Bigfoot? Lurking in Malaysia...

[Cool_Freaker 0]

Excitement is mounting in Malaysia over claims of "Bigfoots" are lurking in its southern jungles, with wildlife experts on the hunt for the mythical beast and a telephone hotline set up to report sightings.
Bigfoot fever erupted last month when some fish farm workers claimed to have spotted three of the beasts - two adults and a youngster, on the edge of a forest reserve in southern Johor state.

Their improbable tale was lent some authority soon after when an Orang Asli - an indigenous ethnic group known for their expertise in the jungle, also said he had stumbled across one of the legendary ape-men.

"He saw the creature which was hairy and brownish in colour, it was about 12 feet [four metres] tall," Johor National Parks director Hashim Yusoff said.

"It was not aggressive, but the Orang Asli was startled by the creature and ran away.

"My personal feeling is that there is a possibility it could be what we call in Malaysia the 'mawas' ... more of a primate.

"But we don't deny the sightings," he said, insisting that the Orang Asli "do not lie".

"We've got to prove it and we've got to do it scientifically."
Quest

Wildlife authorities have embarked on a quest to verify the claims, and are considering mounting camera traps to capture images of anything roaming the jungles.

After a month of fruitless searching and interviews with people living near the forests, a telephone hotline has now been set up for members of the public who claim to have seen the beast to relate their stories, Mr Hashim said.

"Our main aim is to identify the information source, whether it is credible or not," he told AFP.

The Malaysian press has given prominent coverage to reports of sightings, including some which date back decades, and printed photographs of supposed footprints - vague impressions in the mud and leaves on the jungle floor.

Johor is home to large tracts of jungle, including its famed Endau-Rompin National Park, and unconfirmed sightings of large creatures surface periodically there.
Proof elusive

Former zoologist Amlir Ayat said this week that he had come close to finding proof of the existence of Bigfoot five years ago after villagers claimed to have shot a huge hairy creature in the jungles of neighbouring Pahang state.

"The creature fell to the ground with a great thud and the villagers took to their heels. Later, when they returned to check if it was dead, they found the body still lying there," he was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times.

Dr Amlir said he was only told of the shooting a year later. He and the villagers mounted a search for the remains of the creature but found none.

"By then, loggers had moved into the site and cleared the ground," he said.

"The evidence was gone."

Vincent Chow, an adviser to Johor's Malaysian Nature Society who has been lobbying the government to look into the claims, dismissed the sceptics who insist the "sightings" have been manufactured to lure tourists to Johor.

"There's a lot of excitement, a lot of people are coming in with their own stories," he said.

Sightings of mythical ape-like creatures have been reported in wilderness areas all over the world.

They are known as Bigfoot or Sasquatch in the United States and Canada, and yetis in the Himalayas.

- AFP

I still find it kind of hard to believe there is a "Bigfoot". Probably the fishermen/farmers were really bored and had to imagine something - like exaggerating something they saw... then again it could be mutant monkeys?

[Plenoptic 0]

I am thinking along the same lines as you. I really don't think we could have inhabited the earth for thousands of years without having any pictures, or some type of evidence of big foot. If there are 6 billion inhabitants on Earth right now how could only three of these inhabitants seen big foot? The odds are against them but you never know. I like to keep my mind open to these myths cause it keeps your imagination going. I would like to think there is something like big foot but I doubt it.

[Cerebral Stasis 0]

Who says that only three have seen "Bigfoot"? There have been sightings from all across the world over the years, but no material evidence or solid proof to back it up (aside from footprints and blurry photos, which could all be faked).It's hard to imagine a mammal 12 feet tall. It would, without a doubt, be one of the largest mammals on Earth. It would have to have a very powerful heart to pump blood through a body of that size. It would certainly be interesting to study.Although the chances of a primate remaining hidden until now is unlikely, it's not impossible. There have been reports of sightings of prehistoric fish (real FISH large enough to swallow a person whole, and not sharks, either) in the nearby Lake Sakakawea (I live in North-Central USA). In fact, more and more underwater welders who are working on building a bridge across the lake are beginning to quit their job (regardless of the astounding wages) due to their fear of these creatures.

[joeyss 0]

Who says that only three have seen "Bigfoot"? There have been sightings from all across the world over the years, but no material evidence or solid proof to back it up (aside from footprints and blurry photos, which could all be faked).

