Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy

They came from across the country to share experiences and become informed on the latest scientific clues that may prove that their belief in the so-called Bigfoot is not so implausible. The need to validate the existence of Bigfoot or Sasquatch has been an ongoing effort since the 1950s and it was thriving Saturday in Tyler.

For the first time, the Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy’s Bigfoot Conference met in Tyler, after outgrowing former venues. An estimated 500 people lingered around D.K. Caldwell Auditorium to hear sociologists, biologists and TBRC organizers speak about scientific research on the infamous hairy creature.

Daryl Colyer, vice chairman of TBRC, said he’s turned his childhood interest in Bigfoot into a full-time hobby.

“I’ve heard a lot of legends and stories from family when I was growing up,” he said. “When I got older it was all folklore but I decided to research it for myself before making an opinion about it.”

Colyer said his encounter with a Bigfoot-type creature occurred in Liberty County just off the Trinity River. He said while he and his wife were walking a trail at dusk, they spotted a hairy, reddish brown figure with a musky smell crossing the trail.

“I was in shock, in total awe,” he said. “From there, legend became a reality. I don’t care if people don’t believe me. That’s what I saw.”

“It is strange and it is bizarre. It’s difficult for most people to believe. But we need to be aware of the facts. It can exist. We know that Gigantopithecus blacki once existed. So it’s not that far of a stretch.”

Researchers say Gigantopithecus blacki is an extinct genus of ape that lived hundreds of thousands of years ago in China and other parts of Asia.

“It was a species. We assume it’s extinct, but this may be what people are seeing,” Colyer said. “It’s tough for people to wrap their minds around it.”

FIGHTING STEREOTYPES

Attendees at the conference came from various backgrounds and ages. Baylor University sociologist Carson Mencken told the audience that while the typical casual Bigfoot believer has been someone from a low socioeconomic group, a minority and/or has a nonprofessional vocation, there are plenty of educated professionals who are interested in researching the creature. He said the Bigfoot believer as a backwoods eccentric is a product of media hype.

“The media likes interesting stories. They are more interested in finding strange people with tin foil on their heads. We want to dispel those stereotypes.”

He added, “It’s not just gullible people that didn’t go to school. We have people of all walks of life doing research on Bigfoot.”

Lance Hightower, of Tulsa, Okla., is an example of the not-so-typical Bigfoot enthusiast. He attended the conference for the first time with his 11-year-old son, Sterling.

“I fell into a weird category,” he said. “I’m a minority, I’m self-employed, a professional and I’m a doctor.”

Hightower said he’s been drawn to Bigfoot lore since he was a young boy. He said he came to the conference to be among other “like-minded people” who are serious about the subject.

“Since I was (Sterling’s) age I’ve always been fascinated with Bigfoot,” he said. “It really wasn’t until a brother of mine had an encounter that it began to resurface my interest.”

Hightower said his brother and a friend had a close encounter with a large ape-like figure while relaxing at a riverbank. He said the creature chased them as they fled in their truck.

“He waited two years to tell me that story and he’s told it to me five or six times since then and the story’s never changed,” Hightower said.

Hightower said his Christian faith does not keep him from believing Bigfoot exists.

“God made everything. Why can’t he still make a creature like this that we’ve never seen?”

An avid outdoorsman, Hightower said he hopes to one day spot Bigfoot as he continues his own research.

A FORMER SKEPTIC

Bob Gimlin, the man who partnered with Roger Patterson to record the first sighting of Bigfoot, was at the conference. He signed autographs and took photos with admirers.

“I came down here because I feel people are interested in coming to these conferences and I want to enlighten thing about my experience,” he said.

Patterson recorded the infamous video of a supposed Bigfoot on Oct. 20, 1967. Gimlin said rights were sold to different companies in 1972 and since then, the famous image of an ape-like creature in mid-stride has surfaced around the world. He said he has made no money from it. Gimlin recounted that day at a creek in northern California.

“I was pretty much a skeptic at the time,” he said. “We were hoping to see one but didn’t think we’d see one. Some people claim it was fake, that it was a man wearing a suit. It’s been hashed out for 42 years.”

Gimlin said he was frightened by the creature that’s estimated to be about 7-4 and weighed between 500 and 800 pounds.

