I want to extend my sincere apologies to my readers.
The past few months have been quite challenging for me and I have not tended to this blog as I should have.
That's going to change as of today.
The spirit of writing has once again found its place in my heart,and Im back to doing the research I love doing.
The deaths of my parents and my dear friend in such a short period of time left me shaken,but I know in my heart that theyre all encouraging me forward and probably have been a bit dissapointed that my fingers have been idle all these weeks.
Each day is a new beginning,each moment in our lives a new adventure........
There are strange creatures and paranormal phenomena out there in abundance,and it is my calling in life to find out why they're here,how they came to be,and what their roll is in the grand scheme of things.
I may never be able to answer some of those questions.
But then again, half the fun is in the quest itself.
I hope you all are having blessed and happy holidays.
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven Moonshadow
Friday, December 26, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Nick Redfern on Paranormal Radio Tonight!
Be sure to tune in to this one,folks!
It's sure to be an exciting night!
Nick will be on Paranormal Radio at 9 pm EST tonight with the amazing Captain Jack,the late night Prince of the airwaves. They'll be discussing our hairy handed friend,the werewolf.
Climb aboard if you dare,mateys! And make ready to "set sail in to the stormy sea of the unknown with Captain Jack!"
Also,dont forget to visit Nick's blog ,'Theres something in the Woods', and leave him some howling good comments!
Ta ta for now !
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven Moonshadow
It's sure to be an exciting night!
Nick will be on Paranormal Radio at 9 pm EST tonight with the amazing Captain Jack,the late night Prince of the airwaves. They'll be discussing our hairy handed friend,the werewolf.
Climb aboard if you dare,mateys! And make ready to "set sail in to the stormy sea of the unknown with Captain Jack!"
Also,dont forget to visit Nick's blog ,'Theres something in the Woods', and leave him some howling good comments!
Ta ta for now !
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven Moonshadow
Friday, October 24, 2008
Hello again my fledglings!
Goodness,how time flies!
Here we are almost to the end of October already.
My favorite time of year.
The leaves are turning color,the air is crisp and cool,and the crypto world is booming.
In Michigan(my home state),big cat sightings are on the uprise.
Cougars are becoming more numerous,but being "poo pooed" by the local authority.
In early October,a man named Todd Fowler set up a trip cam to see how many deer were visiting the area around where he had set up his deer blind.
Instead of a prized set of antlers,he got a snapshot of what clearly looks to be a cougar. But when he showed the photo to a DNR agent, he was told the animal in question was a "bobcat".
I dont know,folks. I think it wouldnt hurt for the DNR agent to get an eye examination.
In my humble opinion, the creature is a cougar.
But dont take my word for it. Check out the full story and photo by clicking the link below, and determine what it is for yourself :
Cougar in Ravenna township
The reasons for denial are anyone's guess.
It could be an effort to protect them... IE: 'If we convince you that youre crazy or blind,you are less likely to go back out to the woods with a gazillion of your friends to cause a disturbance.'
Or it could be that the DNR and other related authorities are horribly short staffed and cannot handle the task of monitoring them.
It could also be just plain ol control and misuse of authority.
Who knows for sure. We can only keep guessing at this point.
Til then,Im sure the sightings will continue to make the headlines and become wonderful campfire stories.
Ive got some news coming up that you wont want to miss,so be sure to stay tuned for details in the coming weeks.
Winter may be just around the corner,but that doesnt stop the planning of expeditions and research into mysterious creatures.
As most of you well know,my favorite cryptid,and the one I am most passionate about is the Michigan Dogman.
For those of you unfamiliar with this particular creature,please be sure to check out Steve Cook's "The Legend,Legacy Edition" which can be found and purchased at :
http://www.michigan-dogman.com/news.html
You can also see a clip of this amazing documentary on Youtube :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv12BnvKgPk
Speaking of werewolf legends,my good friend Nick Redfern was on Coast to Coast radio last night .
Check out the recap and show archive at :
Coast To Coast AM with George Noory
I hope you are all enjoying the beautiful weather.
Stay warm and keep your eyes peeled for legends!
Ta ta for now!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven Moonshadow
Here we are almost to the end of October already.
My favorite time of year.
The leaves are turning color,the air is crisp and cool,and the crypto world is booming.
In Michigan(my home state),big cat sightings are on the uprise.
Cougars are becoming more numerous,but being "poo pooed" by the local authority.
In early October,a man named Todd Fowler set up a trip cam to see how many deer were visiting the area around where he had set up his deer blind.
Instead of a prized set of antlers,he got a snapshot of what clearly looks to be a cougar. But when he showed the photo to a DNR agent, he was told the animal in question was a "bobcat".
I dont know,folks. I think it wouldnt hurt for the DNR agent to get an eye examination.
In my humble opinion, the creature is a cougar.
But dont take my word for it. Check out the full story and photo by clicking the link below, and determine what it is for yourself :
Cougar in Ravenna township
The reasons for denial are anyone's guess.
It could be an effort to protect them... IE: 'If we convince you that youre crazy or blind,you are less likely to go back out to the woods with a gazillion of your friends to cause a disturbance.'
Or it could be that the DNR and other related authorities are horribly short staffed and cannot handle the task of monitoring them.
It could also be just plain ol control and misuse of authority.
Who knows for sure. We can only keep guessing at this point.
Til then,Im sure the sightings will continue to make the headlines and become wonderful campfire stories.
Ive got some news coming up that you wont want to miss,so be sure to stay tuned for details in the coming weeks.
Winter may be just around the corner,but that doesnt stop the planning of expeditions and research into mysterious creatures.
As most of you well know,my favorite cryptid,and the one I am most passionate about is the Michigan Dogman.
For those of you unfamiliar with this particular creature,please be sure to check out Steve Cook's "The Legend,Legacy Edition" which can be found and purchased at :
http://www.michigan-dogman.com/news.html
You can also see a clip of this amazing documentary on Youtube :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv12BnvKgPk
Speaking of werewolf legends,my good friend Nick Redfern was on Coast to Coast radio last night .
Check out the recap and show archive at :
Coast To Coast AM with George Noory
I hope you are all enjoying the beautiful weather.
Stay warm and keep your eyes peeled for legends!
Ta ta for now!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven Moonshadow
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Regarding my lengthy absence
I apologize for being MIA recently,but I,and my family,have been dealing with some major life stressors.
A dear friend of mine passed away on the 8th of September and its left us all a bit shaken and in shock. I needed some time to close off from the world and let it all sink in so I could start the process of healing once again. His death came too soon after my father's untimely passing in June.
Also...Due to water damage in our apartment and a severe mold problem as a result of it,we have had crews working in our home from morning til evening for some time now and there is still quite a bit left to do yet. The carpeting all needs to be replaced and the painters are coming in this week as well.
After that,I will be out of town for a few days,then things should be returning to normal,at least in theory.
I appreciate your patience as I get things in order so I can get back to business as usual with this blog.
My friend Nick Redfern has also had some life stress of his own,so as soon as we get the chance,we'll catch up on things and I'll get his schedule and post "Where the Redfern Goes" once again.
Again,many thanks for your patience.
I hope you are all well and enjoying this beautiful Sunday afternoon.
Ta ta for now!
A dear friend of mine passed away on the 8th of September and its left us all a bit shaken and in shock. I needed some time to close off from the world and let it all sink in so I could start the process of healing once again. His death came too soon after my father's untimely passing in June.
Also...Due to water damage in our apartment and a severe mold problem as a result of it,we have had crews working in our home from morning til evening for some time now and there is still quite a bit left to do yet. The carpeting all needs to be replaced and the painters are coming in this week as well.
After that,I will be out of town for a few days,then things should be returning to normal,at least in theory.
I appreciate your patience as I get things in order so I can get back to business as usual with this blog.
My friend Nick Redfern has also had some life stress of his own,so as soon as we get the chance,we'll catch up on things and I'll get his schedule and post "Where the Redfern Goes" once again.
Again,many thanks for your patience.
I hope you are all well and enjoying this beautiful Sunday afternoon.
Ta ta for now!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Where the Redfern Goes(A tad late this week)
My apologies for this late post but it's been an exceptionally busy week in our household. My daughter started back to school,Ive got additional work,and we've had plenty of family related things keeping us running in 5 different directions.
Things should be settling down now,so you should start to see more posts. Woo hoo!
Nick's schedule for this weekend is as follows :
On Saturday September 6, Nick will be speaking at the Ancient Earth Mysteries conference at the Hilton Dallas Lincoln Center in Dallas, Texas. The subject of his lecture: the CIA's secret search for the remains of Noah's Ark. Truly a real-life conspiratorial mystery of Indiana Jones-style proportions! If you want to know what it's all about, here's the details: http://www.conspiracycafe.us/
One day later, on Sunday September 7, Nick will be lecturing on the subject of his new book, There's Something in the Woods, at the monthly meeting of the Dallas-Fort Worth Mutual UFO Network (MUFON). Here's the details for those who may want to attend:
http://mufon.dfw.org/
I try to have Nick's itinerary posted every Monday,but in case of times like this past week where I dont get it posted right away,please remember you can always check out his past and upcoming events by going to NICK REDFERN'S FORTEAN CALENDAR
Ta ta for today!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven Moonshadow
Things should be settling down now,so you should start to see more posts. Woo hoo!
Nick's schedule for this weekend is as follows :
On Saturday September 6, Nick will be speaking at the Ancient Earth Mysteries conference at the Hilton Dallas Lincoln Center in Dallas, Texas. The subject of his lecture: the CIA's secret search for the remains of Noah's Ark. Truly a real-life conspiratorial mystery of Indiana Jones-style proportions! If you want to know what it's all about, here's the details: http://www.conspiracycafe.us/
One day later, on Sunday September 7, Nick will be lecturing on the subject of his new book, There's Something in the Woods, at the monthly meeting of the Dallas-Fort Worth Mutual UFO Network (MUFON). Here's the details for those who may want to attend:
http://mufon.dfw.org/
I try to have Nick's itinerary posted every Monday,but in case of times like this past week where I dont get it posted right away,please remember you can always check out his past and upcoming events by going to NICK REDFERN'S FORTEAN CALENDAR
Ta ta for today!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven Moonshadow
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Neil Arnold on Big cats in the UK
Want the latest Neil Arnold news regarding the elusive big cats of the UK?
