grey book int 003

Because We All Like A Mystery As Well As Need To Learn More About Our Wildlife

The Red Paper:CANINES vol.1

  Terry Hooper

Paperback, 

A4

202 Pages 

Photos/maps and illustrations

Price: £10.00

Ships in 3–5 business days

 http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/the-red-papercanines-vol1/paperback/product-20492038.html

Up-dated 2013 edition includes section on sarcoptic mange in foxes and treatment plus a list of wildlife sanctuaries and rescue centres in the UK. 

By the 1700s the British fox was on the verge of extinction and about to follow the bear and wolf having been hunted for sport for centuries. The answer was to import thousands of foxes per year for sport. But foxes kept dying out so jackals were tried. Some were caught, some escaped. Even wolves and coyote were released for hunting. 

The summation of over 40 years research reveals the damnable lie of "pest control" hunting but also reveals the cruelty the animals were subject to and how private menageries as well as travelling shows helped provide the British and Irish countryside with some incredible events. 

The Girt Dog of Ennerdale is also dealt with in detail as are other "cryptozoological" mysteries such as the 1905 Badminton sheep-slayer, Mystery Canids of Cavan, Wolves of Epping Forest and more.

MoD chiefs 'hid evidence' of big cats prowling UK, new book claims

 When this Daily Mail newspaper item was first brought to my attention I thought it was a joke.  Between 1977-2009 I acted as an exotic wildlife consultant to UK police forces and my "other work" brought me into contact with many military personnel including high ranking RAF officers who were fascinated by these "big cat" sightings. One very senior RAF man once said to me "if one of these things is ever trapped or killed on RAF/MoD land I'll insist you get called in!"

 I have, as it happens, spoken to at least three of the Royal Marines who were involved in the 1980s "search" and two have actually had sightings of large cats since leaving the military but point out there was no "shoot-to-kill" re. the cat and there was a lot of "****** crap being reported on what we were supposed to have seen and done."

And now we have this "fantasy" -I am trying not to be too rude. A body kept in a secure vault at RAF Fylingdales?  This is pure and utter fantasy and makes no sense and it is a claim that says nothing for any alleged "investigators" credibility.

Here is what RAF Fylingdales is about:

Royal Air Force Fylingdales. Our mission is “to provide an uninterrupted ballistic missile warning and space surveillance service”.

Our tasking from the Ministry of Defence, through Headquarters Air Command, splits into four jobs. Firstly we are charged with continuously providing warning of ballistic missile events to both Her Majesty’s Government (through the UK Missile Warning Centre at RAF High Wycombe) and the United States’ authorities (through the Missile and Space Domain, which is situated in the Cheyenne Mountains in Colorado).

Secondly, the Station’s complementary mission is to support – on a non-interference basis with the warning mission – the United States’ developing Missile Defense System. The Station’s third job – and secondary mission – is to contribute to the Allied Space Surveillance Network, and this enables, fourthly, the Station to support UK forces worldwide through the Satellite Warning Service.

RAF Fylingdales also plays an important part in the community in our part of North Yorkshire. We are a significant employer in the area, providing technical and highly skilled employment opportunities for many local people. Personnel from our Ministry of Defence Police and Guard Service, and Defence Fire and Rescue Service, also provide routine support to the local emergency services in this remote part of the country.

In addition, we also have the privilege and responsibility for managing, protecting and maintaining some 3000 acres of the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors National Park our part of which includes three Sites of Special Scientific Interest, a Special Protection Area and a Special Area of Conservation; these exist to protect some eighty rare species of birds, animals and plants.

hmm...they seem to be hiding the suppression of big cat evidence" (a puma is, in fact, a Medium sized cat and NOT a member of the Big cat family).

Yes, DEFRA (Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if you want it named accurately) is with-holding information.  That, and former police colleagues know for a fact.   But these claims of cover ups and a carcass at a base are purile, childish nonsense.

So, here is the Mail Online article:

Puma's body 'is being kept in secure vault at RAF base'

By Damien Gayle
UPDATED: 19:52, 29 December 2011

Fearsome: A new book claims the carcass of a puma-like animal has been kept hidden at an RAF base

Ministry of Defence chiefs are covering up the existence of big cats stalking the British countryside, according to explosive claims in a new book.

Hundreds of big cat sightings have been recorded over the years, from the Beast of Bodmin Moor to the Surrey Puma, but it is now claimed that evidence of them has been suppressed. 

Rick Minter, author of Big Cats: Facing Britain's Wild Predators, claims that the body of a fearsome puma-like animal is being kept hidden in a top security vault at an RAF base. 

He likens the alleged cover-up to the U.S. government's veil of secrecy surrounding an alien crash landing in Roswell, New Mexico, in 1947.

In the book, seen by the Sun, he writes: 'It is at RAF Fylingdales that we have Britain's Roswell moment on big cats.

'Retired staff apparently talked about a "body on the table" and a witness outside the base reported a puma-like creature being trundled off in the scoop-arm of a tractor.'
A local paper from the area reported in June 2004 that a large cat 'the length of a sheep' was killed on the Pickering to Whitby road near to the base.

Mark Fraser, who investigates big cat sightings as part of the Big Cats In Britain group, told the Sun such a body was the 'Holy Grail' of his investigations.

 

'If the MoD have a body, we'd like to know about it,' he told the paper.
A series of photos taken in Cornwall purport to show the Beast of Bodmin Moor.

A big cat sighting near a naval base in Scotland - one of the many fearsome beasts said to be roaming the countryside

Farmers have claimed that they lost sheep to a large animal roaming the area and in 1998, video footage was released showing what appeared to be a black animal resembling a wild cat.

And last year, a panther-like creature was photographed near a naval base in Scotland.

In 1983, Exmoor came to national attention after 100 sheep were mauled and killed near South Molton. 

Blurred photographs and a succession of intriguing big cat sightings followed, but no creature was ever caught.

The government's Department for Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) insists the claims are unsubstantiated.

A Request....

It occurs to me that amongst the many people who visit this blog (I am quite surprised at how many but THANK YOU!) there must be people with a reason to do so.

People who believe they may have had a ghostly encounter, suffered poltergeist activity or even believe that they have seen a UFO or some type of unknown creature.