“My heart was jumping up and down inside my body,” he said. “When you see something that’s nearly 8 feet tall covered with hair and is not supposed to exist, it makes you pretty scared.”

He added, “I know it was real. This is America, where you can have whatever thought you want and say what you think.”

WHAT NEXT?

Colyer said scientists claim there are 10 million species yet to be discovered and 10,000 to 20,000 new species are discovered every year. He said five new primates have been classified in this decade. Bigfoot believers say if science proves the creature exists, it would be time for government-funded research that might lend a clue into the history of human beings.

“That’s when the real fun begins,” Colyer said. “Maybe anthropology books would have to be rewritten.”

Most accounts of a Bigfoot sighting indicate that the creature is not violent and is often frightened by humans. Believers say they do not want to hurt or capture the animal.

“I think you appreciate it. You protect it,” Hightower said.

Sean Whitley, of Dallas, produced a documentary called “Southern Fried Bigfoot.” It was filmed in parts of East Texas and draws attention to suspected sightings in the South as some believe Bigfoot only appears in the northwest. His film debuted on the Documentary Channel in the spring.

“I keep and open mind. I don’t believe or disbelieve,” he said. “I leave it up to the audience to make their minds up.”

Attendees participated in a survey and submitted results halfway through the conference. One result indicated that 70 percent of those participating thought that Bigfoot’s existence would be confirmed within the next 10 years.

Original article in the Tyler Morning Telegraph.

With the 2009 Texas Bigfoot Conference right around the corner, speakers are preparing to present information on Bigfoot sightings and research to audience members.

The Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy, a Plano-based nonprofit organization, is preparing to hold the all-day scientific conference, which will include about a dozen speakers, Saturday at the D.K. Caldwell Auditorium, 301 S. College Ave. Saturday’s event is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Following the conference, a fundraiser banquet dinner will be held from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Discovery Science Place, 308 N. Broadway Ave., and will feature a special presentation by wildlife author, photographer and naturalist Peter Matthiessen.

Daryl Colyer, vice chairman of the TBRC board of directors, will be one of the speakers at the conference.

He said he and other TBRC members volunteer their time to participate in the organization, with the sole mission of proving that a Bigfoot-type animal does exist.

Volunteers talk to witnesses who report sightings of the animal and then follow up on sightings that are deemed possibly credible, Colyer said.

Some months, he said, they may get four of five reports, and out of every 10 reports, there are probably two or three worth checking.

At Saturday’s conference, Colyer plans to discuss frequently asked questions with attendees, such as, “Why are there no bones?” and “What does it eat?”

He said they don’t have physical evidence of what it eats, but they do have credible reports from people who’ve seen something tall and upright walking off with chickens from their farm or even fishing.

At the conference, Colyer said he hopes to reach people who are immediately dismissive of the idea of a Bigfoot/Sasquatch.

“It’s been a very frustrating and difficult thing to try to get people to take the subject seriously. ... Hopefully, we can just chip away a little bit at that and get some to take it a little bit more seriously,” he said.

TBRC investigator Jerry Hestand said he will talk about how a Bigfoot report is done and the history of TBRC.

“A lot of people look at our Web site and they look at the reports and don’t know exactly how it’s done,” he said.

Among the specific subjects he will address are how witnesses are contacted and how TBRC determines what category a sighting falls under.

Hestand said he will talk to conference attendees about how 40 years ago, there wasn’t the technology to address certain situations.

TBRC scientific adviser Loren Coleman, a cryptozoologist in Portland, Maine, has attended Texas conferences before and is looking forward to Saturday.

“I really enjoy the Texas conferences because, in general, they have a good mix of people,” including women and children, he said. “I just like to visit different parts of the country.”

Coleman also is an author and has assisted television programs.

Wildlife biologist Alton Higgins, an assistant professor at Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City, also will be at the conference.

“We’re very excited about the possibility of having a good turnout,” Higgins said. “I’m looking forward to meeting speakers who are coming.”

Higgins has talked about many subjects at past conferences, such as handprints, human and ape body proportions and biological illustration projects.

This year, because the conference will be in a new venue, he said he was thinking about introducing people to the research TBRC does, discussing the organization’s educational outreach efforts and talking about his 2002 sighting.