Just pop on over to Nick Redfern's page at :
http://monsterusa.blogspot.com/2008/08/neil-arnold-on-uk-big-cats.html
and you'll get the fascinating updates.
From decapitating sheep to scaling 6 ft fences with little effort,these beasts are becoming the norm in the UK rather than the exception.
Neil's intriguing perspectives captivate his readers and always keep them coming back for more,so dont forget to stop by and check out his latest findings.
Both his and Nick Redfern's links can always be found here on my page, so please feel free to click away!
When you stop by,be sure to leave comments for them. Feedback is a very useful tool to a writer,and they'll love to hear from you!
Ta ta for now,my fledglings!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven Moonshadow
Just pop on over to Nick Redfern's page at :
http://monsterusa.blogspot.com/2008/08/neil-arnold-on-uk-big-cats.html
and you'll get the fascinating updates.
From decapitating sheep to scaling 6 ft fences with little effort,these beasts are becoming the norm in the UK rather than the exception.
Neil's intriguing perspectives captivate his readers and always keep them coming back for more,so dont forget to stop by and check out his latest findings.
Both his and Nick Redfern's links can always be found here on my page, so please feel free to click away!
When you stop by,be sure to leave comments for them. Feedback is a very useful tool to a writer,and they'll love to hear from you!
Ta ta for now,my fledglings!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven Moonshadow
Monday, August 25, 2008
Where the Redfern Goes
This week on Wednesday, August 27th , Nick will be doing an online chat/interview at
For details and time,please check out the following link :
Update :
On Monday,August 25th, fellow-Fortean, author and a good friend of Nick's, Marie Jones, interviewed Nick about his cryptozoological research.
They covered a lot of ground, including his research into werewolves, phantom black-dogs, the issue of giantbirds in the US, the legends of still-survivingmammoths, what drives Nick to continue his crypto-research, why he thinks that at least some of theunknown "animals" in our world have paranormalorigins, and much more.The interview has just been posted to thePara-Explorers site that Marie runs with LarryFlaxman, and can be found right here:
Also,be sure to check out Nick's homepage
While you're over there,be sure to pick up your very own copy of There's Something in The Woods,but make sure you read it late at night by candlelight and when you're allllll alone!
Take care and have a howling good day,crypto fans!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven Moonshadow
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Nick Redfern's Karl Shuker Interview--Dont miss it!
Be sure to head over to Nick's page and check out his latest interview with Karl Shuker,author of several books, inlcuding 'The Unexplained', 'Dragons : A Natural History, and of course his newest work 'Dr. Shuker's Casebook'.
Karl Shuker Interview
Be sure to leave Nick your thoughts regarding the interview with Dr. Shuker.
If you havent read 'Dr. Shuker's Casebook' yet and would like to,you can click HERE to purchase yourself a copy today!
Also,Nick was recently interviewed by "The Blogsquatcher",on the controversial issue of Bigfoot and the paranormal, a subject that features heavily in his newbook "There's Something in the Woods"
Blogsquatcher has posted the first part of the interview. You can see it by going HERE
Ta ta for now!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven Moonshadow
Karl Shuker Interview
Be sure to leave Nick your thoughts regarding the interview with Dr. Shuker.
If you havent read 'Dr. Shuker's Casebook' yet and would like to,you can click HERE to purchase yourself a copy today!
Also,Nick was recently interviewed by "The Blogsquatcher",on the controversial issue of Bigfoot and the paranormal, a subject that features heavily in his newbook "There's Something in the Woods"
Blogsquatcher has posted the first part of the interview. You can see it by going HERE
Ta ta for now!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven Moonshadow
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
New weekly segment!--"Where the Redfern Goes"
Im happy(ok,so Im ecstatic!) to announce a new segment that I will be posting every Monday entitled "Where the Redfern Goes"
Nick will send me his weekly itinerary so I can post it here for you,so you wont miss any exciting interviews,articles,or lectures of his throughout the upcoming week.
Here is what Nick is up to this week! :
Monday(August 18th) , I was interviewed by the Blogsquatcherfor an online post on Bigfoot and the paranormal. Hehas posted a piece telling people in advance about theinterview, which can be found here:
http://blogsquatcher.blogspot.com/2008/08/staining-porch-again.html
Also, Monday, the just-published issue 4 of Britain's"Alien Worlds" news-stand magazine includes an articlefrom me on my book, "There's Something in the Woods."
See:http://www.alienworldsmag.com/
On Wednesday night(Aug. 20th) , I'll be on Uncanny Radio with hosts Linda Godfrey & Steve Sullivan, and we'll be discussing my new book, "There's Something in theWoods."
See:http://www.uncannyradio.com/
On Sunday night(Aug. 24th) I'll be on Darkness Radio.
See:http://www.darknessradio.com/
Dont forget to drop by Nick's homepage at :
http://www.nickredfern.com/
You can check out his bio,purchase books,look at his latest reviews,and link to his blogs.
Sometimes things come up last minute,so if there are any changes to this schedule or any new stuff is added,I'll be sure to update you right away.
`````````````````````````````````
As far as updates on the recent Bigfoot body fiasco,you can read the rather disheartening details at the FOX news site here :
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,406101,00.html
It's really a shame things turned out this way. I think we all had hoped for the best,even if some expected the worst.
I hope you all have a howling good Tuesday afternoon!
-Mistress Raven
Nick will send me his weekly itinerary so I can post it here for you,so you wont miss any exciting interviews,articles,or lectures of his throughout the upcoming week.
Here is what Nick is up to this week! :
Monday(August 18th) , I was interviewed by the Blogsquatcherfor an online post on Bigfoot and the paranormal. Hehas posted a piece telling people in advance about theinterview, which can be found here:
http://blogsquatcher.blogspot.com/2008/08/staining-porch-again.html
Also, Monday, the just-published issue 4 of Britain's"Alien Worlds" news-stand magazine includes an articlefrom me on my book, "There's Something in the Woods."
See:http://www.alienworldsmag.com/
On Wednesday night(Aug. 20th) , I'll be on Uncanny Radio with hosts Linda Godfrey & Steve Sullivan, and we'll be discussing my new book, "There's Something in theWoods."
See:http://www.uncannyradio.com/
On Sunday night(Aug. 24th) I'll be on Darkness Radio.
See:http://www.darknessradio.com/
Dont forget to drop by Nick's homepage at :
http://www.nickredfern.com/
You can check out his bio,purchase books,look at his latest reviews,and link to his blogs.
Sometimes things come up last minute,so if there are any changes to this schedule or any new stuff is added,I'll be sure to update you right away.
`````````````````````````````````
As far as updates on the recent Bigfoot body fiasco,you can read the rather disheartening details at the FOX news site here :
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,406101,00.html
It's really a shame things turned out this way. I think we all had hoped for the best,even if some expected the worst.
I hope you all have a howling good Tuesday afternoon!
-Mistress Raven
Thursday, August 14, 2008
LATEST UPDATE ON BIGFOOT BODY--from Nick Redfern
For the updated information,please see Nick Redfern's page at :
http://monsterusa.blogspot.com/2008/08/bigfoot-body-latest.html
Nick will also be on Paranormal Radio tonight at 9 pm :
http://www.wprtradio.com/news.php
http://monsterusa.blogspot.com/2008/08/bigfoot-body-latest.html
Nick will also be on Paranormal Radio tonight at 9 pm :
http://www.wprtradio.com/news.php
Some intriguing updates!
Well folks...
Things are getting rather "hairy".(Pun FULLY intended!)
It looks as if the crew over at Lightmeetsdark.com have done some analyzing of their own regarding the wooley freezerpop that has recently thawed and caused quite a stir in the community. You can read about it here :
Lightmeetsdark
Crytpomundo still seems to be down probably due to bandwidth overload,and I have been hearing mixed reviews throughout the day about the outcome of the analyses. I hesitate to post anything regarding the matter until I have heard more concrete information.
I'll keep you all posted.
Also,I have some great news about the Haven,folks!
Thanks to my very good friends Nick Redfern and Neil Arnold,Raven's Mysterious Haven has made the front page of THE ANOMALIST today!
Thanks to Nick for promoting me and my work,and thanks to Neil Arnold for the wonderful interview.
Both are incredibly diligent in their efforts as researchers,and have brought so much to the field of cryptozoology and to research and writing in regards to all things strange and mysterious .
Their honesty and integrity speaks for itself,and I am honored to have them as mentors. I definitely respect them immensely both as researchers/writers,and as people.
Thank you gentlemen! You have my undying love and devotion.
May you be blessed with continued success in all you do. I am definitely blessed to know you.
I also want to give a huge word of thanks to my readers. Without you the Haven would just be an "empty nest". I am very grateful to you all. Thank you so much.
Stay tuned for more news regarding the Georgia Bigfoot,crypto news,updates on my own field research,and more exciting interviews in the future.
Ta ta for now!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven Moonshadow
Things are getting rather "hairy".(Pun FULLY intended!)
It looks as if the crew over at Lightmeetsdark.com have done some analyzing of their own regarding the wooley freezerpop that has recently thawed and caused quite a stir in the community. You can read about it here :
Lightmeetsdark
Crytpomundo still seems to be down probably due to bandwidth overload,and I have been hearing mixed reviews throughout the day about the outcome of the analyses. I hesitate to post anything regarding the matter until I have heard more concrete information.
I'll keep you all posted.
Also,I have some great news about the Haven,folks!
Thanks to my very good friends Nick Redfern and Neil Arnold,Raven's Mysterious Haven has made the front page of THE ANOMALIST today!
Thanks to Nick for promoting me and my work,and thanks to Neil Arnold for the wonderful interview.
Both are incredibly diligent in their efforts as researchers,and have brought so much to the field of cryptozoology and to research and writing in regards to all things strange and mysterious .