I am sure that, at times, I may appear to be someone who wishes to debunk as much of the unknown as possible. That opinion might be from not having read one of my books -but let's leave the book-plugging out of this.  I have allways looked at things this way: if it is explainable then offer that explanation.  Because only by ending up with cases that cannot be explained will you have the true data to study. 

For forty years I have applied this to accounts of creatures, ghosts and much more. I never ever jump about saying "Proof positive! This is it -this is evidence!"  I do not work that way and I certainly do not want to become one of those sad people who insist that even a bump in a wood constructed house after a hot day is proof of ghosts.

I make my data available.  I explain things to those observers whose accounts I have looked into. In 40 I have never ever broken a confidence or identified a witness unless they have asked me to do so in writing. This sort of thing was obligatory when working with UK and German police forces and most definitely HAD to be followed as a "never ever break" rule with the AOP Bureau because of those we worked with.

So, bearing that in mind, I wanted to ask those coming to this blog if they have ever had a genuine sighting or experience -managed to take photos or tape (and I've had 40 years examining these so fake/hoax spotting is very easy) to please get in touch. No one will have any of your personal information other than me -that includes other investigators- confidentiality is guaranteed.  I will NOT accept anything sent anonymously. That will be immediately deleted.

You can get in touch with me at: blacktowercg@hotmail.com 

So, please, get in touch.

Pursuing The Strange & Weird: A Naturalist's Viewpoint

Pursuing The Strange & Weird:A Naturalists Viewpoint

Paperback, 

249 Pages

Black & White

29.5 x 21 cms

Profusely illustrated, maps, photographs

Price: £15.00

Ships in 3–5 business days

http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/pursuing-the-strange-weirda-naturalists-viewpoint/paperback/product-21307125.html 

 

 

From Dead Aquatic (Humanoid) Creatures, the giant squid and yet undiscovered sea creatures; submarine and ships crews encountering true leviathans. This is a fully expanded section which also refers to the so-called ‘Ningen’ sightings and video footage.

Extinct animals at sea that have been re-discovered.

The subject of Sasquatch and other mystery Hominids around the world is dealt with including a look at the “Sasquatch-killer”, Justin Smeja. Dr. Bryan Sykes and his DNA test results for TVs The Bigfoot Files as well as the controversial Erickson Project and Dr. Melba Ketchum’s even more controversial Sasquatch DNA test results.

Also included are two early French UFO entity cases that still baffle.

Ghosts, strange creatures and the Star-Child hoax. All dealt with by the naturalist and pursuer of the strange and weird.

After Hours with Rictor Episode 7 - MATT MONEYMAKER - February 21, 2013

Moneymaker slams Ketchum.  This has all become a huge farce.

Is the Erickson Bigfoot Project a Fraud? - The Truth Unlocked - SLP#29 w...

I have to say that I've read the Melba Ketchum paper and I do have certain reservations. I am NOT a geneticist but claims of a human-unknown hominid are basically a theory and used to explain the DNA testing results.  So, really, there needs to be much more work done. 

A whisper has it Dr Bryan Sykes labe may be getting involved.

When it comes to the Erickson Project, the head shot image released had me thinking "Is that Chewbacca from Star Wars?"  The other clips set my neck hair on end.

In 40 years I've seen all types of UFO and creature photos and footage and this just got me thinking hoax. I mentioned this to someone who sent me the below video link. 

I think Dr Ketchum is being sincere if misguided. But the Erickson Project....

Watch the video.

Sasquatch Genome Project's Dr. Melba Ketchum on ABC 8

Sasquatch Genome Project on ABC 8

Dr. Melba Ketchum on Fox News Channel discussing Sasquatch Genome Project

To me these look totally unreal and I do not accept them as real evidence of a Sasquatch -with the Erickson Project documentary delayed AGAIN I'm smelling bad fish.

Dr. Melba Ketchum on ABC 9 discussing Sasquatch Genome Project

Bigfoot DNA

Published on 2 May 2013

Dr. Melba S. Ketchum grew up in Texas City, Texas. She attended Texas A&M University where she received her doctorate in Veterinary Medicine after five years at the university. She had a mixed veterinary practice until she founded DNA Diagnostics. Dr. Ketchum is the president and founder of DNA Diagnostics, Inc. d/b/a Shelterwood Laboratories. 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. Most common species of animals are tested at DNA Diagnostics.

STRANGE & WEIRD DELAY

The up-dated edition of Pursuing The Strange & Weird to include material on the Melba Ketchum DNA tests and the TV series The Bigfoot Files is currently being delayed.

Apologies.

On This Day: First photograph of Loch Ness monster sparks global sensation

Since then there have been repeated missions to find the alleged beast, whose presence has been disputed since the sixth century

By Julian Gavaghan | Yahoo News – 23 hours ago

• Two submarines are launched as the hunt goes on for the Loch Ness monster. The first …

November 12: The first purported photograph of Loch Ness Monster was taken on this day in 1933 – bringing the ancient legend to the world’s attention.

The publication of picture by Hugh Gray – who took the snap while walking home from church – sparked a global sensation.

Since then there have been repeated missions to find the alleged beast, whose presence in the deep Scottish water has been disputed since the sixth century.

[On This Day: Water speed legend John Cobb ‘killed by Loch Ness Monster’]

Among them was a submarine investigation by British explorer Dan Taylor in June 1966.

A British Pathé shows the amateur submariner boarding his boat Pisces – erroneously pronounced “piskies” by the reporter, who was no doubt not au fait with astrology.

A shadowy outline of the 'Loch Ness Monster' in a picture taken in 1934, the second photographic 'evidence' of …

This second exploration by Taylor picked up a large moving object on sonar 200 feet ahead and 50 above the bottom of the loch.

Vickers, the builders of the sub, also made a giant model of the beast which later provoked amusement when it sank.

But the mythical monster hasn’t always been a cause of mirth – it has also been blamed for accidents.

Among them was the death of racing legend John Cobb in 1952 after his 200mph boat hit a ripple that Nessie hunters say was caused by the reputed creature.