“I’ve given talks at a lot of conferences. ... I have gone to different colleges and universities, but I’ve never talked about the fact that I’ve seen one of these things myself,” Higgins said. ”... Probably over half of our speakers, a lot of them like myself, have had sightings.”

According to the TBRC Web site, there have been four reported sightings in Smith County. Descriptions of the incidents can be found at www.texasbigfoot.org.

In a recent sighting, a man captured images of what he thought could be a “Bigfoot” at his home in Kentucky Sept. 1, according to media reports.

Other speakers and guests at the conference include: Esteban Sarmiento, primate biologist; John Mionczynski, wildlife biologist and TBRC adviser; John Bindernagel, wildlife biologist, TBRC advisor and author of North America’s Great Ape: The Sasquatch; Chris Bader and Carsen Mencken, sociologists; Bill Dranginis, developer of non-intrusive “Eye Gotcha” wildlife camera; and Robert Swain, artist and cartoonist.

Bob Gimlin, of Yakima, Wash., also is scheduled to make a guest appearance at the conference.

According to TBRC information, Gimlin and his field partner Roger Patterson filmed a possible female sasquatch in the Six Rivers National Forest of Northern California in 1967.

Hestand said the Bigfoot Conference has grown over the years, going from about 150 people at the first two conferences to 500 to 600 people at the biggest conference.

TBRC would like to have about 800 or 1,000 people at this year’s conference, he said.

The conference will serve as a fundraiser for the organization, with all proceeds going toward the TBRC camera project and new equipment.

“We hope to keep growing (in attendance at the conference). ... We want to watch Tyler’s back and they watch ours,” he said. “We’d like to see it (become an) annual event in Tyler where we make money and the city makes money.”

ECONOMIC IMPACT

Shari Rickman, vice president of the Tyler Convention and Visitors Bureau/Conventions, said Tyler is looking at an estimated economic impact of $40,000 from the conference, due in part to food, lodging, general spending and the renting of buildings.

“We saw the potential of what this conference can bring to the city, not only economically, but also opening (Tyler) up to people who have never been here before,” she said, adding that people could decide to move to Tyler after attending an event, come back for vacation or decide to retire in the city.

Ms. Rickman expressed her appreciation to the community for its efforts with the conference.

“I get support for any conferences coming into (Tyler). We live in a really great and unique community where people are willing to give of their time,” she said.

General admission to the event is $15, but a pre-paid package is available for $60 for premium reserved seating at the conference, as well as a ticket to the dinner.

For more information on the conference, visit www.texasbigfoot.org.

Original article in the Tyler Morning Telegraph.

Fifty years ago construction worker Jerry Crew found his tracks; today biologists pursue him by high-tech means. We are talking about Bigfoot, America’s legendary creature.

People who have supposedly seen Bigfoot in various locales of the USA describe the creature as two to three meters tall, hairy and with ape-like facial features. Also notable are the gait and gigantic footprints left behind. This last feature prompted journalist Andrew Genzoli to coin the term Bigfoot. Nowadays, many prefer the term Sasquatch, a name of North American native derivation, originally meaning “Lord of the Forest.” Is it possible that such a creature can lead its life these days, hidden away from science?

Enormous and Black

Alton Higgins belongs to a growing group of persons who have encountered Bigfoot. And he isn’t just anybody: Alton Higgins is a biologist and teaches at Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City. “Theoretically, I can’t claim to have seen a bigfoot, in that the existence of this creature has not been proven.” Nevertheless, Higgins claims to have seen an animal in 2002 in Oklahoma that is not contained in any guide to mammals. “I saw a gigantic, black animal, which ran away from me with great speed on two legs,” says the 57 year-old. He observed the animal from a distance of about 40 m under perfect viewing conditions.

Higgins has pursued Bigfoot for 10 years. In 1998 he found a 40 cm long footprint in Washington State. “I couldn’t assign it to any known animal.” Today he is a member of the Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy, a group of scientists and outdoor enthusiasts who operate under the banner of the documentation and protection of Bigfoot. “We have installed roughly 30 camera traps in the wilderness of Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma.” To date, no Bigfoot has crossed the infrared beam to trigger one of the traps.