Their honesty and integrity speaks for itself,and I am honored to have them as mentors. I definitely respect them immensely both as researchers/writers,and as people.
Thank you gentlemen! You have my undying love and devotion.
May you be blessed with continued success in all you do. I am definitely blessed to know you.
I also want to give a huge word of thanks to my readers. Without you the Haven would just be an "empty nest". I am very grateful to you all. Thank you so much.
Stay tuned for more news regarding the Georgia Bigfoot,crypto news,updates on my own field research,and more exciting interviews in the future.
Ta ta for now!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven Moonshadow
More Bigfoot body
I listened to Tom Biscardi's radio show "Bigfoot Live" this evening,just as I did with the last show regarding the "Georgia bigfoot body".
I had wanted to access the chatroom but couldnt on either occasion,so I called in tonight after the radio program was over to tell the staff about the problem I was having with not being able to get into the chatroom. I waited til after the show because I didnt want to waste air time asking a trivial question like that.
Imagine my surprise when the person answering the phone was none other than Tom Biscardi.
I have to tell you,folks...the man was very cordial and friendly to me. I was impressed by his good nature and willingness to get my problem solved. I enjoyed speaking with him.
I hope this is the real thing.
The radio show yeilded a host of listeners that firmly stand by him and the alleged finding of the bigfoot body.
Im excited that this may be the find of the century,but Im also skeptical until I see more evidence. The pictures,in my opinion,are a bit fuzzy and unclear.
Tom and his crew have said more pictures with better clarity are on the way,so let's be patient and give them the benefit of the doubt at this point.
I'll post updates as I hear about them.
Ta ta for now,fledglings!
I had wanted to access the chatroom but couldnt on either occasion,so I called in tonight after the radio program was over to tell the staff about the problem I was having with not being able to get into the chatroom. I waited til after the show because I didnt want to waste air time asking a trivial question like that.
Imagine my surprise when the person answering the phone was none other than Tom Biscardi.
I have to tell you,folks...the man was very cordial and friendly to me. I was impressed by his good nature and willingness to get my problem solved. I enjoyed speaking with him.
I hope this is the real thing.
The radio show yeilded a host of listeners that firmly stand by him and the alleged finding of the bigfoot body.
Im excited that this may be the find of the century,but Im also skeptical until I see more evidence. The pictures,in my opinion,are a bit fuzzy and unclear.
Tom and his crew have said more pictures with better clarity are on the way,so let's be patient and give them the benefit of the doubt at this point.
I'll post updates as I hear about them.
Ta ta for now,fledglings!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
UPDATE ON GEORGIA GORILLA(bigfoot?)
Here is the latest post(accompanied by pictures of the beast) by Loren Coleman on CRYPTOMUNDO regarding the "Georgia Bigfoot/gorilla" :
http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/ga-gorilla-pic/
http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/ga-gorilla-pic/
The infamous Chupacabra? Or just another coyote
Click on the link below(or copy and paste into a new browser) and give me your thoughts on what you think this creature is. I'd love to hear what you all have to say about it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg4_xSne5g8
In my humble opinion,it really does look like a coyote-ish type animal.
The long protruding snout as it turns its head to the side could be that it really indeed has an exceptionally long snout,or it could just be an optical illusion from the way the onboard camera is reflecting light. Or it could be something else entirely.
Remember folks,the other animal that looked similar was DNA tested and was ruled,in the end,a coyote hybrid of some sort.
On another note...
It's not too far fetched to think we could be witnessing an evolutionary change of some sort. The coyote could possibly be adapting to changing climate and environment,thus becoming an entirely new species.
This would explain the weirdness surrounding its appearance and an inability by some labs to give a complete analysis of the creatures tested.
Even if it isnt the infamous Chupacabra,we still could be witnessing something very historically and scientifically significant.
Dont forget to check out my interview with Neil Arnold from yesterday.
He is an amazing and very interesting person and I know you'll enjoy the interview.
Also,be sure to check out Loren Coleman's thoughts about the Georgia bigfoot body(Again,you may have to copy and paste,as BLOGSPOT is being a wanker today and not allowing my links to be clickable) :
http://www.cryptomundo.com/
http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/ga-gorilla/
(Thanks for the reminder,Cryptids!)
Ta ta for now,Fledglings!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg4_xSne5g8
In my humble opinion,it really does look like a coyote-ish type animal.
The long protruding snout as it turns its head to the side could be that it really indeed has an exceptionally long snout,or it could just be an optical illusion from the way the onboard camera is reflecting light. Or it could be something else entirely.
Remember folks,the other animal that looked similar was DNA tested and was ruled,in the end,a coyote hybrid of some sort.
On another note...
It's not too far fetched to think we could be witnessing an evolutionary change of some sort. The coyote could possibly be adapting to changing climate and environment,thus becoming an entirely new species.
This would explain the weirdness surrounding its appearance and an inability by some labs to give a complete analysis of the creatures tested.
Even if it isnt the infamous Chupacabra,we still could be witnessing something very historically and scientifically significant.
Dont forget to check out my interview with Neil Arnold from yesterday.
He is an amazing and very interesting person and I know you'll enjoy the interview.
Also,be sure to check out Loren Coleman's thoughts about the Georgia bigfoot body(Again,you may have to copy and paste,as BLOGSPOT is being a wanker today and not allowing my links to be clickable) :
http://www.cryptomundo.com/
http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/ga-gorilla/
(Thanks for the reminder,Cryptids!)
Ta ta for now,Fledglings!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Interview with Neil Arnold
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Id like to introduce you all to my very good friend Neil Arnold,
author of "Monster! The A-Z Of Zooform Phenomena",a book that has quickly become on of my personal favorites.
He is a respected folklorist in merry ol England,and is especiallyknown for his research regarding big cat encounters and sightings throughout thecountry.
As well as doing research and writing books and articles,he also maintains several blogs that I think you'd enjoy as much as I do. Here are links to a couple of them,and you can find them on my home page as well :
Neil is very dedicated to his work and his efforts are tireless both out in the field and in his writing.
So,without further delay...My interview with Neil Arnold :
Raven : First Id like to welcome you,Neil,and thank you for doing this interview for myreaders.
It's much appreciated.
Neil : THANK YOU FOR INTERVIEWING ME AND FOR SHOWING AN INTEREST IN MY WORK.
Raven : How did you first get your start into the field of cryptozoology?
Neil : I THINK ALOT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE, OVER THE LAST FEW DECADES, WRITTEN ABOUT MONSTERS, STRANGE CREATURES AND THE LIKES, WILL OFTEN CITE A FILM OR BOOK FROM CHILDHOOD WHICH INFLUENCED THEM TO CONDUCT THEIR OWN RESEARCH. FOR ME, AS A KID IN THE '80S, THE FILM 'THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK' WAS A HUGE TURNING POINT. IT WAS SUCH A SCARY AND MYSTERIOUS FILM ABOUT A SASQUATCH-TYPE CREATURE LURKING IN THE ARKANSAS RIVER BOTTOMS, BUT THE WAY IT WAS FILMED ENABLED IT TO LOOK LIKE A DOCUMENTARY, IT REMAINS MY FAVOURITE FILM EVER TO THIS DAY AND INSPIRED SO MANY OTHER FILMS OF THE ILK SUCH AS 'BLAIR WITCH PROJECT'. ALSO, A BOOK CALLED 'MONSTERS &MYSTERIOUS BEASTS' (1974) BY CAREY MILLER PLAYED A BIG PART TOO. AT THE AGE OF AROUND NINE THE THOUGHT OF CREATURES SUCH AS THE YETI, BIGFOOT AND LAKEMONSTERS ROAMING THE PLANET WAS TERRIFYING BUT ALSO EXCITING. MY FAMILY PLAYED SUCH A GREAT PART ALSO IN TELLING ME FRIGHTENING TALES AS A KID OF UNUSUAL BEASTS AND LEGENDS PERTAINING TO LOCAL AREAS.
Raven : How have your family and friends responded to your work?
Neil : MY FAMILY, ESPECIALLY MY FATHER AND GRANDAD WERE VERY INFLUENTIAL. AS KEEN FISHERMEN THEY ALWAYS USED TO TAKE ME TO DARK, LOCAL LAKES AND THE PROSPECT OF CATCHING A BIG FISH WAS SOMETHING AKIN TO EARLY MONSTER-HUNTING FOR ME. EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS BEEN TREMENDOUSLY SUPPORTIVE, IT HELPS TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING PARTNER AND MY GIRLFRIEND ALWAYS GIVES ME A SUPPORTIVE KICK UP THE BACKSIDE WHEN I'M NOT MAKING THE EFFORT HA! AS FOR MY FRIENDS, I THINK THEY LIKE HANGING OUT WITH A GUY WHO NOT ONLY HUNTS STRANGE CREATURES BUT ALSO THINKS HE'S A ROCK STAR!
Raven : Do you think some of the strange phenomena that people are witnessing across the globe are related in any way?
Neil : YES, OF COURSE, THE FLESH AND BLOOD 'MONSTERS' WE ALL ENJOY SUCH AS BIGFOOT, COULD HAVE CONNECTIONS TO THE ALMAS OF RUSSIA, THE SKUNK APE OF THE AMERICAN SOUTH, THE YETI OF THE HIMALAYAS IN THE SENSE THEY ARE ALL UNDISCOVERED SPECIES OF GIANT APE. HOWEVER, THERE ARE CLEARLY OTHER 'CREATURES' WHICH INHABIT THIS VOID WHICH ARE NOT FLESH AND BLOOD AND ARE FAR MORE COMPLEX TO FIGURE OUT. IF THEY ARE CONNECTED THEN I BELIEVE WE ARE IN AN EVEN WEIRDER REALM THAN ONCE THOUGHT.
Raven : There seems to be a lot of focus right now on the "Montauk Monster",a creaturewhich is currently upstaging celebs and taking up an enormous amount of air and webtime.What are your thoughts on it ?