Mythical yeti 'could be descended from ancient polar bear'

The 52-year-old Englishman’s Crusader vessel disintegrated and sank to the bottom after striking an unexplained wake during his bid to set a new water speed record.

Believers in the Loch Ness Monster claim the alleged creature caused the rogue ripple by moving just beneath the surface of the Scottish lake.

They note that Cobb, who was on course to set a new record of 206mph was just finishing his first of two laps, so the wake could not have been caused by him.

1st August 1968: Members of the Loch Ness Monster Investigation Team scan the loch for a sighting of the monster. …

Among the Nessie hunters who blamed the unconfirmed animal was Tim Dinsdale.

The former RAF engineer slowed down the 24-frames-per-second footage and claims that the killer ripple was moving faster than any boat could have caused.

Eight years later, he filmed what remains one of the few alleged sightings of the Loch Ness Monster – with a humped creature appearing to leave a massive wake.

There have also been several other sightings, photographs and, in 2011, a sonar image of a 5ft-wide unidentified object moving at a depth of 75ft.

There have also been numerous other expeditions – and yet there have been no scientifically confirmed sightings of Nessie.

Some observers have claimed the sightings are really those of large eels, seals, birds, dogs and even an elephant.

Yet – along with other alleged cryptids such as the Himalayan Yeti and North American Sasquatch – Nessie claims will undoubtedly continue to fascinate people.

Nadia Moore of The Bigfoot Files

Nadia Moore has written an interesting article in response to the recent Channel 4 Bigfoot Files. As she was present during some of the filming it makes an interesting read.

http://bigfootzoologist.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/a-few-facts-concerning-icon-films-and.html

Pursuing the Strange & Weird: A Naturalist's Viewpoint

The above book should be ready to order online this coming Friday.  I'll post when it is!

Bigfoot Files: Almasty

The final programme and in the series and I have to say that the results of the DNA tests/theory were interesting as I've written about this sort of thing in the past -I am NOT giving the conclusions as I think people should wait to watch it themselves.

It was interesting that when Bourtsev questioned "the results" -in fact it was clear that his concern was that there might have been a mix-up in the samples he had sent- he didn't get much time. In fact, to have such a distinguished group of hominologists gathered together and suggest they were almost silent in shame at the results was very wrong.

Again, this was a travelogue but if anyone ever saw the amount of field work/papers and the material they contain on almasty habits/habitats and so on they might ask WHY everything seemed dismissed because the DNA tests were negative?

It is because this series was intended to refute the possibility of there being any mystery primate anywhere and because of the rather dubious provenance of the samples the results fitted perfectly.

Overall, this series has been a disappointment (the yeti/bear results were interesting) as we saw very little of Sykes and the series was built on his work and reputation.

People -including journalists I've spoken to on other matters- are already declaring that it has been proven the yeti and Bigfoot are myths coming from the minds of nutcases and fools. Tonight add the Almasty to the list of creatures 'proven' not to exist.

Attenborough: "I believe the Abominable Snowman may be real"

David Attenborough has in the past, Life On Earth, stated that there might well be gigantic squid and other undiscovered creatures in our Oceans and seas.  This statement of his belief that the Yeti might be a real primate-type should be considered very relavent:

Attenborough: "I believe the Abominable Snowman may be real"

By Ben Dowell | RadioTimes

The respected naturalist and broadcaster thinks the legendary Yeti could really exist and be living in the Himalayan Mountains

David Attenborough believes that the Yeti – or Abominable Snowman – may be real.

The world-renowned naturalist and broadcaster says he thinks the creature of Himalayan legend – which has a North American cousin known as Bigfoot or Sasquatch – could be much more than a myth.

“I believe the Abominable Snowman may be real. I think there may be something in that," said Attenborough, speaking today at a showcase of upcoming programmes on UKTV.

“There are footprints that stretch for hundreds of miles and we know that in the 1930’s a German fossil was found with these huge molars that were four or five times the size of human molars.

“They had to be the molars of a large ape, one that was huge, about 10 or 12 feet tall. It was immense. And it is not impossible that it might exist. If you have walked the Himalayas there are these immense rhododrendron forests that go on for hundreds of square miles which could hold the Yeti."

Attenborough, who was addressing an audience at the Saatchi Gallery to promote a second series of Natural Curiosities on the Eden channel, explained why the existence of the beast had not been proven up until now: “If there are some still alive and you walked near their habitat you can bet that these creatures may be aware of you, but you wouldn’t be aware of them.”

[...]

Read the full article at: radiotimes.com

Bigfootology

To get extra info and find out what has been going on re. the Sykes DNA tests check out Bigfootology:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bigfootology/169864543051503

Up-date of Strange & Weird -A Naturalists Viewpoint

I have spent most of the day up-dating my book Strange & Weird -A Naturalists Viewpoint, to look at and respond to the Sykes DNA testing issue.

It is very poor science since all it has proven so far is that there might/possibly could be a hybrid bear in the Himalayas but who knows?  And that some hair samples with very poor provenance have proven they are not from a Sasquatch.

That the programme makers -even Sykes- had already concluded they were dealing with myths was not a good sign.

As I have allready written, decades of research by zoologists and others -such as Jeff Meldrum's work on footprint casts- was not even dismissed. It just was not even considered because the Great God DNA had decided some dubious (at best) hair samples were NOT from Yeti or Sasquatch.  Which is like having four blonde human hairs for DNA testing and concluding their is no such thing as a red haired, black, grey or brown haired person.

I am awaiting the Almasty programme but so far, with no major Bigfoot research community fight-back with evidence and facts, the uninformed public now believes that only sad little loonies see or believe in yeti/bigfoot BECAUSE DNA has proven they don't exist. Even the case for the yeti being a bear is flawed because it only proves the hairs are from a bear.

So let's see what this coming Sunday has to offer.

STILL No Bigfoot Researchers Responding to the Sykes Bigfoot DNA Results???

If anyone knows of any serious Bigfoot/Sasquatch research groups who have made a statement regarding the Sykes DNA testing 'proving Bigfoot is a myth' -could you let me know?

No responses to my messages or any statements I can find. Hiding your head in the sand UNTIL the media start calling saying "Yeah, but you said DNA would PROVE Bigfoot exists but its proved it doesnt!" is not going to help.