Search by a Swiss Researcher

For 50 years people like Alton Higgins have searched for proof of the existence of Bigfoot. At the end of the fifties construction worker Jerry Crew found gigantic footprints in the vicinity of the California town of Willow Creek and cast them in plaster of Paris. The photo of him posing with the cast was publicized around the world. It was the starting bell for the search for Bigfoot. Always at the forefront of these efforts was the Swiss René Dahinden. He immigrated from Luzern to Canada in 1953 and spent his life searching for the creature.

From colonial days through to the present day, people supposedly encountered the big-footed creatures time and again; even the native Indians reported the sasquatch. But what, in fact, is a sasquatch? For Jeff Meldrum, an anthropologist at Idaho State University, the answer is Gigantopithecus, a gigantic ape that lived in prehistoric Asia. “Giganto” is considered to have immigrated to North America by way of the Bering land bridge. That sounds reasonable to Alton Higgins: “Gigantopithecus is a good candidate, but what that theory demonstrates above all is that the sasquatch is not a biological absurdity. Such an animal thrived at one time, and there are no biological or ecological reasons why it couldn’t exist today.”

Believers and Fakers

Higgins and Meldrum are among the few scientific advocates of Bigfoot. In 2002 they received prominent support from the well-known chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall. She revealed in a radio interview that she believes in the existence of Bigfoot, stating, “I am sure that it exists.” Discussions with American Indians had convinced her.

However, many of Goodall’s colleagues think otherwise. David Daegling, an anthropologist at the University of Florida, seriously doubts the existence of Bigfoot. “How can such a large animal remain undiscovered, when it has been looked for for decades? To date, nobody has found bones or other remains of Bigfoot. But that should have happened.” For Daegling, Bigfoot is not a biological phenomenon, but a sociological one: “It is basically an interaction of, on the one hand, Bigfoot believers, for whom it has profound significance – for example as a symbol of raw nature – such that they can’t dismiss it as a myth, and, on the other hand, of fakers, who lay down Bigfoot prints and fake other evidence.” Thereby arise mistaken and imaginary details.

Why no Remains?

It is clear to Alton Higgins that his sighting was not imaginary. “It was no bear and it wasn’t a man,” said Higgins. “Many people in that area have similar reports.” Higgins has explanations why no remains have been found in 50 years. “The sasquatch is rare, it has a long life span, and it decays rapidly after death.” The latter argument holds for other animals as well. “In the USA there are millions of white-tailed deer, but you hardly ever find their bones.”

It is questionable whether Bigfoot will one day leave the realm of legend for that of biological reality. Conversely, it is a fact that new species are constantly being discovered. Recently, the World Wildlife Fund published a report about discoveries in the Mekong Delta area. Over 1,000 new species of plants and animals were found there, including a new species of deer. Even among primates, major discoveries are rather recent: The first scientific description of the Mountain Gorilla was provided only in 1903. Prior to its discovery it was considered to be a myth, a product of the imagination of adventurers.

This article was originally published on 3 May 2009 in the Swiss newspaper Zentralschweiz am Sonntag (Central Switzerland on Sunday).

REFERENCES

Daegling, David. (2004). Bigfoot Exposed: An Anthropologist Examines America's Enduring Legend. 276 pp. AltaMira Press. Walnut Creek, California.
Meldrum, Jeff. (2006). Sasquatch: Legends Meets Science. 304 pp. Forge Books. New York, NY.
The Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy, www.texasbigfoot.org.

Bigfoot, Sasquatch, Hairy Man, Booger, Wildman. Whatever you prefer to call it; there have been four reported sightings of the elusive creature right here in Smith County.

Coon hunters observed an unknown “animal” south of Tyler in 1963; a couple parked at Lake Palestine had a late night encounter in 1973; three teens report a sighting on Blackhawk Creek near Whitehouse in 2001; and a man has repeated encounters at his residence near Tyler in 2002. Descriptions of the incidents can be found at www.texasbigfoot.org.

Around midnight, deep in the woods, a group of coon hunters claim they “saw a huge animal of some sort, covered in red fur, flaying its arms and making a dreadful howling noise …”

“We saw something very large standing on two feet … It was large, dark and hairy. We could not see details,” a woman reports what she saw while parked with her fiance on a cliff overlooking Lake Palestine late at night.

