Sunday 2 October 2011

Looking for Bigfoot and the Jersey Devil

St. George man searches for Bigfoot
It was the summer of 1997 and St. George resident William Barnes was dredging for gold in Nevada County, Calif., when he saw something that changed his life."I had this thing walk down the canyon right next to my tent," he says. "It was close enough to touch. I don't know how long it stood in front me. Time kind of froze."It was dark when Barnes saw the creature, but he describes it as being "thick and muscular," probably weighing 450-500 pounds. It had human-like hands and feet, with "well-manicured" body hair.Barnes is one of many people throughout the United States who claim to have seen a creature called "Bigfoot" or "Sasquatch" - not to be confused with the "Yeti" or "Abominable Snowman" of the Himalayas.
Technically classified as a cryptid - a creature whose existence is suggested but is not recognized by scientific consensus - the Bigfoot legend does have some prominent believers in the scientific community, including primatologist Jane Goodall.In a 2002 interview on NPR, Goodall said she was sure an undiscovered primate exists. She wasn't talking about a single creature either but a species.Barnes is sure of it as well.
Read rest, see photos here : http://www.thespectrum.com/article/20111002/LIFESTYLE/110020338/St-George-man-searches-Bigfoot?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFrontpage%7Cp

Animal House: The Jersey Devil

Stoughton's Christopher D'Arpino looks at the legend of the Jersey Devil. 

Sometimes I wonder, really wonder, if we as humans have lost our collective mind or if there are really creatures living amongst us that we just don’t know about.  Last week I get a “Chupacabra” sighting and this week the legendary Jersey devil is back in the news.Why legendary?  Stories of the Jersey Devil reach back some three hundred years and sightings are localized to only New Jersey and specifically in a one million acre forest in the center of the state, called the Pine Barrens. The legend says that in 1735 Mrs. Jane Leads was pregnant with her thirteenth child and she was said to have proclaimed that when she found herself with child, that the devil could have this one. The child was said to be born a monster and had a grotesque appearance. The description of the Jersey Devil has been highly consistent—a reptilian body, bat like wings, a horse like head, hoofs and signature red eyes. This clearly is just old folklore and some may even be able to read between the lines a little about what may have really taken place. 

So why would a legend persist for over three hundred years?  The legend of the Jersey Devil was so strong that men were not willing to venture out at night as it was said that the Devil was capable of taking away large dogs, sheep and small livestock.

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