I give up.

Channel 4 Bigfoot Files

Well, as it seems the entire Bigfoot/Sasquatch investigation community are huddled in a corner crying and refusing to break their silence over Prof. Syke's DNA test results of "Bigfoot" hairs last night, I thought I'd do some checking with my TV chums.

 According to 'Dave' - a friend so of course I'm not giving out his full name, he has a family to support--  in Channel 4 production, next week's Bigfoot Files "proves Almasty do not exist"....

I can't believe Prof. Sykes set out to just kill the subject. I had a lot of respect for him and previous work. I'm hoping its just Channel 4 doing an hatchet-job. Bad editing. Anything. 'Dave' offered to have an informal chat with someone in production who had worked on the programmes.

'Dave' casually mentioned "that 1960s Bigfoot film" (Patty) and that he had seen the Monster Quest "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science" and that had experts from a number of fields who had studied tracks and so on.  He said he thought that might have been looked at?  He was told: "No, we used Professor Sykes before" (I  looking at "unidentified" Yeti hair from the programme To The Ends Of The Earth, I think). "DNA will say yes or no. That's science. Not much else matters."

The guide for the third episode reads:

The 'Almasty' is Russia's very own Bigfoot. It has been written about for over 300 years, and Russia's Almasty hunters claim there have been over 10,000 encounters over the years.

The big theory in Russia is that it's a surviving hominid, possibly even a Neanderthal.

Mark Evans travels to Russia and investigates one of the highest profile Bigfoot stories in the world: the tale of Zana, the so-called Wildwoman: a living Almasty said to have been found in the remote Caucasus in the 1870s.

She was alleged to have had four children by her captors over the years. Almasty hunters have tracked down her descendants and Bryan Sykes uses cutting edge tests to analyse their DNA and test the Neanderthal theory about Zana.

Mark also meets a giant among Almasty hunters, seven foot tall former heavyweight boxing champion of the world Nikolai Valuev, who is now Duma Deputy (the equivalent of an MP) for Kemerovo in Siberia.
Mark joins him as he checks out the latest hot Almasty sighting and meets the three kids who claim to have captured one on camera near a frozen lake.

Finally, in Moscow, Professor Sykes reveals the results of his DNA tests on Zana's relatives. The results are unequivocal, extraordinary and totally unexpected.

Will this overturn the supposedly proven myth Zana case genuine?
 I doubt it as they used that last line on the Yeti summary!

For more background info check here:
http://alamas.ru/eng/publicat/Almasty_e.htm

Sykes DNA Results -Where Is The Bigfoot Investigators Response?

 Prof. Jeff Meldrum and a Sasquatch track

So, last night, after Channel 4s Bigfoot DNA programme which at one point looked like it was going to be straight faced about Bigfoot (the sudden "loony tunes" type jingle when two "Bigfootologists"(??!) appeared gave the game away, I posted to Bigfoot Discovery Project/Museum, Bigfoot Encounters -in fact, every Bigfoot site I could think of to explain WHY this programme had not disproven the existence of Sasquatch.

Got up this morning expecting to see responses....nothing.

In fact, my comments have vanished from a couple sites including The Museum of the Weird, Bigfoot Discovery Project/Museum

Cryptozoology Online, based in the UK offered up -performer Lou Reed was dead.  Then, they are not that credible.

Cryptomundo. Nothing. Well, "Best Bigfoot Beard"??

Bigfoot Evidence gives a link to "Rev. Jeff" and his thoughts"........

Cryptozoology News....nothing.

BFRO -nothing.

I am shocked. The Bigfoot community got some advance warning about the results so you might expect them to start putting the response together before everyone dismisses "Bigfootologists" as goofy nut jobs. Nothing. I am seriously hoping the silence is being miss-read by me and that there is a counter offensive about to start and pre-empt the US screening. If not, AFTER the show will be too late.

I corresponded with Ivan T. Sanderson and others at SITU about Sasquatch just as I did with George Haas (Bay Area Group) and many others. By this time those people would have been launching a counter offensive.

Next Generation I guess.

There were, as I mentioned in the last posting, LOTS of evidence that was just dismissed without even investigating -"well, plaster casts are all fake and don't provide any evidence" and Mark Farmer, who I at first thought was going to be serious smarmed his way through brief interviews.

Sykes and Farmer joked about how "Bigfootologists" hearing the mythical Bigfoot "wood-knocking" and who responded back were probably 'communicating with other "bigfootologists" who thought they were communicating with bigfoot. Oh how I laughed.

Thing is, serious Sasquatch researchers go out into the field and note things, today more and more on video, such as "odd smell at 11.50pm" or "Wood knocking heard and responded to at 1230 am" (usually with knock sequence and times. This all goes on the internet so some keen eye is quickly going to point out that two groups were in the same area and reported the same thing -they were NOT communicating with Bigfoot.

But let's not even think about that.

The major problem, as any naturalist will tell you, is that fur and hair in the wild is left everywhere.  You have to SEE the animal brush up against a wire fence, post or something else then grab the samples. The provenance of the samples Sykes used were what we would call "non-worthy" and would not be tested. What about all the other "unidentified by testing" samples from universities, etc., we hear about? Are they not cooperating on this project?

What about the alleged fecal matter in cold storage?

But no, "Bigfoot is a modern myth" fits better.

And Smeja? No doubt he innocently picked up the sample thinking it was from the Bigfoot he shot when in fact it was left there when two bear predators fought over the carcass. yowch.

In my last book I pointed out WHY I had been changed from a total skeptic to someone thinking there really IS something out there. And I still do.

The Bigfoot community needs to get its collective ass together NOW.

Sasquatch Does NOT Exist

According to Prof Sykes the question of whether Sasquatch exists is answered. It does not. 

Was Meldrum and his work with alleged sasquatch footprints spoken to? No.

Was Grover Krantz' work looked at? No.

Was the "Patty" footage even mentioned? No.

Minnesota Iceman?  No.

Any of the solid cases? No.

Not even dismissed because the programme was only interested in the hair DNA and I can tell you as a naturalist of 40+ years there are hairs everywhere in the wild. You HAVE to see the animal leave the hair and get it.