The sun had just set when some fisherman saw “a big hairy white man like thing” jump out from behind a tree, look at them, then jump a creek—which was far too wide for the average human to jump—before running away.

Daryl Colyer, vice chair of the board of directors of the Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy (TBRC) grew up hearing lots of stories and has had a few encounters with an unexplainable creature, beginning in 2004. He also volunteers as an investigator for the organization, interviewing people who report sightings, and he will be one of the speakers at the Texas Bigfoot Conference, which is heading to Tyler this year.

TEXAS BIGFOOT CONFERENCE
For those who have seen Bigfoot or are forever in pursuit of the manlike creature, the conference will bring “an impressive list of speakers who present the latest in Bigfoot sightings and research,” according to the TBRC, which has about 50 members.

The Plano-based nonprofit organization is preparing to hold the all-day scientific conference, which will include about a dozen speakers, Sept. 26 at the D.K. Caldwell Auditorium, 301 S. College Ave.

The doors will open at 8:30 a.m. and Colyer will be the first speaker at 9:05 a.m. The conference will conclude with a discussion panel of all the speakers, ending at 6 pm.

Colyer said they are hoping to see 500 to 1,000 people attend the conference, which will be held in Tyler for the first time this year. The conference, which began with 100-150 people in attendance, has been held for the last eight years in Jefferson. He said it has grown in size and ambition and he thinks this year is the best list of speakers they’ve had.

The answer to the mystery of bigfoot is funding and the conference is all about increasing its funds to improve its efforts, Colyer said. They are all volunteers, he added.

Colyer, of Lorena, said about 90 percent of the people he’s talked to who claim they have seen Bigfoot are misidentifications and jokes. But the other 10 percent seem very plausible and are made by credible people, he said. Colyer also helps with the checking and upkeep of camera traps set around Texas. “That’s how we spend our time and resources,” he said.

“So far we don’t have the evidence that’s needed,” Colyer said. People are understandably skeptical that Bigfoot exists but he believes that if they can get a good, clear photograph or video of the creature, people would be inclined to join in.

“We’re hoping to solve this mystery,” he said. “We’re actually pretty serious about it.”

Following the conference, a fundraiser banquet dinner will be held from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the Discovery Science Place, 308 N. Broadway Ave., and will feature a special presentation by wildlife author, photographer and naturalist Peter Matthiessen, who wrote the Snow Leopard.

General admission to the event is $15 but a pre-paid package is available for $60 for premium reserved seating at the conference and lunch, as well as a ticket to the dinner.

Speakers at the conference include: Esteban Sarmiento, primate biologist; John Mioncynzski, wildlife biologist and TBRC adviser; John Bindernagel, wildlife biologist, TBRC advisor and author of North America’s Great Ape: the Sasquatch; Alton Higgins, wildlife biologist and TBRC investigator; Chris Bader and Carsen Mencken, sociologists; Bill Dranginis, developer of non-intrusive “Eye Gotcha’ wildlife camera; Jerry Hestand, TBRC investigator; Daryl Colyer, TBRC investigator; and Robert Swain, artist and cartoonist.

The TBRC is funded by membership dues, fundraisers, donations, grants and the annual conference. The TBRC desires to enhance the credibility of bigfoot/sasquatch research and facilitate a greater degree of acceptance by the scientific community and other segments of society of the likelihood of a biological basis behind the Sasquatch mystery.

Members and advisers of the TBRC have been featured on the History Channel’s MonsterQuest; the Travel Channel’s Weird Travels; and the Discovery Channel’s Legend Meets Science.

The host hotel offering a discounted price for the event is the Tyler Sleep Inn and Suites, at 5555 S. Donnybrook Ave. Overflow hotels in Tyler include the Baymont Inn and Suites, Country Inn and Suites, Comfort Suites and the Quality Inn Conference Center.

For more information, visit: www.texasbigfoot.org.

(Link to original article in the Tyler Morning Telegraph.)