Neil : I DON'T KNOW WHY SUCH CASES CAUSE SUCH EXCITEMENT. I SEE A HIGH LEVEL OF REPETITION WITH THESE KIND OF CASES WHICH USUALLY TURN OUT TO BE EITHER HOAX OR NATURAL ANIMAL SUCH AS A WRONGLY IDENTIFIED DOG-CORPSE. IT FRUSTRATES ME TO SEE MYSTERIOUS CREATURES SUCH AS THE CHUPACABRAS TURNING UP IN PLACES SUCH AS TEXAS, THEN FLORIDA, MEXICO ETC, AND THEN WHEN WE SEE THE PHOTO'S IT TURNS OUT TO BE A MALNOURISHED COYOTE OR UNWELL DOG. IT'S GREAT WHEN THINGS ARE WASHED ASHORE BUT SURELY ZOOLOGISTS SHOULD BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY STRAIGHT AWAY WHETHER THE MONTAUK 'MONSTER' IS A NORMAL ANIMAL OR SOMETHING UNKNOWN ? EVEN SO, THE PUBLICITY SUCH THINGS CREATE IS NOT GOOD.
Raven : Which of the current list of cryptids fascinates you the most?
Neil : WELL, AS CRYPTIDS GO, I THINK THE POSSIBILITY THAT AN UNKNOWN SPECIES OF GIANT APE ROAMS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST OF AMERICA IS FASCINATING. ALSO, THE THYLACINE IS A VERY INTRIGUING CRYPTID AND POSSIBLY THE MOST LIKELY ANIMAL OUT THERE TO STILL BE AROUND. LAKE AND SEA MONSTERS ALWAYS FASCINATE ASWELL.
Raven : If you could change one thing in the current field ofcryptozoology,what would it be?
Neil : I FIND MANY OF THESE FIELDS TO BE VERY 'CLIQUEY', A CLOSE-KNIT FAMILY OF THE OLD GUARD WHO SEEM EITHER RELUCTANT TO EXCEPT NEW FACES OR WHO REMAIN STUCK TOO MUCH IN THEIR OWN AGE-OLD THEORIES, AND THIS KIND OF THING IS PREVELANT IN AREAS SUCH AS GHOSTLY PHENOMENA AND UFOLOGY. IT'S ABOUT TIME TO REALISE THAT IT'S THOSE WHO ARE OUT THERE IN THE FIELD WHO ARE MAKING THE MOST EFFORT, RATHER THAN GIVING OPINION BEHIND A COMPUTER SCREEN.THERE ARE SOME GREAT CRYPTOZOOLOGISTS BUT THE MAIN PROBLEM WITH THIS KIND OF STUDY IS THAT IT GETS LUMPED IN WITH THE 'WEIRD CROWD' TOO OFTEN, OR PUT ALONGSIDE TRAIN-SPOTTERS ETC, AND WHAT MAKES IT WORSE IS THE INTERVENTION OF TERRIBLE TV SHOWS LIKE 'MONSTER HUNTER', WHICH MAKES A FOOL OUT OF CRYPTOZOOLOGY. I ALSO THINK THAT MANY CRYPTOZOOLOGISTS MUST BEGIN TO REALISE THAT NOT EVERY CREATURE THEY SEEK IS FLESH AND BLOOD. I'M NOT INTO THE PARANORMAL, BUT 'MONSTERS' SUCH AS MOTHMAN, DOG MEN, MONKEYMAN OF INDIA, BLACK DOGS, ETC, ARE NOT CRYPTIDS, THEY ARE NOT IN THE WOODS OR THE WATERS, THEY ARE CONNECTED TO THE HUMAN PSYCHE AND OUR CULTURAL BELIEF SYSTEMS AND FEARS.
Raven : I know you've had some amazing experiences in the years that you'vebeen doing this work. Could you share one or two of them with my readers?
Neil : IT'S ALWAYS A PRIVELEGE TO ENCOUNTER A STRANGE ANIMAL SO FOR ME, MY RESEARCH INTO SIGHTINGS OF LARGE, EXOTIC CATS IN THE UK HAS BEEN THE MOST PRODUCTIVE. I HAVE SEEN A BLACK LEOPARD (POSSIBLY THE SAME INDIVIDUAL)THREE TIMES, A LYNX ONCE, A PUMA ONCE AND ALSO A CAT RESEMBLING A CARACAL.THESE CATS ARE CERTAINLY FLESH AND BLOOD AND NOT DEMONIC, PARANORMAL OR GHOSTLY.
Raven : Regarding the word "Zooform". Could you please explain how that wordcame about and what it pertains to?'
Neil : ZOOFORM' IS A WORD THAT WAS COINED IN THE EARLY '90S BY FORTEAN ZOOLOGIST JONATHAN DOWNES WHO RUNS THE CENTRE FOR FORTEAN ZOOLOGY (WWW.CFZ.ORG.UK).ZOOFORMS ARE CREATURES SUCH AS MOTHMAN, BLACK DOGS, BRAY ROAD BEAST,WINGED HUMANOIDS, SKY SERPENTS, PARANORMAL MANIMALS,CREATURES WHICH RESEMBLE ANIMALS BUT HAVE HUMAN CHARACTERISTICS AND SUPERNATURAL AURA. ZOOFORMS ARE TRUE MONSTERS IN THE SENSE THEY CAN BE MANIFESTATION, AGE-OLD BELIEF (I.E. JERSEY DEVIL) BUT THERE CAN BE A FINE LINE BECAUSE CREATURES SUCH AS LIZARD MAN AND THE BRAY ROAD WEREWOLF COULD WELL CROSS INTO BIGFOOT TERRITORY. IT'S A COMPLEX PHENOMENA WHICH IS WHY I WROTE THE BOOK.
Raven : What are some of your favorite books on the subject of hidden critters?
Neil : MY FAVOURITE CRYPTOZOOLOGY BOOKS, WELL, ANYTHING BY KARL SHUKER IS ALWAYSA GOOD READ, 'MYSTERY CATS OF THE WORLD', 'IN SEARCH OF PREHISTORIC SURVIVORS', ETC, AND I ENJOYED LOREN COLEMAN'S 'MYSTERIOUS AMERICA', MOSTOF GROVER KRANTZ BIGFOOT MATERIAL. ON THE ZOOFORM FRONT I LOVE LINDA GODFREY'S 'THE BEAST OF BRAY ROAD' AND 'HUNTING THE AMERICAN WEREWOLF'.ANY BOOK THAT DOESN'T REGURGITATE IS FINE BY ME, I ALSO RECOMMEND SCOTT CORRALES 'CHUPACABRAS & OTHER MYSTERIES', 'OUT OF THE SHADOWS' BY CROPPERAND HEALY WHICH CONCERNS MYSTERY ANIMALS OF AUSTRALIA AND ALSO THEIR 'YOWIE' BOOK. SO MANY GOOD ONES AROUND PLUS THE OLD JOHN KEEL CLASSICS.
Raven : "Monster! The A-Z Of Zooform Phenomena" has been a great success. What promptedyou to write it?
Neil : IT HAD NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE. THERE ARE SO MANY CRYPTO BOOKS WHICH INCLUDED CREATURES WHICH CLEARLY WEREN'T CRYPTIDS. IT BEGAN LIFE AS ANARTICLE FOR JON DOWNE'S AND HIS 'ANIMALS & MEN' MAGAZINE AND THEN I TURNEDIT INTO A BOOKLET CALLED 'ALIEN ZOO'. JON DOWNES AND THE GUYS AT CFZ PRESSTHEN SAID THEY WANTED TO PUBLISH IT AND IT WAS GOING TO BE CALLED'MONSTROUS MANIFESTATIONS' BUT THE TITLE 'MONSTER!' WAS BETTER BECAUSE IT BROUGHT BACK THOSE DAYS OF 'JAWS' AND THE LIKES, A SIMPLE TITLE, A GREAT COVER, AND CONTENTS THAT NO-ONE ELSE HAD THOUGHT OF AND HOPEFULLY A GREAT REFERENCE GUIDE TO CREATURES WHICH EVADE CRYPTOZOOLOGY AND ALWAYS WILL.
Raven : Any plans for another book in the near future?
Neil : I'VE ALREADY FINISHED 'MYSTERY ANIMALS OF KENT' FOR CFZ PRESS AND ALREADY WRITTEN A BOOK ON STRANGE CREATURES AROUND LONDON. IN THE PAST ISELF-PUBLISHED 'ODD-BODIES' AND 'CLANDESTINE CREATURES'. NOT SURE WHAT'S NEXT, MAYBE A BOOK ON CRYPTOZOOLOGY IN THE MOVIES AND MAYBE ONE DAY A SEQUEL TO 'MONSTER!'.
Raven : What advice would you give someone just coming into this field of study?
Neil : GET OUT INTO THE FIELD, LOG EVERYTHING AND TRAWL THE ARCHIVES BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY GEMS TO BE FOUND.
Raven : Do you have any parting thoughts or words of wisdom you'd like to leave myreaders with?
Neil : IF THERE IS NO-ONE THERE TO SEE A ZOOFORM CREATURE...DOES IT STILL APPEAR? AND...BUY THE BOOK!
Raven : lol. Awesome words of wisdom,my friend. You heard it here first,folks!
Thanks again for being here Neil. It has been a great pleasure and an honor interviewing you.
Neil : MANY THANKS RAVEN, ALWAYS A PLEASURE.
Ta ta for now,my fledglings!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious, Raven
Thursday, August 7, 2008
"Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear the music"
The title of today's blog is a quote by a famous woman named Angela Monet who was,in her own way,as mysterious as the cryptid creatures we spend countless hours passionately researching,investigating, and discussing today.
If you try to look for her,you'll find little,if any,information available about her. Some speculate whether she even existed at all. She couldve been someone who wished to remain anonymous and out of the general public view,yet desired to leave her mark in some way to let us know she was indeed here and left her "footprints in the sand". Perhaps there were a few she trusted enough to share a glimpse of her world with, but to most she remained elusive,and still does even to this day.
Sound familiar?