Smeja was proven a liar -I did say from the start I never believed that tale based on hearing and seeing his interviews.

So now everyone will believe there is no Yeti and no Sasquatch -mainly because Sasquatch hairs were NOT collected.

It was Channel 4 -what did I expect.

But Sykes could only base results on those hair samples and I was a little taken back by his end words seemingly dismissing it all as a modern myth.

Channel 4 TV "Bigfoot"

My original posting was as follows:

It's Official -The Yeti Is A Bear....Probably.

It is, supposedly, a series that hominologists / cryptozoologists  and others are getting excited over.  On Cryptozoology sites there is talk of UK contacts ready to record and upload the 'episode' to You Tube.

However, if you have read a newspaper, listened to the radio or seen TV snippets you'll know -EVERYONE KNOWS- the conclusion drawn -bear.

Zoologically it is interesting but just because someone said "these are yeti hairs" does not mean they are allegedly from a hominid.  On the other hand, if it proves yeti reports are of a 'new' species of bear that in itself is interesting.

It does NOT mean that Sasquatch is a bear.  Evidence suggests otherwise but scientists ARE taking note and studying material they are given.

And in case you missed the item:

New DNA research may have finally solved the mystery of the yeti. 

Tests on hair samples were found to have a genetic match with an ancient polar bear, with scientists believing there could be a sub species of brown bear in the High Himalayas that has been mistaken for the mythical beast.

Yetis, also known as the "Abominable Snowman" or "Bigfoot", have been recorded for centuries in the Himalayas, with local people and mountaineers claiming to have come face-to-face with hairy, ape-like creatures.

Bryan Sykes, professor of human genetics at the Oxford University, set out to collect and test "yeti" hair samples to find out which species they came from. In particular he analysed hairs from two unknown animals, one found in the Western Himalayan region of Ladakh and the other from Bhutan, 800 miles to the east.
After subjecting the hairs to the most advanced DNA tests available and comparing the results to other animals' genomes stored on the GenBank database, Professor Sykes found that he had a 100% match with a sample from an ancient polar bear jawbone found in Svalbard, Norway, that dates back at least 40,000 years - and probably around 120,000 years - a time when the polar bear and closely related brown bear were separating as different species.

Professor Sykes believes that the most likely explanation is that the animals are hybrids - crosses between polar bears and brown bears. The species are closely related and are known to interbreed where their territories overlap.

The professor said: "This is an exciting and completely unexpected result that gave us all a surprise. There's more work to be done on interpreting the results. I don't think it means there are ancient polar bears wandering around the Himalayas.

"But we can speculate on what the possible explanation might be. It could mean there is a sub species of brown bear in the High Himalayas descended from the bear that was the ancestor of the polar bear. Or it could mean there has been more recent hybridisation between the brown bear and the descendent of the ancient polar bear."

A photograph of a "yeti' footprint, taken by British climber Eric Shipton at the base of Everest, sparked global mania after it was taken in 1951.

Legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner, who became the first man to climb Everest without oxygen, has studied yetis since he had a terrifying encounter with a mysterious creature in Tibet in 1986.
His own research backs up the Prof Sykes' theory. H e uncovered an image in a 300-year-old Tibetan manuscript of a "Chemo" - another local name for the yeti, with text alongside it which was translated to read: "The yeti is a variety of bear living in inhospitable mountainous areas."

Prof Sykes added: " Bigfootologists and other enthusiasts seem to think that they've been rejected by science. Science doesn't accept or reject anything, all it does is examine the evidence and that is what I'm doing."

His investigations features in a new three-part Channel 4 documentary series, Bigfoot Files, which starts on Sunday.

A book by Prof Sykes about his research, The Yeti Enigma: A DNA Detective Story, is to be published next spring.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/dna-research-tackles-yeti-mystery-230129938.html#LKVn18w

Given that for many decades, even since the advent of DNA testing (very expensive), those looking for the Yeti have found hairs and other "artefacts" of yeti and just checked under a microscope and said "bear" or found fecal matter with hair -"bear" I find it funny.

There are going to be people out there screeching "That should have been MY discovery!"  And whis is it NOT their discovery? Because they would not test further.  Science "knows" everything out there and now that this pompous attitude has been dropped and DNA testing carried out....

I do not think many who are versed in the subject believed that yeti and Sasquatch/Bigfoot were related. The yeti never conformed to behaviour noted in Bigfoot.  Also, there are the attacks by yeti -killing one or more yak and even injuring people.

But, I am sure some will point out, just because these are said the be yeti hair does not necessarily mean they are yeti hair.  It won't stop the manic "Yeti is a mystery ape" crowd.

What does this all mean, though? Well, now every TV company, scientific institution are going to be getting money together for trail cams and better scientific evidence -even the first 'yeti' footage!

Luckily, the yeti is protected in its homeland and I think anyone thinking of going to hunt one would get very swift kicking out of the country.

After watching the programme last night I wrote:

My initial notes on Channel 4 TVs "yeti" programme titled "Bigfoot" (naturally):

C4s Yeti documentary. Travelogue. Talk about bears but not the reports that differ from what might be bears. 

A brown bear paw cast that matches (if you take away the bear claws and ignore the dissimilarities) Shipton's yeti foot print -plenty of sarcastic comments suggesting hoaxy climbers and natives not able to tell a bear -and we are talking a BEAR- from what they call a yeti.

Two hairs dis-prove the yeti are anything than a bear "might be" "could be" "possibly" "If they still exist". 

DNA was interesting but Sykes got 10(?) minutes of the programme and judging by a BBC interview he DOES have unidentified hair samples but it seems C4 cut that. If you have samples send them to him because he is serious even if the series isn't!

what a pile of s***.

Does the Yeti exist? Going by this programme -maybe, possibly, we don't know. 

 

Now here is the problem. I have absolutely no doubt that Professor Sykes is genuine. I think that is beyond question and there is no "hidden agenda" as someone put it to me.  He admits to having unidentified hairs and he has a true scientific curiosity which is to investigate the evidence and see where it leads because THAT is what science is supposed to do.

