Gary J Green Read online

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  Monster of Myth

  Gary J. Green

  No Compromise Media 2016

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  Chupacabra

  In March 1995 a Puerto Rican farmer awoke one morning to find eight of his sheep dead in

  their field. Each one had distinctive puncture wounds to their chest, and their bodies had

  been drained completely of blood. This was to be the first reported attack by a beast that

  would soon become known as, El Chupacabra.

  Similar attacks by El Chupacabra, which means literally “goat sucker”, were soon reported

  on a regular basis in various parts of Puerto Rico. Hundreds of animals were killed; chickens,

  goats, sheep and cows; even guinea pigs and cats. The attacks always happened at night and

  in each case similar puncture wounds were apparent and the blood had been drained from

  the helpless victims.

  The first actual sighting of the beast came in the town of Can, Puerto Rico, just a few months

  after the initial attack. Madelyne Tolentino described the reptile-like creature she saw as;

  four feet high, walking on its hind legs, a line of quills down its back, and equipped with long

  teeth and claws. A number of subsequent sightings have mirrored this description with the

  addition of more mysterious details.

  When cornered or distressed the beast is said to screech and its eyes glow red which can

  have a hypnotising effect on bystanders; it also gives off a repulsive sulphuric stench to

  repel any attack. Some descriptions of El Chupacabra portray a creature more akin to a

  hairless wild dog. The protruding quills or spine along the back remain however. Other

  reports say the creature has monkey-like hind legs and the ability to jump huge distances.

  By 1996 the creature (or creatures) had made it off the island. Dozens of reports were being

  received of slaughtered livestock from mainland Latin America, Mexico and the United

  States. By the year 2000 the creature was creating carnage as far south as Chile. The

  number of killings by El Chupacabra prompted the Chilean government to call in the army.

  Despite widespread night patrols no animal was ever seen or captured. The attacks were

  ultimately blamed on a pack of wild dogs; although these animals were never located either.

  Even today the attacks continue. In many Latin American communities, and further afield El

  Chupacabra is still a very real threat. Reports have been received from places as far afield as

  Russia and The Philippines. The description of the creature may vary in some of these cases;

  but the bloodletting and puncture wounds seem to be common to all the attacks.

  In 2010, there were several claims that El Chupacabra had finally been killed. In Kentucky

  and Texas a number of animal corpses were DNA tested. In each case the offending animals

  proved to be a coyote or some kind of hybrid dog; each one suffering from mange or other

  parasitic skin conditions that had made their hair fall out and which had given them a

  startling, bizarre appearance.

  The development of this mystical animal may actually lay in the 1970s when the Puerto

  Rican town of Moca was being terrorised. Again livestock was attacked and drained of

  blood. The “Moca Vampire” reign of terror was somewhat shorter than El Chupacabra’s but

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  was again never fully explained. Perhaps the sightings and attacks are down to

  misidentification of other animals; but those who have seen the creature may be inclined to

  disagree.

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  Bigfoot

  Bigfoot, t he giant ape-man, occasionally glimpsed in the forests of North America’s Pacific

  Northwest is now a legendary creature. Indigenous tribes have been telling tales of wild-

  men of the forests for centuries; however in the last fifty years the Bigfoot phenomenon has

  truly come alive. Indeed reported sightings of Bigfoot in the last few decades are almost too

  numerous to catalogue.

  Those who claim to have seen it put the creature at anything from seven to ten feet tall;

  covered in black, dark brown or even red hair and with an upright gait. The face is human-

  like but with a large overhanging brow that makes the animal look more like a huge gorilla.

  Generally found in expansive forests, the creature seems shy and stays away from human

  interaction. Although some suggest that the creature is a social one, and that it lives in small

  family groups. As well as the numerous sightings themselves, giant human-like footprints up

  to two-feet in length have been found and there are a number of photographs and videos

  showing images of the creature.

  Unfortunately the fame that Bigfoot has attracted means a large number of hoaxers have

  taken advantage to try and grab some of the limelight. Many of the most famous sightings

  have been dismissed as fraudulent. From people dressing up in costumes, through to fake

  corpses and large model feet being made to lay false footprints, every method to fool the

  public has been tried.

  Genuine hoaxes aside, it has to be said that the sheer number of reports is amazing; many

  sightings have been by people who have nothing to gain from publicity or fame. But what

  could the beast be that so many people have seen? Most scientists have ruled out the

  possibility of the Bigfoot phenomena being an as yet undiscovered great-ape, a “missing

  link” or an early species of man surviving into the present day.