As cryptozoologists,paranormal researchers,investigators,and armchair enthusiasts,we all share one thing in common........ ..We dance to the music most will probably never take the time to hear.
We seek the elusive and mysterious...and in doing so,we become a part of them and they a part of us.
I may never live to see firsthand a family of water monsters frolicking in a Scottish lake, or be able to capture a photograph of Bigfoot on my trusty digital,but does it mean I believe any less that these creatures exist? No,of course not. But half the fun is in the quest. Life should be an adventure. Let them laugh,let them point..... I'll still continue to dance.
Who wants to be "normal" anyway ; )
Be sure to stay tuned in to the Haven over the next few days,my fledglings. Ive got another exciting interview coming up that I just know you'll love!
Here's a little something,courtesy of 'cryptidsrus',to make you smile!
If you try to look for her,you'll find little,if any,information available about her. Some speculate whether she even existed at all. She couldve been someone who wished to remain anonymous and out of the general public view,yet desired to leave her mark in some way to let us know she was indeed here and left her "footprints in the sand". Perhaps there were a few she trusted enough to share a glimpse of her world with, but to most she remained elusive,and still does even to this day.
Sound familiar?
As cryptozoologists,paranormal researchers,investigators,and armchair enthusiasts,we all share one thing in common........ ..We dance to the music most will probably never take the time to hear.
We seek the elusive and mysterious...and in doing so,we become a part of them and they a part of us.
I may never live to see firsthand a family of water monsters frolicking in a Scottish lake, or be able to capture a photograph of Bigfoot on my trusty digital,but does it mean I believe any less that these creatures exist? No,of course not. But half the fun is in the quest. Life should be an adventure. Let them laugh,let them point..... I'll still continue to dance.
Who wants to be "normal" anyway ; )
Be sure to stay tuned in to the Haven over the next few days,my fledglings. Ive got another exciting interview coming up that I just know you'll love!
Here's a little something,courtesy of 'cryptidsrus',to make you smile!
Ta Ta for now!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven
Monday, August 4, 2008
The Montauk saga continues...
It looks as if our new found friend the Montauk monster won't be letting go of the limelight any time soon.
Added to the assortment of labels its been given,we now have "raccoon" on the list of favored speculations.
According to some experts, the "beak" protruding forth from the animal's snout is nothing more than the nasal structure having been exposed in the decomposition process.
Another curious update in this story is that the creature has apparently dissapeared from one of the photographer's back yard and is now being "kept hidden" until scientists can examine it further.
Hmm...the plot thickens,crypto fans!
Here is a video interview that Plum TV's Nick Leighton did with the three women who supposedly happened upon and photographed the now famous monstrosity:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1xDfhThmN4
Good grief,the past week in cryptozoology has certainly been busy...
A Monster in a box,a Bigfoot in a freezer....
What's next?...a Mandog in a Samsonite suitcase?
Til next time,my flock!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven
Added to the assortment of labels its been given,we now have "raccoon" on the list of favored speculations.
According to some experts, the "beak" protruding forth from the animal's snout is nothing more than the nasal structure having been exposed in the decomposition process.
Another curious update in this story is that the creature has apparently dissapeared from one of the photographer's back yard and is now being "kept hidden" until scientists can examine it further.
Hmm...the plot thickens,crypto fans!
Here is a video interview that Plum TV's Nick Leighton did with the three women who supposedly happened upon and photographed the now famous monstrosity:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1xDfhThmN4
Good grief,the past week in cryptozoology has certainly been busy...
A Monster in a box,a Bigfoot in a freezer....
What's next?...a Mandog in a Samsonite suitcase?
Til next time,my flock!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven
Friday, August 1, 2008
The Montauk Monster?
Exactly what this thing, or even what it's related to, is anyone's guess at this stage.
Care to take a stab in the dark at identifying it?
Suggestions such as "turtle without it's shell" to "mutant dog" to of course the ever present "Chupacabra" have been surfacing for roughly the past 72 hours,after this strange looking critter washed ashore at Montauk Island,New York.
Whatever it is,it's caused quite a stir among the locals and is quickly gaining notoriety across the internet.
To stay tuned to the latest findings,please check in at Loren Coleman's Cryptomundo site at:
http://www.cryptomundo.com/index.php?s=montauk+monster
As I dig up any new details,I will keep you all posted!
Have a fabulous Friday!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Piglet with a Monkey shaped face born in China
This particular story is especially intriguing because it shows how animal mutations can look very much like some of the cryptids being described by different people across the globe. Below is a picture of the little piglet some would describe as "monstrous" and some,as described in the article below it, are afraid to even look at.
I happen to think the odd looking little fellow is rather cute. After all, I do have a soft spot for mutants. *wink*
Have a fabulous Thursday,my fledglings!
-Raven
I happen to think the odd looking little fellow is rather cute. After all, I do have a soft spot for mutants. *wink*
Have a fabulous Thursday,my fledglings!
-Raven
The animal has a simian jaw, bulging forehead, small snout and eyes that are so close together that they appear almost attached.
Its front legs are much shorter than its back legs, causing it top hop rather than walk on all fours like a normal piglet.
The animal was one of five piglets recently born to a sow owned by a family in Fengzhang village, Xiping township.
“It’s hideous. No one will be willing to buy it, and it scares the family to even look at it,” owner Feng Changlin told the Oriental Today newspaper.
But the monkey-piglet has become something of a local tourist attraction, with people coming from across the area to photograph its remarkable features.
And not everyone in the family is disgusted by its appearance.
“Our son likes to play with it, and he stopped us from getting rid of it. He even feeds it milk,” said Mr Feng’s wife.
The piglet’s rare condition is thought to be caused by a form of holoprosencephaly, a brain development disorder that can cause cyclopia, the failure of eyes to properly separate.
Its front legs are much shorter than its back legs, causing it top hop rather than walk on all fours like a normal piglet.
The animal was one of five piglets recently born to a sow owned by a family in Fengzhang village, Xiping township.
“It’s hideous. No one will be willing to buy it, and it scares the family to even look at it,” owner Feng Changlin told the Oriental Today newspaper.
But the monkey-piglet has become something of a local tourist attraction, with people coming from across the area to photograph its remarkable features.
And not everyone in the family is disgusted by its appearance.
“Our son likes to play with it, and he stopped us from getting rid of it. He even feeds it milk,” said Mr Feng’s wife.
The piglet’s rare condition is thought to be caused by a form of holoprosencephaly, a brain development disorder that can cause cyclopia, the failure of eyes to properly separate.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
The American Werewolf: Interview with Adam Davis
One of my greatest passions, since becoming an investigator, has been researching the Michigan Dogman(Mandog)aka The American werewolf.
For those of you not familiar with legendary radio personality Steve Cook's site,please be sure to check out the video below. He has a new documentary available regarding the Michigan Dogman and all proceeds from the sale of "The Legend,Legacy Edition" go to help local animal shelters :
Also,be sure to check out Manwolf and Linda Godfrey's "Uncanny Radio" for news and updates regarding Mandog and many other creatures:
http://www.uncannyradio.com/
You'll be glad you tuned in. They have a lot of interesting guests,and Linda and Manwolf make the show a lot of fun as well as very informative.
For centuries,encounters with these beasts have abounded all across the midwest,including areas in and around a little town in Ohio called Farmersville,where fellow researcher/cryptozoologist Adam Davis resides and has had numerous personal experiences himself.
Without further adieu,I will allow Adam to tell you, in his own words, a bit of his personal history regarding this extraordinary legend. At the end of the history is a mini interview I conducted with him:
Please allow me to introduce myself,
My name is Adam Davis, and among other things, I am a
paranormaal researcher
and cryptozoologist. I live near Dayton, Ohio, between
Dayton and the Preble
County line near a small town called Farmersville. Many of
you I am sure,
are aware of the fact that Bigfoot is known to live in
Ohio, including in the
immediate area around Dayton. If you are not aware of it,
there is another
creature that dwells in Ohio, and seemingly, over most of
the Eastern US at
least. Some call it a Dogman, others Mandog, and some call
it the American
Werewolf. I have seen these creatures numerous times
personally, and have found
numerous tracks from them, as well as the remains of kills.
Others have seen
them as well, with their descriptions corresponding very
closely to what I
have seen, one person was actually on Coast to Coast AM
regarding his sighting,
where he saw one feeding on the carcass of a deer by the
road, describing it
as appearing very much like the werewolf from Van Helsing.
That was coming
from as he described himself "someone who never
believed in that kind of fairy
tale stuff", and now wishes he had never seen it.
I have recorded these creatures howling, as well as taken
measured pictures of
their tracks, which are bipedal, and much too large for any
dog to make, with
a print size of over 6.5" long by 5.5" wide, not
including claw imprints if
in a softer substrate.
My girlfriend and I have seen them
crouching and
standing, they are at least 7'6" tall, and would
weigh in at around the 450-500 lb
mark on average, with larger individuals weighing perhaps
600 at over 8'.
They are more "slender waisted" than a Bigfoot,
but are just as "chesty",
displaying very wide, powerful shoulders, and what appear
to be hands or hand-like
(perhaps like a raccoon?) forepaws with claws, that they
can use to tear
meat from a carcass or hold a smaller prey animal to feed
upon. Facially, the
reports vary a bit across the US in muzzle
length/appearance, however, from
what I have seen here and others have reported, they have a
large "triangular"
canine head and muzzle, with prominent ears and the teeth
are notable when its
mouth is open.
I have found "historical precedent" regarding the
existence of these
creatures, both in native american legends, and in settlers
records for the area.
The Native Americans considered the area where these things
were concentrated
to be "off limits", and anyone who ventured there
usually never came back,
while the settlers that moved into the area would have
encounters with them
mostly along the creeks, where often one or two people
would be snatched and
carried off, as the creek crossing would have to be taken
carefully lest an axle
or wheel on the wagon were to break and strand the wagon
and its people
entirely. This problem was curtailed for the most part when
they began building
covered bridges at the crossing points on the roads. It is
my opinion that in a
good number of cases, these things are sometimes being
mistaken for Bigfoot,
especially in the more aggressive encounters, and their
prints may be
overlooked, disregarded as merely dog prints, as a
researcher my be looking for
Bigfoot prints, and would be experiencing "tunnel
vision" in the search for
them.