It seems that new and surprising discoveries regarding the behavior, intelligence, and ingenuity of the great apes are being made on an astoundingly regular basis. This past week scientists revealed a startling discovery regarding chimpanzees. In a study published in the International Journal of Primatology, scientists in the Republic of Congo reported that wild chimpanzees arm themselves with large clubs crafted from branches to pound the nests of bees in order to gain access to the honey inside. In addition, these same chimps also put together “toolkits” made up of different sized wooden implements to help in their quest for the sweet treat.

Primatologists have long been aware that chimps love honey and will go to great lengths to get it. Previous studies have noted how these apes fashion and shape sticks to dip into or pry open nests; however, until now, no one knew just how far chimpanzees would go to gain access to honey. Dr. Crickette Sanz, of the Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, said, “It seems these chimps in central Africa have developed more sophisticated techniques for getting at the honey than populations in eastern and western Africa – maybe it is some kind of regional feature.” He added, “These nests are tough to get into – they can be at the top of the forest canopy, at the end of a branch – and the chimps will go up there and hang at all sorts of precarious angles to get to the honey, using these clubs in any way that they can to access it.” Video footage, taken during four years of observation by researchers, shows chimpanzees pounding concrete-hard nests over 1000 times. Researchers observed some chimps take well over 1000 swings in the morning, stop and rest several hours, and then return in the afternoon to take another 1000 or so swings before finally breaking through and gaining access to the honey.

The chimpanzees of the Congo are also using tools of a more subtle type in their beehive raids. David Morgan, one of the co-authors of the study, from the Wildlife Conservation Society and Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo, said, “One of the most exciting aspects is that they are using multiple tools to access the honey that is in these hives.” Morgan and the other researchers noted the use of “toolkits” made up of the large pounding clubs, smaller and thinner “dipping wands,” and smaller sticks used for gaining enough leverage to open a hive. Researchers observed the chimps fashioning these tools and then setting them aside for later use. “They cache them in the canopy,” said Dr. Morgan. This behavior seems to point to forethought and an understanding, at least of some level, of the future. A comparable behavior was reported a few weeks ago in a study of a captive chimp, housed in the Furuvik Zoo. The chimp, named Santino, was observed collecting and fashioning throwing-sized rocks in the morning, creating a hidden cache of these rocks, and then accessing and throwing them at zoo patrons in the afternoon. It seems evident that great apes evaluate the future in ways that are much more complex than previously thought.

Considering this new information, the “wood knocking” behavior sometimes proposed for the sasquatch seems all the more plausible. Even though there have been no visual reports of a sasquatch hitting a large limb against a tree, this should not be surprising, given that chimpanzees, a species long known to exist, have only recently been seen whacking limbs against trees for purposes of extracting honey. It is suspected by some that wood knock sounds heard in remote wooded areas may be attributable to the sasquatch; such sounds have been reported, and recorded, many times. These sounds are said to be distinctly different than the sounds of even the largest woodpeckers. Further, the sounds are often identified at night. Members of the TBRC have heard and recorded such knocks in the woods of East Texas, generally in the middle of the night in extremely remote areas where the involvement of other humans was considered highly unlikely.

The most common theory put forth by researchers who believe the wood-knocking sounds are attributable to the sasquatch centers on communication as the purpose. Others have hypothesized that it is actually an attempt to intimidate and drive off intruders. Perhaps a new theory can now be offered: it is possible, after observing chimpanzees of the Congo pounding bee hives in search of honey, that the wood knocking reportedly heard on occasion in the deep woods of North America is actually an aspect of some sort of food searching activity. Could sasquatches be pounding on trees in an effort to get to some sort of food source like termites or other insects? Porcupines, bears, and other animals strip bark from trees in searches for food. These animals have the benefit of claws to remove bark. Assuming the sasquatch is at least as intelligent as the known great apes, and has no claws, it is not difficult to imagine individuals of the species using crude clubs to hit trees so as to gain access to whatever resources might be found inside. 

With every revelation of newly observed great ape behavior and their incredible cognitive abilities, the plausibility of a rare and elusive species such as the sasquatch inhabiting remote pockets of North American forests becomes increasingly augmented.

Source:

BBC News/Science & Environment.