 

It's hard to imagine a mammal 12 feet tall. It would, without a doubt, be one of the largest mammals on Earth. It would have to have a very powerful heart to pump blood through a body of that size. It would certainly be interesting to study.

 

Although the chances of a primate remaining hidden until now is unlikely, it's not impossible. There have been reports of sightings of prehistoric fish (real FISH large enough to swallow a person whole, and not sharks, either) in the nearby Lake Sakakawea (I live in North-Central USA). In fact, more and more underwater welders who are working on building a bridge across the lake are beginning to quit their job (regardless of the astounding wages) due to their fear of these creatures.

219704[/snapback]

I remeber seeing a big foot video on tv that some on recorded in 1956.Well boy did it look werid.

[Goofy 0]

This brings back vague memories of my dad scaring me with tales of Bigfoot.I think some fishermen were reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeealllllllllyyyyyyyyyyy bored that day ^^;.They sent photoshoppers mad I guess =-=;

[Cerebral Stasis 0]

Joey, I can guess it was probably a black-and-white, grainy and blurry video that you can hardly make out, with a shape lumbering in the forest behind some trees, right? I'd hardly call that "evidence" - not only could it be easily faked, it could be easily mistaken.

[lodd 0]

A week ago, some fishermen found the remains of some 6 foot tall creature with an extremely wierd skull by the river. This happened around Kampung Pengkalan Sungai Udang if im not mistaken. But later on, they found out that it was just a crocodile sekleton without a skull. Because the skull was missing, the fishermen had put its pelvic bone in place of its skull, so they had gotten an extremely "interesting" skeleton. Its all good now though.It just goes to show that not all "evidence" is really proof. But i keep my mind open. Ciao

[iwuvcookies 0]

I know some of these might be hoaxes and I understand its for money and 15 seconds of fame. I never doubt there existance these few animals or creatures if indeed they are of a few. They might be hiding in places we'll propbably never get to. I just wished we did find somethign terrestrial instead of like weird looking fishes in the deep oceans. Cause that's just boring now. We know that the weird looking fishes in the deep depths of the ocean are freaky looking. Now I want to really see an anaimal on land. HOpefully. I don't know if the people were telling the truth or they had eye problems. Sometimes the mind plays tricks on us.

[Cerebral Stasis 0]

Well, you might as well give up, IWC. The chances of finding a completely new form of primate is slim to none. Sure, one can still find all kinds of new species of animals in different biospheres, but to find something of a completely new family is very unlikely.And finding new sea creatures isn't "boring" - there's much more to find down there than there is up here.

[Acacia 0]

That seems a strange arguement... only 3 or 4 people have seen it so obviously its not real... and yet millions of people believe in ufo's and aliens.And there are animals being found these days still. I read a report of one probably a month ago.In such dense forrest/jungle why is it so unlikely that undiscovered animals have been found?

[Ralphie 0]

With all of the things we have today, it would be really easy to manipulate a 'bigfoot.' I would bet that some people have dressed up in costumes and gone lurking around to try and fool people. Then there is always photoshop which can do some really amazing photo manipulations. Sadly, it can be really difficult to decide if something is true or not. I dont believe there is any such things as bigfoot. If people claim that they see bigfoot or find tracks I believe they are just trying to get some attention.

[iGuest 3]

Einstein`s theory of space-time provokes the suggestion that the closer you come to the speed of light, the slower time passes. So Alien sightings here on Earth time have been documented over thousands of years, but the aliens traveling close to the speed of light would have been out for a Sunday drive. The possibility that "Bigfoot" and the other sightings are in actuality aliens, which would help explain their reluctance to be identified or captured. This theory would also remove the chances of finding scat in the woods, or a "nest".

 The idea that new primates are yet to be found isn`t that far-fetched. Until a few years ago the very idea that Black Bears were inhabiting the woods of Missouri was absolutely denied and scoffed at by every person in the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Now, we have police car video of a Black Bear wandering on Route 66 near Bourbon, Mo. Suddenly the Department has changed their stance, the same with "Mountain Lions" which until someone provided road kill Mountain Lion, the DNR denied their existance in Mo. Not that Mountain Lions or Black Bears are new forms of life, but they were here, right in the middle of the state and the people who sighted them were laughed at, until they were proven right.