrianne Arney

Is Bigfoot Really Tree Knocking?

2011-09-19T19:46:00.000-04:00

I have heard this idea that Bigfoot using tree knocking as a form of communication originated from the Native Americans lore about Bigfoot. It has also been said that other primates use tree knocking to communicate. I'm not so sure about the Indian lore, but I do know that there is not any information to be found in any study of primates published on the net that have observed primates using sticks to knock trees as a form of communication. I have read published studies that tell about a variety of primates using sticks as tools for everything from crossing rivers and streams to collecting food, building nests and grooming.

There is something they are doing to make a sound that sounds like a wood on wood knock. To many researchers and people who have had encounters with the creature have heard this sound numerous times. Some researchers carry baseball bats and will find a tree that will make a good hollow knocking sound when hit by the bat. Sometimes they get a similar sound response but too often they don't. When a researcher does this usually they have to find a tree that has smooth bark or no bark at all. The trees that have thick or textured bark don't make a good loud knock sound that will carry any distance. Each tree you hit makes a different sound.

When the researcher does get the occasional response it is usually an immediate response, within a few seconds. If you think about it, Bigfoot would have to constantly carry a good sturdy stick that is at least a few inches in diameter with them at all times to be able to respond so quickly. The last time our team was out in the field we were curious to see how long it would take us to find a stick that we could tree knock with. We were in an area of woods that had a lot of tree fall. It took 15 minutes to find a good sturdy stick that didn't break when used to hit a tree. It also took a minute or so to find a tree that made a good loud sound when hit.

It always seems like the responses we hear always sound the same and have the same pitch. Sometimes the sound will be closer or farther away but always the same sound. If Bigfoot is knocking on trees it should sound differently every time since each tree sounds differently.

I for one am beginning to wonder if this is actually what they are doing. While I was searching the net for studies of primates and their use of tools and ways they communicate, I did find an article that talked about the western lowland gorillas and the Likouala swamp gorillas using hand clapping as a form of communication. A link to this study can be found below. They have been observed using this clapping technique to alert others of the approaching humans.

Think about the sound of your own hand clapping; now imagine a hand that may be 3 times bigger than yours and the sound it could resonate by clapping. That sound could easily resemble the sound of wood on wood knocking, and could be heard miles away.

At this point in time, no one has been able to study these creatures’ habits so it is impossible to know for sure what is happening. We can only speculate and theorize the possibilities of what is actually happening. They may even have habits that are uniquely their own!

Western Lowland Gorilla

Gorilla Article Link

By; Adrianne Arney

Bigfoot Ancestry Theories

2011-08-25T14:36:00.000-04:00

If Bigfoot, Sasquatches, Skunk Apes, and all their relatives from around the world do exist, they have been here for a very long time. How they got here and what exactly are they is difficult to answer without actual proof. There are however a few theories that could possibly be the answer to these questions and more.

The most popular theory among Bigfoot Researchers is that they are descendants of the Gigantopithecus Blacki. The Gigantopithecus Blacki was assumed to have become extinct 3000,000 years ago. This would have placed them in the same time frame and geographical areas as other hominid species such as Homo sapiens and Homo erectus.

Several animal and fish species that were thought to of become extinct thousands of years ago have been newly rediscovered in recent years.

Gigantopithecus Blacki is the largest primate known to exist. Evidence of its existence is jawbones and teeth that were found in China and India. It is believed that they may have crossed the Bering Land Bridge that once connected Asia to North America and have managed to survive until present day.

Another possible but not so popular theory is that they may have evolved from Neanderthal man. That the Neanderthal cave man did not die out or get absorbed into the modern human race. They have been surviving in caves and remote mountain regions, becoming nocturnal and surfacing in the darkness to forage for food.

A small percentage of Bigfoot Researchers believe the ancient giants may be a possible theory resulting in Bigfoot existence. There are many stories of giants in the Bible and many claims of their ancient existence from around the world.

When the first European settlers came to the Ohio and Mississippi valleys they had little or no regard for the ancient Indian burial mounds, forts, and villages. They excavated and destroyed many of these areas to level their farmland. Some probably did it out of curiosity. Less than one-twentieth of the original mounds exist today in Ohio.

