Bigfoot: Nothing like a bear

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Bigfoot: Nothing like a bear
January 15, 2009
Langley Advance

Dear Editor,

Matthew Claxton's January 2 column [Better that Bigfoot doesn't exist, Jan. 2 Opinon, Langley Advance] stimulated a response from me.

Edward O. Wilson, a Harvard fellow and considered one of the great bioscientists in the world, publicly advocates that only 10 per cent of the animal species on planet earth have been discovered. His estimates are widely accepted as reasonable in the academic community.
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If true, it leaves open the possibility for future discoveries of new primates, including large hominid creatures. Jane Goodall is considered one of the preeminent primatologists in the world, and she believes that a large, unknown primate lives many parts of the world and one day will be discovered.

There are many other highly recognized experts who also agree on the possible existence of a large, nocturnal hominid creature existing today on the fringes of the so-called real world. Few academics will openly discuss the subject or support the premise, not because of the evidence, which is substantial, but because of fear of ridicule by those ignorant of the weight and substance of the facts.

There are dozens of large dinosaurs species (Eubiantes; Anchisauripus; Grallator) known only by their trace fossil tracks. No body or bones exist for these creatures, yet the scientific and academic community accept their existence.

Tracks and footprints are very important trace evidence. Ask a local police officer in your community.
There are a considerable number of Bigfoot casts which show dermal ridges - extremely difficult and expensive to fabricate.

There also exists a large body of published information on unknown hair primate-like samples. The chemical and DNA analyses of these specimens comes back "unknown," because there is no type specimen to match the material with.

DNA from the hair specimens does not prove the existence of a Bigfoot creature; it is merely evidence that hair specimens have been collected that cannot be matched with any known animal or primate species.

A significant number of very large, albeit rare animals have been discovered over the past 100 years, some recently. The giant squid, never seen alive before 2007, was first filmed by the Japanese. The Bornean Clouded Leopard, the largest predator of that island, was discovered by an Oxford research team in 2008.

The Saola, a large forest ox, was discovered in Viet Nam in 1992, and the Muntjax, a large forest deer, was discovered in Laos in 1991. The Megamouth shark wasdiscovered in 1976, the Komodo Dragon in 1926, and the Mountain Gorilla in 1902 - just to name a few.

There are some amazing articles written by once well-respected scientists arguing at the London Academy of Sciences in the early 20th century which openly mocked the existence of a large primate or lizard.

I have been fortunate to meet some wonderful friends at the academy who have permitted me to read some of these speeches and articles published in the late 19th century. Naturally, the words of these men - and their professional reputations - have faded into the background of history with time.

The mere existence of the creatures that they mocked as being impossible at one time are now accepted as mundanely common knowledge even to children. This has always been the case with the world of science. Five hundred years ago the greatest minds in the world "knew" that the earth was flat and that the sun revolved around the earth.

Today we can look back at those feeble-minded fellows and chuckle at their incompetence and lack of imagination. They seem like comical buffoons now.

I have earned three university degrees, two in the geosciences, but I am humbled by how much I do not fully know and understand about this world and universe that we live in.

I worked as a petroleum exploration geologist with British Petroleum early in my career. I led more than a dozen field expeditions in the remote Alaska Peninsula and know something about bears. I estimate that I have seen more than a thousand bears in my life. I had a bear walk on top of me while I slept in my sleeping bag. I've had them running right next to me.

I've been chased by them and fired on them in self-defense. I've seen them at night and during the day; sleeping and swimming; walking on all fours and standing on their hind legs smelling the air for scent.

Yet, amazingly perhaps, I have never once thought that a bear was a Bigfoot. In fact I'm not sure that I even knew of such a thing as a Bigfoot back when I was a geologist.

I have also read about 400 accounts from eyewitnesses who have had very interesting Bigfoot encounters - professional hunters, military officers, even a psychologist. I was blessed with a curious mind and a high IQ, and I find many subjects very interesting. It is possible that I am wrong, but I feel - not believe - that the evidence is so overwhelming that an unknown hominid indeed exists that I long ago moved on to more interesting topics to explore and grow emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually in this life. I understand how we all evaluate "evidence" so very differently.

I reflect that Albert Einstein said it best when he was asked once at a lecture at Princeton for an equation for success in life. Mr. Einstein paused for a moment and then said, "success, or S would be equal to X + Y + Z, where X = natural talent and ability; Y = hard work and application to your endevours; and Z = the ability to keep your mouth shut.

I leave you with this thought: how will the world regard Mr. Claxton and his article in 100 years?

Eric Zalas, Milwaukee, WI