Introduction


Introduction


	“ Either the most complex and sophisticated hoax in the history of Anthropology has continued for centuries without being exposed or the most manlike and largest non human primate has managed to survive in parts of North America and remains undiscovered by modern science. ”

		( Prof G.W.Gill - President of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology )

Can a Bigfoot really exist in the real world? This sixty four thousand Dollar question has intrigued me for over 20 years. I can remember exactly when i became interested in the Bigfoot mystery, and it all started with a film. ...The Legend of Boggy Creek. The film tells the story a terrifying creature inhabiting the swamplands of fourke, Arkansaw. But what intrigued me the most was that creature was Humanoid in appearance. Monsters in the real world, such as the Loch ness monster were always large creatures who bore no resemblance to ourselves. Hominoid monsters were only ever seen within the fictional world of Film and TV. Films such as The creature from the Black Lagoon, The Thing and and The Wolf Man were but a tiny drop in the ocean of Hollywood Horror output.


	The legend of Boggy Creek changed all that as far as i was concerned. Human like creatures inhabiting the dark areas of America were no longer within the realms of fantasy, but had suddenly leapt out in to the real world. People were actually seeing these creatures. They were not attention seeking crackpots, but honest to the core individuals who really believed what they saw.

	Here then was a classic monster in the woods scenario and my appetite was thus wetted. And the reason why millions of people find the Bigfoot Phenomenon so fascinating, according to Peter Byrne “...could be that it is, in this day and age, one of the last great unsolved and unexplained mysteries of this shrinking world of ours”.(1)

	Stories of tall ape like creatures, have been told seemingly from the beginning of human history. In ancient literature, The Epic of Gilgamesh from Babylon features a hairy monster called Enkidu,

and the Anglo-Saxon story of Beowulf describes Grendle as a hairy giant who walks upright. Even in modern times, the stories, myths and legends are still all around us. In Nepal, the creatures are know as ‘Yeti’ (or the ‘abominable snowman’ in western culture.)

In Mongolia, they are known as Alma and unlike the yeti which the sherpas regard as spiritual, the alma is seen as a natural living creature. The chinese have stories of tall hairy ape creatures inhabiting the dark forests of southern China. Further apart, there is the ‘Yowie’. An Australian wildman, who is seen as more ape than human. And of course in North America there is Bigfoot and Sasquatch in Canada


	It is the North American/Canadian Ape creature that this website is dedicated to. And in order to avoid confusion i will


	refer to the creature as bigfoot, rather than its geographic name such as Omah (Northern California), or Sasquatch (British Columbia). Also, although ‘Bigfoot’ is a singular word and means only one, when using it, the word ‘bigfoot’ refers to more than one creature. Although mainstream scientists scoff at the suggestion that these creatures actually existy, there are however a number of brave individuals who have been prepared to spend time and effort in trying to solve the mystery one way or the other. People like John Green, Grover Kranz and Peter Byrne have been involved in Bigfoot research from the very beginning and they have paved the way for a new breed of researchers that have come to the fore. People like Prof Jeff Muldrum, Matt Moneymaker and John Bindernagel.

		One of the key elements of the Bigfoot Phenomenon is undoubtedly the weight of evidence. From visual sightings to Photographic and video footage, it has been coming

thick and fast over the years. However it must be pointed out that hoaxing cannot be ruled out when ascertaining the explanations for the ‘evidence’. However i find it hard to believe that every piece of evidence spanning several hundred years can be easily explained away as hoaxes. Footprints have been found in virtually every State of North America and dates back many decades. Skeptics however argue that they are merely misidentified tracks of other animals such as bears, but the tracks evidently bears (no pun intended) more resemblence to human footprints than those of bears

Perhaps the most significant piece of evidence in my opinion is the famous (or infamous) Patterson film. The 652 frames of grainy footage, is perhaps the most viable evidence to support the creatures existance. Or its just a man in a suit. Shot in Bluff Creek California in 1967, The film appears to show a female Bigfoot, caught unware and then nervously striding away from the cameraman, Roger Patterson. This piece of footage has given rise to more fiery debate and impassioned arguments from both sides of the fence than any other piece of Bigfoot Evidence.

If we make the assumption that these creatures exist then the big question is, where within evolutionary biology do they fit in. One theory suggests that Bigfoot is a descendent of Gigantapithicus Blackii. A long extinct South East Asian gorilla who may have migrated to North America via the bearing strait land bridge. The missing link theory is popular amongst bigfoot enthusiasts. Basically, Bigfoot represents the missing link between Man and ape as stipulated in Darwins Theory . Indeed, according the Theory of Evolution, Bigfoot should exist.

Another Theory has a more Paranormal explanation and suggests that Bigfoot is in fact from another dimension and is able to move ‘interdimensionally’ at will. This would explain the lack of physical evidence of the creatures existance.

So going back to the original question, deos bigfoot exist? Well, i believe that the more one researches the Bigfoot mystery, the more likely he/she will be in accepting the phenomenon as a valid subject for scientific enquiry, and who knows, in the not too distant future a new animal will be catalogued by the Natural History Museam and Bigfoot will take its place alongside the great apes as living, breathing animals.


	Bibliography

	1. Peter Byrne. The Search for Big foot. Monster, Myth or Man?. (1975) Pocket Books.