I've worked with TV people -Sky, BBC, ITV and Channel 4 and there is one thing you learn: despite every promise from those working on a piece for TV you can guarantee that they are being nice and "tolerant" toward you because they NEED your imput.  Some are genuinely nice but know that the final edit is not theres.  

You get the "oh, maybe they ought to lay off the strong stuff" or "That must have been one Friday night" -suggesting drink was involved in the witnesses cases -I got an apology from the BBC when they made it sound that I was a loony eccentric and I presented my credentials as having been a member of the official Partners Against Wildlife Crime (PAWS), UK police forces advisor on exotic animals and of course having my name on a couple of conference papers not to mention write ups as being "a noted naturalist". But that apology was from the reporter. "I am sorry but the editor/director makes the decisions" and so I blacklisted any future work from the BBC.

I did expect something like "Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science" but that was a mental aberration on my part.  The presenter was THE main feature of the programme so we got no real look at Sykes' work. It was, as I wrote, a travelogue.

I should not have expected more from Channel 4 -I've heard two conversations today where members of the public were saying "Did you see that on TV -they proved the yeti and bigfoot were bears". And THAT is what will stick in peoples minds. None will have read a book or even Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science or even seen the TV programme of the same name. They do not care.

The rather sarcastic "gentlemen climbers wouldn't pull a hoax" line was so insulting. The travelogue was there for one reason: so that C4s resident "animal expert" could start leading people up the bear trail and then edit Sykes down to "its a bear. possibly. might be"

If you were expecting science you'll be disappointed -they were building the programme up in that way but it was a sham.

Again, though, if you have possible Sasquatch hair GET THEM TO PROFESSOR SYKES!

The Truth About Spring-Heeled Jack

Terry Hooper-Scharf

Paperback, 

A4

53 Pages

Fully illustrated

Price: £7.00

Ships in 3–5 business days

 http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/the-truth-about-spring-heeled-jack/paperback/product-21258111.html

The terror and mystery created by “Jack The Ripper” has been the subject of countless books, magazine articles as well as movies and TV documentaries. Ask anyone if they have ever heard of Jack The Ripper and it is doubtful anyone would respond with a “no idea.” 

By that same token, ask people who “Spring-heeled Jack” was and you would be lucky to find anyone who had ever heard of him. Spring-heeled Jack was the subject (loosely) of a  film The Curse of the Wraydons (1946) and Dominic Keating also appeared as Spring Heeled Jack in the 2010 film Sherlock Holmes by The Asylum film company. The character has also featured in both American and British comic books and a number of books, for both children and adults. 

But the fact that the Springald held the country –not just London– in a grip of terror much longer that the Ripper did is all but forgotten except for some half-truths and fanciful theories. Now be prepared to read the full story of Spring Heeled Jack

Skull of Homo erectus throws story of human evolution into disarray

 

Ian Sample, science correspondent theguardian.com

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/oct/17/skull-homo-erectus-human-evolution?CMP=twt_gu

A haul of fossils found in Georgia suggests that half a dozen species of early human ancestor were actually all Homo erectus

Link to video: Fossil skull challenges understanding of human evolution

  The spectacular fossilised skull of an ancient human ancestor that died nearly two million years ago in central Asia has forced scientists to rethink the story of early human evolution.

Anthropologists unearthed the skull at a site in Dmanisi, a small town in southern Georgia, where other remains of human ancestors, simple stone tools and long-extinct animals have been dated to 1.8m years old.
Experts believe the skull is one of the most important fossil finds to date, but it has proved as controversial as it is stunning. Analysis of the skull and other remains at Dmanisi suggests that scientists have been too ready to name separate species of human ancestors in Africa. Many of those species may now have to be wiped from the textbooks.

The latest fossil is the only intact skull ever found of a human ancestor that lived in the early Pleistocene, when our predecessors first walked out of Africa. The skull adds to a haul of bones recovered from Dmanisi that belong to five individuals, most likely an elderly male, two other adult males, a young female and a juvenile of unknown sex.

The five H erectus skulls found in Dmanisi, Georgia. Photograph: Ponce de León, Zollikofe/University of Zurich 

  The site was a busy watering hole that human ancestors shared with giant extinct cheetahs, sabre-toothed cats and other beasts. The remains of the individuals were found in collapsed dens where carnivores had apparently dragged the carcasses to eat. They are thought to have died within a few hundred years of one another.

"Nobody has ever seen such a well-preserved skull from this period," said Christoph Zollikofer, a professor at Zurich University's Anthropological Institute, who worked on the remains. "This is the first complete skull of an adult early Homo. They simply did not exist before," he said. Homo is the genus of great apes that emerged around 2.4m years ago and includes modern humans.

Other researchers said the fossil was an extraordinary discovery. "The significance is difficult to overstate. It is stunning in its completeness. This is going to be one of the real classics in paleoanthropology," said Tim White, an expert on human evolution at the University of California, Berkeley.

But while the skull itself is spectacular, it is the implications of the discovery that have caused scientists in the field to draw breath. Over decades excavating sites in Africa, researchers have named half a dozen different species of early human ancestor, but most, if not all, are now on shaky ground.


 

The most recently unearthed individual had a long face and big teeth, but the smallest braincase of all five H erectus skulls found at the site. Photograph: Georgian National Museum 

  The remains at Dmanisi are thought to be early forms of Homo erectus, the first of our relatives to have body proportions like a modern human. The species arose in Africa around 1.8m years ago and may have been the first to harness fire and cook food. The Dmanisi fossils show that H erectus migrated as far as Asia soon after arising in Africa.

The latest skull discovered in Dmanisi belonged to an adult male and was the largest of the haul. It had a long face and big, chunky teeth. But at just under 550 cubic centimetres, it also had the smallest braincase of all the individuals found at the site. The dimensions were so strange that one scientist at the site joked that they should leave it in the ground.

The odd dimensions of the fossil prompted the team to look at normal skull variation, both in modern humans and chimps, to see how they compared. They found that while the Dmanisi skulls looked different to one another, the variations were no greater than those seen among modern people and among chimps.

The scientists went on to compare the Dmanisi remains with those of supposedly different species of human ancestor that lived in Africa at the time. They concluded that the variation among them was no greater than that seen at Dmanisi. Rather than being separate species, the human ancestors found in Africa from the same period may simply be normal variants of H erectus.

