| Bigfoot
Encounters Bigfoot Resurfaces in Wisconsin |
| The world's most famous hairy hominid makes a menacing return in America's northeast |
| AFTER THE RECENT SPATE
OF AUSTRALIAN Yowie sightings (FT134:07) America's own hairy hominid has
made a dramatic return with a sighting in Wisconsin, in northeast USA -
somewhat off the beaten track for these elusive shadow creatures. At about 5.15 am on 28 March, James Hughes was driving on his paper delivery route down County Highway H, about 1.5 miles (4·5 km) from Cranton, when he noticed something standing in the ditch on the opposite (south) side of the road. Hughes initially took it to be a man, but soon noticed there was something wrong it was about eight feet (2.5m) tall and covered with dark gray "shaggy" hair, "in clumps and knotted." Hughes also noticed lighter patches of honey-colored hair, the largest being on its left side. The creature's head was "all hair" and "over a foot wide." Two spots were visible where its eyes would have been, but Hughes was unable to see any other facial features. The overall effect was of a "miniature King Kong." In its left hand, the beast held what Hughes first took to be a goat, but later he wasn't sure. As he approached, the creature turned slowly to look at him at which point Hughes drove away as fast as he could. "You better believe I was scared," he told a reporter. "That creature could have tipped that car upside down and thrown it in the ditch. It was that big." The next day Hughes filed a report with the local sheriff's office. A deputy accompanied Hughes to the scene, but they were unable to find footprints or any other evidence. The nearest wood is 75 yards (69m) from the spot, yet there were no tracks in the soft ploughed field between it and the road, or in an adjacent field of hard ground. It's thought that the creature would have crossed this field. The surrounding area holds two Indian burial mound groups as well as high power transmission lines - so plenty to keep the alternative, non-physical explanations flowing. Since Hughes' sighting there have been numerous other searches of the area, including one with "specially trained" Bigfoot sniffer dogs, but to no avail. There have been no further witness reports. "We have no goats reported missing, or any other types of small animals," said Captain Mark Cattanach. "I'm not sure what we could do. I don't know that there's ever been any indication, at least that I've been told, that there's any danger to the public." Cryptozoologist Richard Hendricks noticed that Hughes' creature matches other descriptions of the so-called Eastern Bigfoot, which tends to have longer fur (6-8 in (16-22 cm) long) than the Pacific Northwest Sasquatch, and a distinct lack of recognizable facial features. Parallels have also been drawn to the 'Momo' sighting of 1972, in which a shaggy haired Bigfoot was seen carrying a dog under its arm in Louisiana, Missouri and the creature that attacked Christine Van Acker near Monroe, Michigan in 1965. From Fortean Times, FT135, June 2000 |