Paranormal Investigator Magazine Issue I | Page 58

Paranormal Investigator Magazine

By Ben Ream
 I confess I want to believe in Bigfoot. No other
cryptid has captured my interest like the oft-discussed ape-man. There exists no shortage of
pop culture references to the many incarnations
of Bigfoot.  Everything from horror movies to
reality shows purporting to ‘find’ Bigfoot to, yes,
even porn.  But if we put all those commercial
endeavors aside, what are we left with? What
proof, if any, do we have that the “creature”
actually exists? The answer might surprise you.
I, like most amateur enthusiasts, don’t have
expensive degrees in Anthropology or millions
of dollars to fund extravagant expeditions to remote locations. What I do have is a good mind
for science, a decent understanding of logic,
and the Internet.

centuries-old accounts describe a bi-pedal being
between 8 and 11 feet tall, covered in hair, with
vaguely human facial features. Two other distinct creatures have been reported in other parts
of North America: the Grassman in the Ohio River Valley, and the Skunk Ape in the Florida Everglades. 

The Australians report a “creature” called Yowie. This “creature”, described by Aborigines for
centuries, shares a similar description with the
North American Sasquatch. In 1951, adventurer Eric Shipton discovered a set of human-like
footprints during an expedition on the Menlung
Glacier. After consulting with the locals he discovered that they were thought to belong to the
Yeti (also dubbed ‘Abominable Snowman’). The
Yeti is the term the Nepalese use for a bi-pedal
ape-man thought to live at high altitudes in the
The history of Bigfoot provides the first evidence Himalayas. In China there are reports of yet anfor its existence. Bigfoot takes many forms other bi-pedal ape-man referred to as the Yeren,
throughout the world. The term Bigfoot originat- (which means ‘wild man’ in Chinese).  
ed in the United States in the late 1950’s after
large bipedal footprints were found in the Pacif- Taken alone, these reports could be individualic Northwest. However, the Native Americans ly dismissed as cultural boogeymen, but when
in this area had spoken of a “creature” called considered together a different picture begins to
Sasquatch for centuries, even appearing in vari- emerge, and in regions around the world, sepaous cave paintings. Both modern witnesses and rated by geography and time, people report see— 54 —