A man named Aaron Wright discovered the “Conneaut giants” in Ashtabula County, Ohio in the early 1800s. Other Numerous accounts of thousands of giant skeletons have come from the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys before it became illegal to disturb these mounds. In these accounts the skeletons were of gigantic proportions, and the skulls were said to fit easily over a normal man’s head and to have had more teeth than modern man.

Some say that the Smithsonian has been suppressing archaeological evidence of giants since the late 1800’s. If the truth were to be released, history as we know it would have to be re-written. Modern day Archaeologists and Anthropologists have shut the door to the true history of America. It is the reason we accept that the Native Americans were the original mound builders. Contents of these discoveries have been sealed off and its secrets known only to an elite few. But one can dig through old newspapers, documents, and diaries to form some idea about the past.

Another possible theory that a few researchers believe is that Bigfoot type creatures are actually Inter-dimensional beings. Some claim to have seen them disappear before their very eyes into these dimensions. Some consider them to be of extraterrestrial origin. In some reports of Bigfoot sightings UFOs activity also occurs in the same area. They say it is the reason they are so difficult to capture.

There are big debates amongst the Bigfoot researchers as to which theory is correct. Only time and the proven existence of Bigfoot will tell.

By: Adrianne Arney

Prehistoric Petroglyphs of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana

2011-08-20T12:46:00.005-04:00

The Indian Burial Mounds are the most common known monuments of the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana’s Native American history, but throughout the states are mysterious images that have been carved into the soft rock surfaces. They are fascinating images of animals, humans, mythical creatures and geometric designs. These are called petroglyphs. Petroglyphs are designs that have been carved, chiseled or chipped into soft rocks.

Since most of these state’s rocks are soft sandstones and limestones, most of the early prehistoric petroglyphs would have been worn away from the wind and rain. Only those that were protected from the elements have survived. Most documented petroglyphs in this area belong to the late prehistoric period. Most symbols that are commonly found relate to spiritual beliefs and are still recognized by the Native Americans today.

In Ohio there are fifty- six locations of such rock art, Kentucky has an estimate of twenty and Indiana has two known thus far. Most of these sites are only known to professional archaeologist and the locals of the area.

In Ohio there is one such petroglyph location that may hold the interest of the Bigfoot researchers, The Barnesville Petroglyphs in Belmont County. At this location there is a large boulder that has a total of 115 different designs. There are 73 which have been determined to be the tracks of various animals and birds that the Indians would have encountered in that region. There are also 12 geometric designs which are common of the Native American petroglyph sites of that region. There are 5 human faces which have noses and 16 human –like foot prints. Noses on the faces are not common in other petroglyphs of the region. There are other designs such as snakes, outstretched animal pelts, and some yet to be determined. The Native Americans were obviously carving the track prints of all the animals that they had seen in the woodlands around them. My guess would be that it may have been a teaching tool of sorts for those learning to hunt. Could the human-like footprints also have been something they had seen in the woodlands around them? Could they be ancient evidence of Bigfoot’s existence?

There are petroglyphs of human-like footprints scattered throughout Ohio and Kentucky. The number of toes and the sizes vary. The petroglyph found in Powell County Kentucky only has 4 toes on each foot.(figure 1.)

The pictograph located in Edmonson Kentucky is also very interesting. (figure 2) A pictograph is different from petroglyphs. It is a design that has been painted on the rock surface instead of carved. Most that still exist today are found in caves or in area that they were protected from the elements.

There is also another fascinating pictograph that I would like to mention even though it is not in the tri-state region. This particular pictograph is located at the Tulle River Indian Reservation in California. It is of a Bigfoot or “Hairy Man” family. It has an adult male, female and a baby Bigfoot. The Indian lore that has been passed thru the generations confirms this fact. They were all painted with the colors of black, white, yellow and red. There are no other known pictographs of this kind.(figure 3)

Note: A special thanks to our partners at Kentucky Bigfoot for the use of their photos. (figures 1 & 2)

By: Adrianne Arney