Mandogs also have a very pervasive stench, likened
best to the smell of
rotting meat combined with dog feces and sulphur,not
unlike the smell I
have encountered when a Bigfoot was close while I was bow
hunting before, but
much less pleasant. They also have
"luminous" eyes, ranging from a sort
of yellow if it isn't looking directly at you, to a
deep glowing red, as I
have experienced when being stared at from the corn field
last year in August
that bordered the property on which I currently live,
thankfully they planted
soy beans this year.
I have also seen them sitting in
large natural
deadfalls as well as piles of brush that they had dragged
into a pile from smaller
deadfalls, presumably for cover during the winter to hunt
from, like a hunters
blind.
A short piece of background on myself and my experience- I
am 33, with over
25 years of tracking experience from starting in Boy Scouts
through my years
of hunting deer and other animals. I am intimately
familliar with the animals
that live in and around the Ohio area, what their prints
look like, what
they sound like, their habits, etc. This experience makes
it extremely difficult
for me to misidentify something out in the woods/wild.
There is a distinct possibility that, where the people are
unfamilliar with
what a Bigfoot looks like, or they didn't get a good
look at the creature(s)
involved, that certain sightings of Bigfoot, including the
so called "Ohio
Grassmen" may well be Mandogs hunting in a pack
formation. I have pictures of
the tracks from such a hunt in the snow this February,
where they had
evidently separated a deer from the group of three deer,
two of which ran across the
road in front of us, though we didn't find the kill
sight for the third deer.
Two Mandogs were involved from the tracks we found,
hunting in a team. It is
likely that they may well hunt in larger groups, based on
some of the times
I have heard them howling back and forth to one another.
there is no telling
how many there may be in Ohio alone, but there is
certainly enough wild game
and livestock to keep them happy, though I don't
believe that they would be
above an attack of opprotunity on a human, especially one
that they
considered as infringing on their territory.
Thank you for
your time. Please feel free
to email me at _jiro9cuts0001@aol.com_
(mailto:jiro9cuts0001@aol.com) if you
have any questions or comments that you want answered
personally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mini interview with Adam :
RAVEN: Adam,first off Id like to thank you for doing this interview and allowing my readers and I the privilege to hear your story. You're a very warm,sincere person and I've really enjoyed getting to know a bit about you and having you share your mandog encounters with us.
What was your first encounter with the creatures like? Can you give us some detail on what it wouldve been like if we stood in your shoes on that night/day?
ADAM: Well, my first real encounter outside of hearing them howl while we were out looking for them at night and occasionally coming across their 'trail' where you could smell the gut wrenching stench these things have in the still night air, or carried on the breeze. It occured on October 19th of 2005, ironically enough, coming back home from a local haunted trail/house attraction in Middletown, OH. The conditions were clear, no fog, with bright full moonlight. We were heading north on Germantown-Liberty Rd, which dumps into Stacey Rd, later rejoining Germantown-Liberty Rd. We crossed onto Stacey Rd, going between 30 and 35 mph, and just after the first bend near a juniper tree, I saw something in my headlights, squatting/sitting in the ditch by the juniper. It was bigger than a man, and was covered with fur from head to toe, with a definite dog shaped head and large ears.
I watched in disbelief as we passed this thing, with my other 3 friends (whom usually accompanied me on our forays searching for these things) in the van also looking on in half awe, half hysteria, as it looked through the passenger side window of the van at us, its eyes a yellowish color reflecting the moonlight, its eyes and face about level with the middle of the window.
Its head looked bigger than a human's head, and was definitely canine, the ears even more apparent in lookingat it dead on. It was close enough, that if that window would have been open, my friend in the passenger seat could have reached out and touched it. As we passed it and the rear of the vehicle cleared the creature's position, I saw it get up and cross the road behind the van, its form blotted out the moonlight breifly as it stepped onto the road, and watching it in my side mirror, its third step carried it into the field on the other side of the road.
By that time, my heart was pounding half out of excitement and half out of fear from the pure size of the thing. I got a very good look at it as it crossed, and it was definitely walking bipedally, and digitigrade, and stood well over the height of the van, in the neighborhood of around 7'6", if I had to guess, it would probably have weighed in the neighborhood of 450-475 lbs, based on the size of deer I have skinned and dressed out in the past, some in excess of 300 lbs. I couldn't tell if a tail was present or not, and couldn't make out a lot of real detail of the "hands"/forepaws, but I saw what I thought to be at least two or three fingers on one of the forelimbs of the creature. The other thing that struck me, was how wide its shoulders were, my shoulders are pretty wide from a human perspective, but this things shoulders were absolutely massive, at least 3 or 4 inches wider than my own, which are about 26" wide. We went back to the spot the next day to look for signs of the crossing, prints, scat (feces), etc. and aside from finding a depressed area about 24" in diameter in the weeds of the ditch next to the juniper where it was sitting/squating, we found no other traces, due to the heavy weeds in the fields on either side of the road at the time. My one friend (whom is a bit taller than I am at 6'2", he is almost 6'4") attempted to do what it did, squatting in the ditch which was about 12" deep, then getting up and crossing the road in 3 steps (it placed one foot on the road coming out of the ditch, then took a step placing both feet on the road, then the next step took it off the road beyond the ditch on the other side), and couldn't cross the road like that in less than 5 steps. The road is about 12 feet wide, and it crossed from a spot 2 feet off the road where it was sitting, to a spot 3 feet off the other side of the road, a distance of some 17 to 18 feet. He even atttempted to do it at as much of a run as he could get from the starting position and couldn't do it in less than 5 steps. I defy any normal human to reproduce that feat, much less in some sort of suit. That was my first, "real encounter", up close with one of these mandog creatures.
RAVEN: That's quite an encounter!
In your opinion,do you feel this creature is more aggressive than Bigfoot?
ADAM: To be honest, yes I do, based primarily on what I have read in accounts from settlers records, and the fact that the Shawnee that used to live in the Miami Valley up to the time of Techumseh, considered the northern part of the valley close to the headwaters of the Little Miami, Mad, Great Miami, and Stillwater rivers to be a "taboo" area to go into, as these things were well known to them, and they were known to dwell there. When white settlers came in and founded the towns of Bellefontaine, Greenville, Piqua, Sidney, Versailles, Urbana, and Ansonia, to name off the main towns up that way, they had a serious problem, according to settlers records, with these things picking people off at creek and river crossings, either from horseback or off wagons. This continued until covered bridges were built, which allowed a wagon or a rider on horseback to mmaintain speed and not have to slow down and ease into the water, the way they would have to do in fording the river or creek. They still had incidents, but they were reduced considerably. I've seen records of aggressive activity dated up through the 1970's though, with attacks on cars and the like travelling over the roads the covered bridges were on, usually receiving several scratches and dents from the creatures attempting to get in at the occupants. Then there are the missing animals, dogs mostly, as most people have a greater emotional attachement to dogs, they are more readily missed than most animlas like cats that tend to wander anyhow. I'm not just talking about small dogs either, that people let out to go do their business and could run off on their own, but large breeds, usually kept on a chain or in a kennel outside coming up missing. The dogs are usually never seen again, and in some instances, their collars are found still attached to the chain, which is something that would be unusual for a dog that is well used to being on a tie out, like it was pulled off over the dogs head. I could see one of these things seeing a domestic dog as an easy meal, fresh meat would be a naturally better choice over roadkill, and it would be easier to deal with than a live deer, which is much stronger than an average large dog. The same thing with goats and sheep, easy meals. They also seem to aggressively chase off coyotes when they come into the area, I will hear a group of coyotes start a chorus howl up, then hear one or more of the mandogs start a howl, immediately shutting up the coyotes. You usually don't hear from the coyotes for a month or more until they wander back to this area, "testing the waters" so to speak. I don't know if they go after the coyotes or not, as I've never seen the aftermath of such a confrontation, and likely never will unless I happen to be there at the time, which would be too close for comfort. Then there are some of my more direct encounters with them along the edge of the property here. They seem to seek out contact with humans occasionally, why I'm not sure, I don't know if they are gauging our reactions to them, as they are definitely a lot smarter than any dog or wolf, or if they are considering an attack on a human again, as we are obviously easy prey for them, as demonstrated in the past. They seem to have enough sense to stay around 50 yards or so away from buildings, due to the outside security lights, as evidenced by where you will see roadkill lay until it decays away, but everywhere else, if you see it when it's hit, it is usually gone overnight. You will often see blood smears on the road in the morning, but no animal where the traces are, carried off by one of these things for a meal. For now it seems they are sated with what they can hunt down and what is fresh on the road. I hope it stays that way. This much I do know, if the Shawnee didn't want to mess with them, they have to be pretty nasty to begin with.
RAVEN: Sounds like the turkey vultures and coyotes may have some stiff competition when it comes to dining at the 'Roadkill Cafe'. I wouldnt want to fight a Mandog for a meal,that's for sure!
Which leads me to my last question...
Environmentally speaking,do you think these creatures fit into the natural order of things? Or do you believe they are a product of deliberate mutation and experimentation? There seems to have been some pretty heated debate on this topic in the recent past.
