Police Expert Claims Bigfoot 'Proof'

BBC ^ | 10-2-2003

[blam]

Police expert claims Bigfoot 'proof'

Much bigfoot evidence turns out to be fake

A forensic expert in the US believes he has some of the strongest evidence yet that the Bigfoot, or sasquatch, creature exists. The creatures are real enough to those who say they have spotted them - but most scientists remain sceptical about their existence.

Investigator Jimmy Chilcutt of the Conroe Police Department in Texas, who specialises in finger and footprints, has said he believes he is certain around six footprints found - claimed to have been made by Bigfoot - are genuine.

He added that one 42 cm (18-inch) print found in Washington in 1987 has convinced him.

"The unique thing about this cast is that it has dermal ridges - and the flow and texture matches the ridge flow texture of one from California," Mr Chilcutt told BBC World Service's Discovery programme.

"The ridges are about twice as thick as in a human being."

'Physical evidence'

Before becoming involved in bigfoot studies, Mr Chilcutt had amassed a huge collection of ape and monkey prints as part of a police research project.

I know there's an animal out there, because I've seen the physical evidence
Jimmy Chilcut

He added that the ridge flow pattern was crucial in proving the prints had not been made by a very large-footed human or other primate.

"The ridges run down the side of the foot - in humans, the ridges run across the width of the foot," he said.

"That's what makes it unique. The only other animal I've seen this in is a howler monkey in Costa Rica.

"As a crime scene investigator, I don't deal in what I believe or what I think.

"I examine physical evidence and make a determination... I know there's an animal out there, because I've seen the physical evidence."

The Bigfoot is considered to be a North American version of the yeti of the Himalayas. The name bigfoot comes from several huge, mysterious foot impressions found in 1959 in a Californian forest.

Hundreds of other prints have been found since, although many have turned out to be hoaxes.

"There have been reported sightings in every state of the United States, other than Hawaii and Rhode Island," said Craig Woolheater, director of the Texas Bigfoot Research Center.

"It's not the missing link, it's not an extra-terrestrial, it's just an animal - a flesh-and-blood primate that has learned to be elusive around man and avoids man where possible."

Sightings

Mr Woolheater's organisation investigates about 100 Bigfoot sightings in the state each year - as well as the surrounding states of Arkansas and Louisiana.

Sceptics believe sightings are tricks of the mind

Members use a wide range of technology - remote-controlled cameras, video surveillance systems, night-vision, and thermal imaging - in an effort to get video and photographic evidence of these creatures.

So far it has proved unsuccessful.

However, other evidence gathered through time includes footprints, audio recordings and "limb twists" - where branches of trees have seemingly been twisted by a type of primate with massive strength.

These twists are a common aspect of primate behaviour and Bigfoot hunters say they occur in areas where there have been a number of sightings.

But most of the evidence - such as photographs, hair samples, and even blood - has turned out to be fake.

"There is a significant amount of evidence for Bigfoot - there are tracks, there are fuzzy photographs, there are hair samples, there are sighting reports - the problem is that it's not good evidence," said Benjamin Radford, managing editor of Sceptical Inquirer magazine.

"I liken it to a cup of coffee - if you have many cups of weak coffee, they can't be combined into strong coffee.

"It's the same with scientific evidence. If you have lots of weak evidence, the cumulative effect of the evidence doesn't make it strong evidence - and what science needs to validate a Bigfoot is strong evidence."

Cryptozoology

Bigfoot is probably the best-known of the subjects of "cryptozoology" - the study of hidden creatures.

Some scientists are highly sceptical, believing these creatures to be nothing more than tricks of the mind.

The Bigfoot prints are similar to howler monkeys

"One of the problems - and I know this from my background in psychology - is that it's actually fairly easy to fool ourselves," said Mr Radford.

"What often happens is that people will be out in the wilderness and they'll see something out of the corner of their eye - something dark or hairy or fast - that will surprise or shock them.

"If they're already thinking that there's a Bigfoot in the area, it's easy to make the leap between saying: 'I saw something, I don't know what it is,' to: 'I saw something and it's Bigfoot.'"

But others say it is best to keep an open mind.