  Misidentification may be one explanation to account for many of the sightings. Most reports

  have been shown to be bears walking on their hind legs, hunters dressed in ghillie

  (camouflage) suits, or even just hikers passing by the scene. One photograph from 2007 was

  identified as a chimpanzee that had escaped from captivity. DNA tests on various samples of

  hair and flesh claiming to be from Bigfoot have invariably proved to be deer, wolf or bear.

  No DNA test has yet highlighted a sample from an unknown or ‘extinct’ species.

  Even believers in the existence of the beast concede that outright hoaxes and

  misidentifications account for the vast majority of reports and pictures. But these

  explanations only go so far. Even sceptical hunters and woodsmen who have seen the

  creature admit they thought that Bigfoot was nothing more than a myth. Some of these

  witnesses have spent their lives in the outdoors and know the forests well. These witnesses

  are unlikely to make obvious misidentifications and they admit their own previous cynicism.

  They have no reason to lie and are unlikely to be mistaken. But no-one really knows for sure

  what all these people have actually experienced.

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  Champ – The Sea Monster of Lake Champlain

  One of the most enduring and familiar legendary creatures is the Loch Ness Monster or

  “Nessie”. Various sightings of this huge sea-creature have been made in the depths of the

  Scottish lake. But Nessie is not the only serpentine beast that people have reported seeing

  in lakes around the world.

  Lake Champlain is a large expense of freshwater in the New York and Vermont countryside.

  For nearly two hundred years there have been legends of a massive creature that inhabits

/>   the lake. Reports in the nineteenth century describe the animal as more than a hundred feet

  long and resembling a serpent swimming just below the surface of the water. The unknown

  creature was christened, Champ. Following the initial sighting the number of reports

  increased, and such was the public interest at the end of the 1800s, famous showman P. T.

  Barnum put up a huge reward to anyone who could capture the beast for him

  Sightings of the beast dwindled at the start of the last century but the legend refused to go

  away and in 1977 interest in Champ was resurrected when the most famous sighting was

  made. Holidaying with her family close to Lake Champlain, Sandra Mansi, was amazed to

  witness a giant sea-creature lift its long neck and head from the water near the shores of

  the lake. Watching spellbound for several minutes the creature swam slowly across the lake

  keeping its head out the water. As her family moved away from the shore for their own

  safety Sandra was able to take a photograph of the animal as it swam towards the middle of

  the lake.

  The photograph is of a good quality and shows the now familiar long, slender neck with

  head looking away from the camera. Behind the neck a dark hump can be seen very clearly

  where the body of the creature starts, and the rest is hidden by the water. Experts have

  analysed the photograph and have shown that it has not been tampered with in any way.

  The picture has yet to be fully explained. Some people have suggested that the animal, just

  like Nessie, has all the hallmarks of being a plesiosaur or some other prehistoric animal

  previously thought to be extinct.

  There have now been more than three hundred reported sightings of Cham, as well as a

  handful of photographs and video recordings showing mysterious shapes in the water. More

  recently sound footage recorded in the lake has picked up some unusual activity. The

  recordings have been described as sounding like the calls of whales or dolphins; however

  neither of these animals has ever been found in the lake.

  Most scientists suggest that many sightings can be put down to otters, seals or large fish in

  the lake. Even inanimate objects such as logs or waves could explain some of the reports.

  However with a number of the reports from people very familiar with the lake, and some

  excellent photographic evidence not all the sightings can be explain away so readily.

  Whatever the explanation; sea serpent, misidentification or hoax, there is almost certainly

  something in Lake Champlain that needs further exploration.

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  Beckenham Gargoyle

  Beckenham is one of the larger districts of London in the UK. Much like its neighbouring

  districts it is a perfectly normal mix of residential housing, parkland and industry. In many

  ways there is nothing spectacular or particularly different about the town. That is until an

  unexplained event in 2011which put Beckenham firmly on the map.

  Local man, Peter Butler, was filming late one night in a park that was always rumoured to

  give people strange feelings of being watched when visiting it at night. Paranormal activity

  had also been reported around a particular tree that had allegedly been used by people to

  hang themselves. Equipped with infra-red technology the camera pans round in the

  darkness, across the park until it reaches the children’s play area. There, clearly visible half-

  crouching on top of a castle-styled climbing frame is a strange creature looking directly at

  the camera.