ADAM: Hah, speaking of turkey vultures, I found one picking over a carcass that had been evidently dropped in the middle of the road one day, denuded of all flesh and missing two limbs, likely dropped as something was crossing the road and was finished with its meal. That's another story that leads to another encounter. Now, to your question. Honestly, I think that is a yes and no answer. Yes, the fit "now", only because they have been around for what I would estimate to be several millenia, perhaps as long as millions of years. The Native Americans have mentioned creatures like these and others of this nature (being half man, half animal) since the "begining". Many other cultures have records in one form or another, along with long held stories of them. That is aside from the so called "skinwalkers" and such. They have been here so long from what I can derive from legends and such, that the world has adapted to their presence. Even Biblical scriptures mention things of this nature in passing, that "the seed of man was once mingled with that of all manner of beasts of the field", mostly in the older texts where the Old Testament comes from, and those which it came from, the Tablets of Babylon, which mention the "Annu Naki", which from what little I know of Hebrew, translates into Elohim, literally meaning "those who came from above", whom are said to have been the Children of God, or angels. So, in that aspect, I would have to say no, they aren't naturally evolved creatures, but created through some form of genetic manipulation, be it through a lab, or other more, arcane, means. My personal opinion on this, is that they may have been created by whatever means, to be used as "war dogs" or "shock troops", sent out ahead of the first wave of whatever dark army that used them, to wreak havoc and give a "shock and awe" effect against whomever they were fighting. To give a sort of reference, I'll turn to Hollywood for a moment. I'm sure that you and most of our readers are familliar wiith the Lord of the Rings trilogy that came out a few years ago. If you will recall, during the "fall of Isengard", the wizard of that tower began building an army for the Dark Lord. In the pits carved into the earth by the orcs and goblin men, they bred the Uruk Hai, a sort of "super orc" or "Super Soldier", made from the material of orcs and something else. They also had "pit bred" the Wargs, the huge hyena type creatures the orcs used as mounts for calvary. This would represent the "arcane" means of creating a cross bred creature, of the nature that I believe the mandogs (in their biological form) to be. Whether these things have any preternatural abilities gained from such a pairing or combination has yet to be really figured out, as many people have suggested that their ability to "disappear" at will is due to their being of supernatural nature (i.e. not biological but spiritual in their nature, as a tulpa or summoned spirit would be). I say this, there may be some of a supernatural nature out there, but they aren't going to require food or shelter, nor leave clear signs of their passing such as prints, hair, and scat. Most encounters happen in, near, or around dense underbrush and forest, and to my knowledge, most people that have seen them haven't thought of going to look for prints themselves, and aren't about to out of fear based on what they saw, and many are unwilling to talk about it until much later, well after any traces are washed away by the weather. As for the ones that do get reported soon after and a search for traces is conducted, there is the fact of undergrowth again to deal with, as well as the fact that we don't know what the physical capabilites of these things are (much less the esoteric capabilites if any). I have heard reports of these things being able to keep up with a vehicle going over 55 to 60 mph, so who knows how high or far one would be able to leap if it wanted to, which would definitely stop a trail cold for most trackers, only to start up again, perhaps, 50 or more feet away? A deer can go at a dead run of over 40 mph for a couple miles at least, and can leap over a 10 foot chain link fence, and they have a horizontal leap of over 20 feet. Consider that as a benchmark, in relating to what equates to be a very large, very fast, and very intelligent predator, that can easily overtake a deer when it wants to. Natural in origin, I don't think so. Natural now due to their having been here so long, yes. And like other predators, their numbers may well be limited by what nature can support, unlike how we as humans have adapted and developed such technologies as to proliferate and dominate the earth in such numbers, that the only creatures that really outnumber us are fish, insects, rodents, and birds.
RAVEN: Very interesting concepts,Adam. You give us a lot of food for thought as we end this interview. Thank you again for your time. It was an honor to have you here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Interestingly,Adam discovered the following three photos on GOOGLE EARTH that can be found at the coordinates of N 39deg. 40' 57" by W 84 deg. 22' 40" if anyone would like to check them out and zoom in on them yourself.(I encourage you to do so.You can see the shape as well as size of the creatures when you zoom in on them)
They seem to show what could possibly be two mandogs in a field close to where Adam resides.
Here are two links to click on that zoom them up a little closer for you:
http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/8038/mandogfield1dr8.jpg
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/8130/mandogfield2rw0.jpg
I hope you enjoyed reading this interview as much as I enjoyed conducting it. Adam is very knowlegable,sincere,and a joy to talk to. I would love to interview him again in the future for an update.
Until next time,my fledglings!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven
For those of you not familiar with legendary radio personality Steve Cook's site,please be sure to check out the video below. He has a new documentary available regarding the Michigan Dogman and all proceeds from the sale of "The Legend,Legacy Edition" go to help local animal shelters :
Also,be sure to check out Manwolf and Linda Godfrey's "Uncanny Radio" for news and updates regarding Mandog and many other creatures:
http://www.uncannyradio.com/
You'll be glad you tuned in. They have a lot of interesting guests,and Linda and Manwolf make the show a lot of fun as well as very informative.
For centuries,encounters with these beasts have abounded all across the midwest,including areas in and around a little town in Ohio called Farmersville,where fellow researcher/cryptozoologist Adam Davis resides and has had numerous personal experiences himself.
Without further adieu,I will allow Adam to tell you, in his own words, a bit of his personal history regarding this extraordinary legend. At the end of the history is a mini interview I conducted with him:
Please allow me to introduce myself,
My name is Adam Davis, and among other things, I am a
paranormaal researcher
and cryptozoologist. I live near Dayton, Ohio, between
Dayton and the Preble
County line near a small town called Farmersville. Many of
you I am sure,
are aware of the fact that Bigfoot is known to live in
Ohio, including in the
immediate area around Dayton. If you are not aware of it,
there is another
creature that dwells in Ohio, and seemingly, over most of
the Eastern US at
least. Some call it a Dogman, others Mandog, and some call
it the American
Werewolf. I have seen these creatures numerous times
personally, and have found
numerous tracks from them, as well as the remains of kills.
Others have seen
them as well, with their descriptions corresponding very
closely to what I
have seen, one person was actually on Coast to Coast AM
regarding his sighting,
where he saw one feeding on the carcass of a deer by the
road, describing it
as appearing very much like the werewolf from Van Helsing.
That was coming
from as he described himself "someone who never
believed in that kind of fairy
tale stuff", and now wishes he had never seen it.
I have recorded these creatures howling, as well as taken
measured pictures of
their tracks, which are bipedal, and much too large for any
dog to make, with
a print size of over 6.5" long by 5.5" wide, not
including claw imprints if
in a softer substrate.
My girlfriend and I have seen them
crouching and
standing, they are at least 7'6" tall, and would
weigh in at around the 450-500 lb
mark on average, with larger individuals weighing perhaps
600 at over 8'.
They are more "slender waisted" than a Bigfoot,
but are just as "chesty",
displaying very wide, powerful shoulders, and what appear
to be hands or hand-like
(perhaps like a raccoon?) forepaws with claws, that they
can use to tear
meat from a carcass or hold a smaller prey animal to feed
upon. Facially, the
reports vary a bit across the US in muzzle
length/appearance, however, from
what I have seen here and others have reported, they have a
large "triangular"
canine head and muzzle, with prominent ears and the teeth
are notable when its
mouth is open.
I have found "historical precedent" regarding the
existence of these
creatures, both in native american legends, and in settlers
records for the area.
The Native Americans considered the area where these things
were concentrated
to be "off limits", and anyone who ventured there
usually never came back,
while the settlers that moved into the area would have
encounters with them
mostly along the creeks, where often one or two people
would be snatched and
carried off, as the creek crossing would have to be taken
carefully lest an axle
or wheel on the wagon were to break and strand the wagon
and its people
entirely. This problem was curtailed for the most part when
they began building
covered bridges at the crossing points on the roads. It is
my opinion that in a
good number of cases, these things are sometimes being
mistaken for Bigfoot,
especially in the more aggressive encounters, and their
prints may be
overlooked, disregarded as merely dog prints, as a
researcher my be looking for
Bigfoot prints, and would be experiencing "tunnel
vision" in the search for
them.
Mandogs also have a very pervasive stench, likened
best to the smell of
rotting meat combined with dog feces and sulphur,not
unlike the smell I
have encountered when a Bigfoot was close while I was bow
hunting before, but
much less pleasant. They also have
"luminous" eyes, ranging from a sort
of yellow if it isn't looking directly at you, to a
deep glowing red, as I
have experienced when being stared at from the corn field
last year in August
that bordered the property on which I currently live,
thankfully they planted
soy beans this year.
I have also seen them sitting in
large natural
deadfalls as well as piles of brush that they had dragged
into a pile from smaller
deadfalls, presumably for cover during the winter to hunt
from, like a hunters
blind.
A short piece of background on myself and my experience- I
am 33, with over
25 years of tracking experience from starting in Boy Scouts
through my years
of hunting deer and other animals. I am intimately
familliar with the animals
that live in and around the Ohio area, what their prints
look like, what
they sound like, their habits, etc. This experience makes
it extremely difficult
for me to misidentify something out in the woods/wild.
There is a distinct possibility that, where the people are
unfamilliar with
what a Bigfoot looks like, or they didn't get a good
look at the creature(s)
involved, that certain sightings of Bigfoot, including the
so called "Ohio
Grassmen" may well be Mandogs hunting in a pack
formation. I have pictures of
the tracks from such a hunt in the snow this February,
where they had
evidently separated a deer from the group of three deer,
two of which ran across the
road in front of us, though we didn't find the kill
sight for the third deer.
Two Mandogs were involved from the tracks we found,
hunting in a team. It is
likely that they may well hunt in larger groups, based on
some of the times
I have heard them howling back and forth to one another.
there is no telling
how many there may be in Ohio alone, but there is
certainly enough wild game
and livestock to keep them happy, though I don't
believe that they would be
above an attack of opprotunity on a human, especially one
that they
considered as infringing on their territory.
Thank you for
your time. Please feel free
to email me at _jiro9cuts0001@aol.com_
(mailto:jiro9cuts0001@aol.com) if you
have any questions or comments that you want answered
personally.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mini interview with Adam :
RAVEN: Adam,first off Id like to thank you for doing this interview and allowing my readers and I the privilege to hear your story. You're a very warm,sincere person and I've really enjoyed getting to know a bit about you and having you share your mandog encounters with us.
What was your first encounter with the creatures like? Can you give us some detail on what it wouldve been like if we stood in your shoes on that night/day?