"Everything that lived at the time of the Dmanisi was probably just Homo erectus," said Prof Zollikofer. "We are not saying that palaeoanthropologists did things wrong in Africa, but they didn't have the reference we have. Part of the community will like it, but for another part it will be shocking news."


Reconstruction of the early human ancestor Homo erectus from the latest skull found at Dmanisi in Georgia. Illustration: J H Matternes 

  David Lordkipanidze at the Georgian National Museum, who leads the Dmanisi excavations, said: "If you found the Dmanisi skulls at isolated sites in Africa, some people would give them different species names. But one population can have all this variation. We are using five or six names, but they could all be from one lineage."

If the scientists are right, it would trim the base of the human evolutionary tree and spell the end for names such as H rudolfensis, H gautengensis, H ergaster and possibly H habilis.

The fossil is described in the latest issue of Science.

"Some palaeontologists see minor differences in fossils and give them labels, and that has resulted in the family tree accumulating a lot of branches," said White. "The Dmanisi fossils give us a new yardstick, and when you apply that yardstick to the African fossils, a lot of that extra wood in the tree is dead wood. It's arm-waving."

"I think they will be proved right that some of those early African fossils can reasonably join a variable Homo erectus species," said Chris Stringer, head of human origins at the Natural History Museum in London. "But Africa is a huge continent with a deep record of the earliest stages of human evolution, and there certainly seems to have been species-level diversity there prior to two million years ago. So I still doubt that all of the 'early Homo' fossils can reasonably be lumped into an evolving Homo erectus lineage. We need similarly complete African fossils from two to 2.5m years ago to test that idea properly."

The analysis by Lordkipanidze also casts doubt on claims that a creature called Australopithecus sediba that lived in what is now South Africa around 1.9m years ago was a direct ancestor of modern humans. The species was discovered by Lee Berger at the University of Witwatersrand. He argued that it was premature to dismiss his finding and criticised the authors for failing to compare their fossils with the remains of A sediba.

"This is a fantastic and important discovery, but I don't think the evidence they have lives up to this broad claim they are making. They say this falsifies that Australopithecus sediba is the ancestor of Homo. The very simple response is, no it doesn't."

"What all this screams out for is more and better specimens. We need skeletons, more complete material, so we can look at them from head to toe," he added. "Any time a scientist says 'we've got this figured out' they are probably wrong. It's not the end of the story."

Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science

This is a rather interesting documentary though if you are seriously interested get the book!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/SASQUATCH-LEGEND-SCIENCE-Jeff-Meldrum/dp/0765312174

 

And check out  EVALUATION OF ALLEGED SASQUATCH FOOTPRINTS AND THEIR INFERRED FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY  D. JEFFREY MELDRUM, Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University


http://www.isu.edu/~meldd/fxnlmorph.html

It's Official -The Yeti Is A Bear....Probably.

It is, supposedly, a series that hominologists / cryptozoologists  and others are getting excited over.  On Cryptozoology sites there is talk of UK contacts ready to record and upload the 'episode' to You Tube.

However, if you have read a newspaper, listened to the radio or seen TV snippets you'll know -EVERYONE KNOWS- the conclusion drawn -bear.

Zoologically it is interesting but just because someone said "these are yeti hairs" does not mean they are allegedly from a hominid.  On the other hand, if it proves yeti reports are of a 'new' species of bear that in itself is interesting.

It does NOT mean that Sasquatch is a bear.  Evidence suggests otherwise but scientists ARE taking note and studying material they are given.

And in case you missed the item:

New DNA research may have finally solved the mystery of the yeti. 

Tests on hair samples were found to have a genetic match with an ancient polar bear, with scientists believing there could be a sub species of brown bear in the High Himalayas that has been mistaken for the mythical beast.

Yetis, also known as the "Abominable Snowman" or "Bigfoot", have been recorded for centuries in the Himalayas, with local people and mountaineers claiming to have come face-to-face with hairy, ape-like creatures.

Bryan Sykes, professor of human genetics at the Oxford University, set out to collect and test "yeti" hair samples to find out which species they came from. In particular he analysed hairs from two unknown animals, one found in the Western Himalayan region of Ladakh and the other from Bhutan, 800 miles to the east.
After subjecting the hairs to the most advanced DNA tests available and comparing the results to other animals' genomes stored on the GenBank database, Professor Sykes found that he had a 100% match with a sample from an ancient polar bear jawbone found in Svalbard, Norway, that dates back at least 40,000 years - and probably around 120,000 years - a time when the polar bear and closely related brown bear were separating as different species.

Professor Sykes believes that the most likely explanation is that the animals are hybrids - crosses between polar bears and brown bears. The species are closely related and are known to interbreed where their territories overlap.

The professor said: "This is an exciting and completely unexpected result that gave us all a surprise. There's more work to be done on interpreting the results. I don't think it means there are ancient polar bears wandering around the Himalayas.

"But we can speculate on what the possible explanation might be. It could mean there is a sub species of brown bear in the High Himalayas descended from the bear that was the ancestor of the polar bear. Or it could mean there has been more recent hybridisation between the brown bear and the descendent of the ancient polar bear."

A photograph of a "yeti' footprint, taken by British climber Eric Shipton at the base of Everest, sparked global mania after it was taken in 1951.

Legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner, who became the first man to climb Everest without oxygen, has studied yetis since he had a terrifying encounter with a mysterious creature in Tibet in 1986.
His own research backs up the Prof Sykes' theory. H e uncovered an image in a 300-year-old Tibetan manuscript of a "Chemo" - another local name for the yeti, with text alongside it which was translated to read: "The yeti is a variety of bear living in inhospitable mountainous areas."

Prof Sykes added: " Bigfootologists and other enthusiasts seem to think that they've been rejected by science. Science doesn't accept or reject anything, all it does is examine the evidence and that is what I'm doing."

His investigations features in a new three-part Channel 4 documentary series, Bigfoot Files, which starts on Sunday.

