Bigfoot Cover up?

An article titled Bigfoot Researcher Believes US Forest Service Covers-up Bigfoot raises the question of a conspiracy to keep Bigfoot's exiistence secret. Why? So the US Forest Service doesn't have to deal with yahoo's running into the woods looking and to protect logging. That doesn't make sense to me. Logging would continue even if Bigfoot was discovered with restrictions on proven habitats and populations and the Forest Service would get more money to protect an Endangered Species. Plus, think of the money the Forest Service would make if he/she blew the whistle and produced evidence?

From the article:

Bigfoot Researcher and author William Jevning has gone to Twitter to post what he believes to be a possible US Forest Service cover-up in the matters of Bigfoot.

The story was posted by Craig Woolheater over at Cryptomundo  and I just happen to stumble across it. Craig, being the good guy that he is, has gone through the tedious task of arranging Mr. Jevning’s tweets that where posted in reverse order (oldest twit on bottom) on the Twitter page.

So what did tweet say? Well it turns out that the author might have uncovered an attempt at covering up some proof of the infamous mythical creature known as Bigfoot. Mr. Jevning’s reveals in his tweet that upon being called to investigate thousands of possible Bigfoot tracks found by hunters, he was surprised when he arrived at the alleged location of the prints only to find that the US Forest Service had “washed” away every single track.

Bigfoot quest: Siberia drafts in the pros

Well, I think Bigfoot may be in Siberia. It is large and mostly uninhabited. This article (Bigfoot quest: Siberia drafts in the pros) has more details.

From the article:

The search for Siberia’s Bigfoot is gaining pace. Local authorities, who have been trying to catch the elusive – and possibly mythical – creature for years, have called on the help of professional yeti researchers.
Siberian Kemerovo is one of the few places where relic hominids are thought to be living, along with the Himalayas, the American Pacific Northwest and other remote regions. Since 2009, hunters have reported seeing two-meter-tall ape-like animals in the Tashtagol area, and footprints believed to belong to the creatures have been found in the Azass Cave.

The local administration has been promoting the Bigfoot as a tourist attraction since 2009 and even established a “Day of the Bigfoot” festival. However, the one thing missing from an array of yeti souvenirs are actual pictures of the beast. It declined to reveal itself to local deputies when they held a session in the cave and has so far failed to pose for a live webcam streaming video from its lair.

Last Post

Even though this is a little late...I had tons of fun researching Nessie and really want to go to Scotland to see if I can "find" her. I hope you guys all had a fun c researching your monsters too and that you all have a great summer!!!!

Final thoughts

After spending the last three months researching stories and legends of this mysterious creature, it’s pretty much impossible not to have developed some opinions on the validity of some of these reported sightings. I definitely believe that people who report seeing large flying creatures are certainly seeing something. However, I’m not entirely convinced that what these people are seeing are in fact extremely large birds. Most of the information about thunderbirds comes from ­eyewitness accounts. I find it odd that no solid evidence—in the form of bones or other types of remains—has been found that would corroborate stories of extremely large birds, especially ones with capabilities like those reportedly belonging to thunderbirds.

I think a reasonable thing to do when exploring thunderbird sightings is to consider the possibility that people are really seeing massively large birds, but instead of these creatures being undiscovered cryptids of mythical proportions, perhaps they are just species of known birds that witnesses are just vastly overstating in size and appearance.

The reports of thunderbirds are compelling, and these creatures have a long history in both our culture and the cultures of other groups of people that have come before us. There is a large body of research and other work revolving around sightings of these creatures. Some aspects of that research are more credible than others. However, I really think that until we find a “smoking gun,” likely in the form of a mass sighting or the recovery of an actual specimen, the thunderbird will remain simply a legend and a character in some incredible stories.

The best thunderbird book I came across

I had a difficult time locating good books to use for sources within Wilson Library. There was a decent amount of literature on general cryptozoology, but not a lot that was specifically focused on thunderbirds. I had better luck checking out Google Books, where I found a digital copy of Thunderbirds: America’s Living Legends of Giant Birds, which was written by authors Mark A. Hall, Loren Coleman and Mark Lee Rollins (Hall, Coleman, L., and Rollins). This is perhaps the most credible book related to cryptozoology that I came across. The entire volume is dedicated to the thunderbird, including chapters on the history of sightings in modern America, native legends of thunderbirds and possible explanations as to what people who have reported sightings are actually seeing. The amount of cited research in each chapter really stands out. The authors include an extensive series of endnotes and cited information from first-hand interviews, newspaper articles, magazines and other literature. It is written from an analytical standpoint with the intention to document what is verifiably know about thunderbirds as well as information on the people who claim to have seen them. This book was incredibly helpful, and was also a great research aide.

If anyone wants to check out an excellent book on cryptozoology, with solid research and careful referencing, search "Thunderbirds: America's Living Legends of Giant Birds," on Google Books.

Monster Quest Birdzilla episode review

So, I realize I need to catch up a little on a few weeks worth of posts I forgot to put up here over the past month. My apologies in advance for the dump of information. I had a chance to sit down and watch the MonsterQuest episode titled "Birdzilla," the other day, and I have some thoughts.


Link to video


Monster Quest does a pretty fantastic job with this episode. The producers examine the history of thunderbird sightings, recognizing the connection to native mythology. They also contact zoology experts and others who work in professions related to large birds of prey to get expert insight into some of the more famous thunderbird tales. The episode includes original video footage of supposed thunderbirds, and it examines the validity of the footage and reporting sightings while remaining impartial. One of the most interesting segments of the episode deals with the 1977 Illinois report that I mentioned earlier. The producers of Monster Quest were actually able to track down the young boy—now grown up—who claims to have been picked up and carried through the air by an extremely large black bird with a wingspan close to 15 feet.

Whoever posted these episodes put up quite a few additional ones. There's Monster Quest episodes on large killer fish, giant squid and of course the ubiquitous Bigfoot. I was surprised at the care and attention taken to be scientific in these shows. I guess I figured it would be more for entertainment, but the producers obviously are serious about looking for answers.

Last Mermaid Post

The quarter is coming to a close and my paper is wrapping up. After my presentation I focused on devoting my time to diving deeper into the sources I have already discovered. Now, I am working on editing and revising it in preparation to turn it in on Wednesday of finals week. This quarter has been great. I've learned a lot about getting directly to the source of things. I have learned to get passed the modern mermaid into the legends and myths that created it into what it is today.