A widely publicized study, authored by Mathias Osvath, a Ph.D. candidate at Lund University, seems to indicate some startling information about the intellectual capacities of the chimpanzee. In particular, Osvath studied the territorial displays of a captive chimpanzee named Santino. The observed behaviors of this particular chimpanzee seem to prove that apes are very much aware of the future and can plan ahead for it just as humans do.

According to a report on Osvath’s work in the journal Current Biology, Santino, a chimpanzee residing at Sweden’s Furuvik Zoo, collected a stash of rocks during periods of calm, stashed them away, and then hurled them at unsuspecting zoo visitors who gawked and laughed at his daily territorial displays. Because the enclosure is relatively rock free, and many of the stones Santino launched at visitors were covered in algae, it was inferred that he initially collected many of his stones from the waters of the moat surrounding his enclosure. However, in looking to supplement his arsenal, Santino went so far as to probe the artificial concrete “boulders” in his enclosure seeking weak spots. Once located, the chimp knocked off chunks of the material to add to his weapons cache. If the collected concrete was too large to easily toss, Santino worked at breaking it into more manageably sized pieces. Even more impressive is that Santino did all of his collecting in the morning hours before the zoo opened and waited until midday before raining down his collection upon zoo patrons.

“These observations,” Osvath said, “convincingly show that our fellow apes do consider the future in a very complex way.” Osvath also stated, “It implies that they have a highly developed consciousness, including lifelike mental simulations of potential events.” Osvath based his findings not only on his own observations, but those of three zoo caretakers who followed the chimp’s behavior for 10 years at the Furuvik zoo. He added, “It is very special that he first realizes that he can make these (throwing sized projectiles) and then plans on how to use them. This is more complex than what has been showed before. The fact that the ape stayed calm while preparing his weapons but used them when he was extremely agitated proves that the planning behavior was not based on an immediate emotional drive.”

Joseph Call, author of a 2006 study of orangutan and bonobo behaviors conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, did say that it is unclear as to how typical this level of intelligence might be in chimpanzees as a species. “It could be that he is a genius, only more research will tell.” He did add, “On the other hand, our research showed the same (awareness of the future and ability to plan ahead) in orangutans and bonobos. So, he is not alone.” Studies by Susan Savage-Rumbaugh, on the language abilities of the bonobo, also seem to indicate a greater deal of awareness and planning among the great apes than humanity had assumed.

The connection to sasquatch research is fairly obvious. There have been many reports of sasquatches throwing sticks or rocks at witnesses, including some of the earliest recorded reports. For instance the famous Mt. Saint Helen’s area Ape Canyon incident of 1924, reported by prospector Fred Beck, included reports of rocks hurled at the cabin where Beck and his companions bunked. While some retellings of the story have the attackers dislodging boulders, which undoubtedly adds to the drama, Beck himself disputed these claims. As Beck noted in his short book on the incident, “Most accounts tell of giant boulders being hurled against the cabin, and say some even fell through the roof, but this was not quite the case. There were very few large rocks around in that area. It is true that many smaller ones were hurled at the cabin, but they did not break through the roof, but hit with a bang, and rolled off.” Going back further still, the diary of Elkanah Walker (an early missionary to the Spokane people), relates stories he heard from natives about a “race of giants” inhabiting “a certain mountain off to the west.” It is believed by many that the mountain Walker was referencing was Mt. Saint Helens. However the most intriguing part of Walker’s entry on the “giants” isn’t which mountain they lived on, but their behavior toward their human neighbors. “It is not uncommon for them to come in the night,” he wrote, “and give three whistles and then the stones will begin to hit their houses.”

This type of reported behavior has often been scoffed at by many in the media and even the scientific community as being too fantastic to be believable. However, now that this behavior has been observed in several different species of great apes, accounts of witnesses having rocks rained down upon them, their cabins, tents, or vehicles seem much more plausible.

Of even more interest though, is the notion that great apes seem to have an understanding of how possible future events may play out and, therefore, make contingency plans for them. While to Walker such reports were so fantastic that he labeled them “superstitions,” and Beck was so shaken by the capacities of the apes that attacked him that he came to believe they were supernatural or spiritual beings, it could very well be that the behaviors these men heard of and experienced were so disconcerting because, to their minds, they were outside the realm of possibility for known animals of any kind, including primates. Could it be that, rather than encountering “mountain devils” as Beck would contend, hikers, campers, and fishermen who have had rocks rain down on them have simply stumbled too close to the actual nest or breeding area of a sasquatch? Perhaps these types of reports should be examined more closely than a typical sighting report (if, indeed, there is such a thing as a typical sighting report). Based on the behaviors observed in Santino the chimpanzee, it may not be so far-fetched to think it possible that a bigfoot might stash rocks or limbs in several locations around its true home to be used in the event an intruder wanders just a bit too close.