"Every now and again big things turn up," Colin Tudge, zoologist and author of the book The Variety Of Life, told Discovery.

"The acarpi - a horse-sized relative of the giraffe - turned up only in the early 20th Century.

"A few years ago somebody discovered an absolutely enormous shark in the ocean.

"The most recent - and I think the most spectacular - is an animal that people think is a goat-antelope, some kind of relative of the shamuar, which has turned up in the forests of Vietnam.

"This is an animal about the size of a Shetland pony with long horns, that nobody even suspected was there until just a few years ago - it was finally identified in about 1994."

[Oztrich Boy]

Sure to help his credibility.

[cmsgop]

Yes, but will they be Outsourced to India?

[GhostofWCooper]

Noone who is a series minded person will believe in sasquatchi, er sasquatches until some redneck bags one and hauls it to the local paper on the hood of his F-250.

If they are out there, this will happen someday.

[NotQuiteCricket]

"...every state of the United States, other than Hawaii and Rhode Island,"

So, what is in Rhode Island that they are avoiding? I can see Hawaii, it being an island and all...but Rhode Island? Just some very sober people living there I guess.

[GhostofWCooper]

I forgot to say,
THAT WOULD BE HUGH!

[GhostofWCooper]

In Rhode island, whatever isn't paved is carpetted. No place to hide (except DNC headquarters) for our smelly friends.

[NotQuiteCricket]

yeah. Well a big føøt bit my sister.

[VadeRetro]

The guy who practically invented Bigfoot confessed all within the last year or two. He created a number of the footprints and photographed his wife in a suit he made for her. I do believe that's her in the photos accompanying this BBC article.

[fqued]

Noone who is a series minded person will believe in sasquatchi, er sasquatches until some redneck bags one and hauls it to the local paper on the hood of his F-250.

If they are out there, this will happen someday

And then the dude will go to jail for killing one without a license.

[NotQuiteCricket]

and killing of an endangerd species.

[Sam Cree]

I wonder why Rhode Island doesn't have these things? ;-)

The day I see a skunk ape is the day I start running, I guess.

[Salman]

Elvis had to quit his job flipping burgers at that Stuckey's in Valdosta GA because the immortality treatments caused him to develop a severe case of hyperpilosity. There must be a connection with this latest situation, don't you think?

[Centurion2000]

and photographed his wife in a suit he made for her. I do believe that's her in the photos accompanying this BBC article.

Looks like he married one seriously ugly woman. I'll bet he's a happy guy.

[BenLurkin]

Are you series?

[BenLurkin]

If You Wanna Be Happy
Jimmy Soul

If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So for my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you

If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So for my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you

A pretty woman makes her husband look small
And very often causes his downfall
As soon as he married her and then she starts
To do the things that will break his heart

But if you make an ugly woman your wife
A-you'll be happy for the rest of your life
An ug-a-ly woman cooks meals on time
And she'll always give you peace of mind

If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So for my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you

Sax solo

Don't let your friends say you have no taste
Go ahead and marry anyway
Though her face is ugly, her eyes don't match
Take it from me, she's a better catch

If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So for my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you

Spoken:
Say man!
Hey baby!
I saw your wife the other day!
Yeah?
Yeah, an' she's ug-leeee!
Yeah, she's ugly, but she sure can cook, baby!
Yeah, alright!

If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So for my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you

If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So for my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you

If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So for my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you

If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life
Never make a pretty woman your wife
So for my personal point of view
Get an ugly girl to marry you

[VadeRetro]

She has a sweet personality, really. He says there's nothing like coming home to her and have her jump all over him with her tail wagging.

[usadave]

The guy who practically invented Bigfoot confessed all within the last year or two.

Bigfoot sightings in North America go back hundreds of years. Unless the guy you're referring to is several hundreds of years old, he did not "practically invent Bigfoot".

[RightWhale]

Proof of this goes as follows: catch one and bring it to the town square about lunchtime any workday.

[VadeRetro]

Put it this way, the guy invented "the modern reinventing" with a series of hoaxes starting around 1959 or so. This stuff is outside of what I tend to keep track of so I don't have his name or a link to a story. It was well publicized within the last year or two, however. IIRC, the guy died and his family came clean.