  The unknown creature is humanoid, four and a half feet high, has grey, almost scaly skin,

  and a long thin tail. Staring into shot for several seconds it has iridescent eyes glowing in the

  darkness and horns or long ears on the side of its head. The creature then turns and leaps

  from its ten foot high vantage point. The trajectory of the leap is almost other worldly as it

  jumps vertically upwards slowly and effortlessly but vanishes down incredibly quickly from

  sight. The cameraman turns and leaves the scene quickly after the creature vanishes; by his

  own admission he wanted to get out of there. But Mr Butler does add that he heard it land

  in the trees which are some metres away from the climbing frame itself.

  The nickname that was quickly adopted of the “Beckenham Gargoyle” is certainly an

  appropriate one. Gargoyles are the grotesque, stone creatures usually found carved onto

  the rooves of churches and cathedrals. Based on dragons and other similar creatures, the

  figure in the video clearly has the right outline with its strange shaped head, thin spindly

  arms and long tail.

  Attempts have been made to replicate the footage using people in costumes to replace the

  creature. The size and outline of the figure in these reconstructions is similar to the footage

  but it has proved harder to get the eyes and movements the same. Similar problems are

  encountered when using models to recreate the footage.

  Perhaps the video simply shows some other recognisable and familiar animal? People have

  suggested that it could be a cat or some kind of monkey. This may explain the shining eyes

  and long tail, as well as the ability to jump the distance into the trees. But the size of the

  creature is harder to match up and there have certainly been no reports of a four-foot

  monkey being seen in the area, before or since.

  Given the failure so far to explain the footage perhaps it is just an example of very clever

  computer generated trickery that has yet to be found, or possibly it is some other more

  mundane creature made to look other worldly in the half light. Whatever it is, the

  Beckenham Gargoyle is a very recent phenomenon that prompts further discussion and

  investigation.

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  Mayakka Skunk Ape

  We have already taken a look at the story surrounding the North American Bigfoot. Many

  areas around the world have their own version of a similar ape-man legend; the Tibetan

  Yeti, Canada’s Sasquatch or Australia’s Yowie. While the names may vary, the creatures

  themselves are distinctly similar in appearance and behaviour; large, ape-like creatures

  living undisturbed in the wilderness of each region.

  As well as Bigfoot himself America has another ape-man of some repute. The Mayakka

  Skunk Ape has been reported in Florida for more than fifty years. The sightings centre round

  the Mayakka River, with witnesses reporting a foul stench wherever the beast goes – hence

  the evocative name.

  The Skunk Ape is described as walking upright, over seven feet tall and covered from head

  to toe in shaggy, dark brown fur. Its face is a flattened human or ape-like one. Just like

  Bigfoot, most pictures and videos of the Skunk Ape are limited to blurry images of indistinct

  shapes in the distance. However there is one notable exception.

  In 2000 two photographs were sent anonymously to the Sarasota Sheriff’s department in

  Florida. The photographs are very clear and show what appears to be a large ape, standing

  upright but with hunched up shoulders looking directly at the camera. Its mouth is slightly

  open and shows ape-like teeth; its eyes are glowing in the flash of the camera. The animal is

  certainly no bear or racoon.

  The source of the photographs has yet to be discovered but research has shown that they

  were taken near the Mayakka River. The pictures wer
e accompanied by a letter from an

  elderly lady. She preferred to remain anonymous, but stated that the creature was taking

  apples from her garden and had been seen for several nights running. The creature was

  seven feet tall and was making ‘deep “woomp” noises’. The writer was concerned that the

  animal was actually an escaped orang-utan and that it would be dangerous for local people

  and should be captured as soon as possible.

  The letter stated that nothing could be seen clearly in the garden until the flash went off. At

  that stage the creature had frozen where it stood. After the second flash it went off, out of

  the garden and back into the surrounding countryside. The letter certainly reads like one

  from a genuinely concerned resident.

  The photographs are almost too good to be believed. This in itself prompts sceptics to

  question their validity. There is no chance of misidentification but an elaborate hoax would

  fit the bill nicely. The picture would easily be explained by a “man in a suit”. Other sightings

  of the Skunk Ape have equally been dismissed as hoaxes or more simply as “black bears

  walking on their hind legs”.

  But there are plenty of believers in Florida who would dispute these answers. The smell that

  has become associated with the Skunk Ape is certainly a notable difference to many ape-

  man reports from other regions. This in itself may make it harder to dismiss out of hand,

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  unless it is also part of an elaborate hoax or mass delusion. As with many similar creatures,

  those who have actually seen the Skunk Ape will not be convinced that they haven’t seen