By far the most commonly reported response of the sasquatch to human interlopers is simply to walk away. The stick or rock throwing is a very different, and apparently more aggressive, behavior. What could elicit such a seemingly atypical response? If the inferences we draw from Santino’s territorial displays and associated rock throwing apply to the sasquatch, if could be that the intruder was too close to the animal’s home, young, or main food source. If true, such areas might yield positive results if monitored closely over long periods of time.

And what if a rock strikes a researcher? Well, if it results in definitive documentation, a bump on the head might just be a small price to pay for the discovery of the century.

Sources:

BBC News/Science & Environment.

Beck, Fred; told to Ronald Beck. (1967). I Fought the Apemen of Ape Canyon, Mount St. Helens, WA.

Drury, Clifford. (1976). Nine Years with the Spokane Indians: the Diary, 1838-1848, of Elkanah Walker. The Arthur H. Clarke Company, Glendale, CA. 

ScienceDirect.com: Current Biology. Volume 19, Issue 5, pages 190-191, 10 March 2009. Spontaneous planning for future stone throwing by a male chimpanzee.

Susan Savage-Rumbaugh. Apes that write, start fires and play Pac-man.

The itinerant Brian Brown talks with TBRC biologist Alton Higgins on location in Oklahoma and Texas regarding a multi-year investigation of sasquatch activity near a rural Native American community.

This podcast, entitled BIPcast 4: Sasquatch on the Oklahoma Prairie, is the fourth in a series of podcasts, and features TBRC biologist Alton Higgins as well as private investigator Roger Roberts of Tulsa. The interviews were conducted in mid-2007.

BIPcasts are made possible by The Bigfoot Information Project.

Listen to BIPcast 4: Sasquatch on the Oklahoma Prairie.

Also, be sure to catch BIPcast 5: Bigfoot in the Big Thicket.

In a brief Daily Mail (U.K.) article, revered wildlife expert Sir David Attenborough is quoted stating, “There is very convincing evidence that yetis exist.” He goes on to say, “I am baffled by the Abominable Snowman – very convincing footprints have been found at 19,000 feet. No one does that for a joke. I think it’s unanswered.” Attenborough made the comments during the BBC program Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on 27 February 2009.

Attenborough is not the first prominent wildlife expert to go on record saying there is convincing evidence that undiscovered large primates may exist in remote areas of the planet. Renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall said in a 2002 interview on NPR’s Talk of the Nation: Science Friday with Ira Flatow, “You will be amazed when I tell you that I’m sure that they (bigfoot/yetis) exist.”

It is encouraging to see established wildlife experts like Sir David Attenborough and Dr. Jane Goodall going on record and acknowledging that compelling evidence that such species exist is out there and warrants a closer look. Hopefully the positions of these two well known, respected, and established scientists will serve to interest others in the scientific establishment to look into this mystery. The TBRC takes the position that these animals could be documented if properly trained and funded teams were given enough time. Unfortunately, few established scientists are willing to go out on the “sasquatch limb.” Perhaps it is no coincidence that Attenborough and Goodall waited until this point in their careers to make their proclamations. Making public their thoughts on the sasquatch and/or yeti at earlier points in their careers, assuming they have held these opinions for some time, could have endangered the funding for their life’s work and irrevocably damaged their reputations within the scientific community.

Perhaps, with the help of respected researchers like Attenborough and Goodall, the tide can be turned and this subject will no longer represent career suicide for interested scientists. More than any photo or DNA sequence, a greater willingness to risk curiosity may be the breakthrough that must occur before the “discovery of the century” can take place. It may also prove to be just as difficult to achieve.

Source: The Daily Mail Online; NPR's Talk of the Nation with Ira Flatow: Sasquatch Legends Meets Science.