A book by Prof Sykes about his research, The Yeti Enigma: A DNA Detective Story, is to be published next spring.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/dna-research-tackles-yeti-mystery-230129938.html#LKVn18w

Given that for many decades, even since the advent of DNA testing (very expensive), those looking for the Yeti have found hairs and other "artefacts" of yeti and just checked under a microscope and said "bear" or found fecal matter with hair -"bear" I find it funny.

There are going to be people out there screeching "That should have been MY discovery!"  And whis is it NOT their discovery? Because they would not test further.  Science "knows" everything out there and now that this pompous attitude has been dropped and DNA testing carried out....

I do not think many who are versed in the subject believed that yeti and Sasquatch/Bigfoot were related. The yeti never conformed to behaviour noted in Bigfoot.  Also, there are the attacks by yeti -killing one or more yak and even injuring people.

But, I am sure some will point out, just because these are said the be yeti hair does not necessarily mean they are yeti hair.  It won't stop the manic "Yeti is a mystery ape" crowd.

What does this all mean, though? Well, now every TV company, scientific institution are going to be getting money together for trail cams and better scientific evidence -even the first 'yeti' footage!

Luckily, the yeti is protected in its homeland and I think anyone thinking of going to hunt one would get very swift kicking out of the country.

Fancy Something Strange, Weird and Sinister?

 

Some Things Strange & Sinister

 

Terry Hooper-Scharf

Paperback, 

A4 (21 x 30 cms)

358 Pages  

Photographs, maps, illustrations

 

Price: £15.00 

PRICE IS A SPECIAL OFFER THAT LASTS UP UNTIL 30th OCTOBER 2013

 

Ships in 3–5 business days

 http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/some-things-strange-sinister/paperback/product-14958906.html

 

 

 

After more than 30 years as an investigator of the weird, bizarre and sinister and more than forty as a naturalist, the author (a noted naturalist and UK police forces exotic wildlife consultant) has opened some of the many files he has accumulated dealing with such things as.. 

 

The Terrifying Events At The Lamb Inn -the famous case of inter-acting poltergeist that has a place in the canon of the paranormal.  The Ghosts Of All Saints Church, Bristol -a famous haunting.  The Dead Aquatic Creatures of Canvey Island, Essex -just what were the several creatures, humanoid in appearance, that were washed ashore from the 1940s-1950s? Captured bigfoot like creatures in India that disappeared! 

 

And the bizarre legend of Spring Heeled Jack is looked at as well as the fact that there were far more than one "Jack" and the very name was used to spread terror beyond London! This 2013 up-date contains an expanded chapter on the case.

 

All these cases are exclusively presented for the first time and with new added research previously unseen. Photographs,maps,line drawings and up-dated to make 358 pages looking at Things truly Strange and Sinister. 

 

Cryptozoologist,Ghost Hunter,Ufologist or Fortean:this book has something for everyone -including the just plain inquisitive!

 

Some More Things Strange & Sinister

 

 

Terry Hooper-Scharf

Paperback, 

A4 (21 x 30cms)

327 Pages 

Profusely illustrated with maps, illustrations and photographs previously unseen.

 

Price: £15.00 

SPECIAL OFFER PRICE LASTS UNTIL 30th October, 2013

 

Ships in 3–5 business days

 http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/some-more-things-strange-sinister/paperback/product-18763730.html

 

 

Follow-up to the hugely successful Some Things Strange & Sinister. 

 

For those interested in Ufology,cryptozoology,hominology,unusual natural history,ghosts and mysteries in general. 

 

The secret history of gorillas -before they were 'discovered'. Includes accounts of mystery primates in the UK dating back to the 18th century.  Some photographs not seen in publication in over 100 years are exclusively presented here.

 

Wild men of Europe, the UK and US. Hominology. Some contemporary accounts from newspapers of some violent, deadly and plain strange wildmen -including the 19th century British wildman craze.

 

Also included are chapters on:

 

Giant snakes. 

 

 Amazons. 

 

The Giant serpent of Carthage. 

 

The Girt Dog of Ennerdale. 

 

The Beast of Gevaudan -sorting through the fiction presented by many to establish just what the true beast was -exclusive material included.

 

Crocodiles in the UK -unbelievable though it may be, this is not a modern urban myth but a fact.  However Medieval and 19th century crocodile encounters?

 

Silent City of Alaska. For the first time in over 100 years, exclusively presented is the actual photograph of "the City in the Sky" so talked about but never tracked down until now!

 

And much more. 

 

Updated with extra pages and photographs for 2013

 

 

 

Pursuing The Strange & Weird

2013 UP-DATE!

 Terry Hooper-Scharf

Paperback, 

A4 (21 x 30cms)

223 Pages 

Heavily illustrated with photographs, maps, line drawings -many exclusive.

 

Price: £15.00

Ships in 3–5 business days

SPECIAL OFFER PRICE UNTIL 30th OCTOBER, 2013

 

 http://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/pursuing-the-strange-weird/paperback/product-18883379.html

 

 

Much expanded section looking at Dead Aquatic (Humanoid) Creatures world wide from the UK, Tanzania and beyond.

 

The giant squid and yet undiscovered sea creatures -are the "sea monsters" of old dying out: are they becoming a thing of the past due to pollution, over-fishing of food sources?

 

Have submarine and ships crews encountered true leviathans. According to many 'experts' on these cases "yes" -but what are the facts?

 

Extinct animals at sea that have been re-discovered -a look at Stellar's Sea Cow, whale migrations and mystery aquatic light wheels that seem somehow connected -prey and predator or simple established migration of unknown sea creatures?

 

Sasquatch and other Hominids around the world -does re-evaluation and scientific methodology used in the re-examination of the Patterson-Gimlin footage of "Patty" prove that it/she really WAS an unknown hominid? And just how does science stand deal with these cases -for once the outright skeptics appear to be getting caught out.

 

Two early French UFO entity cases that still baffle are re-examined.  The persons involved gained nothing, even if the profound event changed their lives so are they real -genuine cases?

 

Also ghosts and photographs alleged to be of spectres that are labelled "unsolved", photograph of a strange creatures at the side of a German lake -a Other Dimentional Intelligence or a fake?

 

The Star-Child hoax and other hoaxes said to show evidence of genuine aliens or alien-human hybrids: the facts.

 

All dealt with by the naturalist and pursuer of the strange and weird