ADAM: Well, my first real encounter outside of hearing them howl while we were out looking for them at night and occasionally coming across their 'trail' where you could smell the gut wrenching stench these things have in the still night air, or carried on the breeze. It occured on October 19th of 2005, ironically enough, coming back home from a local haunted trail/house attraction in Middletown, OH. The conditions were clear, no fog, with bright full moonlight. We were heading north on Germantown-Liberty Rd, which dumps into Stacey Rd, later rejoining Germantown-Liberty Rd. We crossed onto Stacey Rd, going between 30 and 35 mph, and just after the first bend near a juniper tree, I saw something in my headlights, squatting/sitting in the ditch by the juniper. It was bigger than a man, and was covered with fur from head to toe, with a definite dog shaped head and large ears.
I watched in disbelief as we passed this thing, with my other 3 friends (whom usually accompanied me on our forays searching for these things) in the van also looking on in half awe, half hysteria, as it looked through the passenger side window of the van at us, its eyes a yellowish color reflecting the moonlight, its eyes and face about level with the middle of the window.
Its head looked bigger than a human's head, and was definitely canine, the ears even more apparent in lookingat it dead on. It was close enough, that if that window would have been open, my friend in the passenger seat could have reached out and touched it. As we passed it and the rear of the vehicle cleared the creature's position, I saw it get up and cross the road behind the van, its form blotted out the moonlight breifly as it stepped onto the road, and watching it in my side mirror, its third step carried it into the field on the other side of the road.
By that time, my heart was pounding half out of excitement and half out of fear from the pure size of the thing. I got a very good look at it as it crossed, and it was definitely walking bipedally, and digitigrade, and stood well over the height of the van, in the neighborhood of around 7'6", if I had to guess, it would probably have weighed in the neighborhood of 450-475 lbs, based on the size of deer I have skinned and dressed out in the past, some in excess of 300 lbs. I couldn't tell if a tail was present or not, and couldn't make out a lot of real detail of the "hands"/forepaws, but I saw what I thought to be at least two or three fingers on one of the forelimbs of the creature. The other thing that struck me, was how wide its shoulders were, my shoulders are pretty wide from a human perspective, but this things shoulders were absolutely massive, at least 3 or 4 inches wider than my own, which are about 26" wide. We went back to the spot the next day to look for signs of the crossing, prints, scat (feces), etc. and aside from finding a depressed area about 24" in diameter in the weeds of the ditch next to the juniper where it was sitting/squating, we found no other traces, due to the heavy weeds in the fields on either side of the road at the time. My one friend (whom is a bit taller than I am at 6'2", he is almost 6'4") attempted to do what it did, squatting in the ditch which was about 12" deep, then getting up and crossing the road in 3 steps (it placed one foot on the road coming out of the ditch, then took a step placing both feet on the road, then the next step took it off the road beyond the ditch on the other side), and couldn't cross the road like that in less than 5 steps. The road is about 12 feet wide, and it crossed from a spot 2 feet off the road where it was sitting, to a spot 3 feet off the other side of the road, a distance of some 17 to 18 feet. He even atttempted to do it at as much of a run as he could get from the starting position and couldn't do it in less than 5 steps. I defy any normal human to reproduce that feat, much less in some sort of suit. That was my first, "real encounter", up close with one of these mandog creatures.
RAVEN: That's quite an encounter!
In your opinion,do you feel this creature is more aggressive than Bigfoot?
ADAM: To be honest, yes I do, based primarily on what I have read in accounts from settlers records, and the fact that the Shawnee that used to live in the Miami Valley up to the time of Techumseh, considered the northern part of the valley close to the headwaters of the Little Miami, Mad, Great Miami, and Stillwater rivers to be a "taboo" area to go into, as these things were well known to them, and they were known to dwell there. When white settlers came in and founded the towns of Bellefontaine, Greenville, Piqua, Sidney, Versailles, Urbana, and Ansonia, to name off the main towns up that way, they had a serious problem, according to settlers records, with these things picking people off at creek and river crossings, either from horseback or off wagons. This continued until covered bridges were built, which allowed a wagon or a rider on horseback to mmaintain speed and not have to slow down and ease into the water, the way they would have to do in fording the river or creek. They still had incidents, but they were reduced considerably. I've seen records of aggressive activity dated up through the 1970's though, with attacks on cars and the like travelling over the roads the covered bridges were on, usually receiving several scratches and dents from the creatures attempting to get in at the occupants. Then there are the missing animals, dogs mostly, as most people have a greater emotional attachement to dogs, they are more readily missed than most animlas like cats that tend to wander anyhow. I'm not just talking about small dogs either, that people let out to go do their business and could run off on their own, but large breeds, usually kept on a chain or in a kennel outside coming up missing. The dogs are usually never seen again, and in some instances, their collars are found still attached to the chain, which is something that would be unusual for a dog that is well used to being on a tie out, like it was pulled off over the dogs head. I could see one of these things seeing a domestic dog as an easy meal, fresh meat would be a naturally better choice over roadkill, and it would be easier to deal with than a live deer, which is much stronger than an average large dog. The same thing with goats and sheep, easy meals. They also seem to aggressively chase off coyotes when they come into the area, I will hear a group of coyotes start a chorus howl up, then hear one or more of the mandogs start a howl, immediately shutting up the coyotes. You usually don't hear from the coyotes for a month or more until they wander back to this area, "testing the waters" so to speak. I don't know if they go after the coyotes or not, as I've never seen the aftermath of such a confrontation, and likely never will unless I happen to be there at the time, which would be too close for comfort. Then there are some of my more direct encounters with them along the edge of the property here. They seem to seek out contact with humans occasionally, why I'm not sure, I don't know if they are gauging our reactions to them, as they are definitely a lot smarter than any dog or wolf, or if they are considering an attack on a human again, as we are obviously easy prey for them, as demonstrated in the past. They seem to have enough sense to stay around 50 yards or so away from buildings, due to the outside security lights, as evidenced by where you will see roadkill lay until it decays away, but everywhere else, if you see it when it's hit, it is usually gone overnight. You will often see blood smears on the road in the morning, but no animal where the traces are, carried off by one of these things for a meal. For now it seems they are sated with what they can hunt down and what is fresh on the road. I hope it stays that way. This much I do know, if the Shawnee didn't want to mess with them, they have to be pretty nasty to begin with.
RAVEN: Sounds like the turkey vultures and coyotes may have some stiff competition when it comes to dining at the 'Roadkill Cafe'. I wouldnt want to fight a Mandog for a meal,that's for sure!
Which leads me to my last question...
Environmentally speaking,do you think these creatures fit into the natural order of things? Or do you believe they are a product of deliberate mutation and experimentation? There seems to have been some pretty heated debate on this topic in the recent past.
ADAM: Hah, speaking of turkey vultures, I found one picking over a carcass that had been evidently dropped in the middle of the road one day, denuded of all flesh and missing two limbs, likely dropped as something was crossing the road and was finished with its meal. That's another story that leads to another encounter. Now, to your question. Honestly, I think that is a yes and no answer. Yes, the fit "now", only because they have been around for what I would estimate to be several millenia, perhaps as long as millions of years. The Native Americans have mentioned creatures like these and others of this nature (being half man, half animal) since the "begining". Many other cultures have records in one form or another, along with long held stories of them. That is aside from the so called "skinwalkers" and such. They have been here so long from what I can derive from legends and such, that the world has adapted to their presence. Even Biblical scriptures mention things of this nature in passing, that "the seed of man was once mingled with that of all manner of beasts of the field", mostly in the older texts where the Old Testament comes from, and those which it came from, the Tablets of Babylon, which mention the "Annu Naki", which from what little I know of Hebrew, translates into Elohim, literally meaning "those who came from above", whom are said to have been the Children of God, or angels. So, in that aspect, I would have to say no, they aren't naturally evolved creatures, but created through some form of genetic manipulation, be it through a lab, or other more, arcane, means. My personal opinion on this, is that they may have been created by whatever means, to be used as "war dogs" or "shock troops", sent out ahead of the first wave of whatever dark army that used them, to wreak havoc and give a "shock and awe" effect against whomever they were fighting. To give a sort of reference, I'll turn to Hollywood for a moment. I'm sure that you and most of our readers are familliar wiith the Lord of the Rings trilogy that came out a few years ago. If you will recall, during the "fall of Isengard", the wizard of that tower began building an army for the Dark Lord. In the pits carved into the earth by the orcs and goblin men, they bred the Uruk Hai, a sort of "super orc" or "Super Soldier", made from the material of orcs and something else. They also had "pit bred" the Wargs, the huge hyena type creatures the orcs used as mounts for calvary. This would represent the "arcane" means of creating a cross bred creature, of the nature that I believe the mandogs (in their biological form) to be. Whether these things have any preternatural abilities gained from such a pairing or combination has yet to be really figured out, as many people have suggested that their ability to "disappear" at will is due to their being of supernatural nature (i.e. not biological but spiritual in their nature, as a tulpa or summoned spirit would be). I say this, there may be some of a supernatural nature out there, but they aren't going to require food or shelter, nor leave clear signs of their passing such as prints, hair, and scat. Most encounters happen in, near, or around dense underbrush and forest, and to my knowledge, most people that have seen them haven't thought of going to look for prints themselves, and aren't about to out of fear based on what they saw, and many are unwilling to talk about it until much later, well after any traces are washed away by the weather. As for the ones that do get reported soon after and a search for traces is conducted, there is the fact of undergrowth again to deal with, as well as the fact that we don't know what the physical capabilites of these things are (much less the esoteric capabilites if any). I have heard reports of these things being able to keep up with a vehicle going over 55 to 60 mph, so who knows how high or far one would be able to leap if it wanted to, which would definitely stop a trail cold for most trackers, only to start up again, perhaps, 50 or more feet away? A deer can go at a dead run of over 40 mph for a couple miles at least, and can leap over a 10 foot chain link fence, and they have a horizontal leap of over 20 feet. Consider that as a benchmark, in relating to what equates to be a very large, very fast, and very intelligent predator, that can easily overtake a deer when it wants to. Natural in origin, I don't think so. Natural now due to their having been here so long, yes. And like other predators, their numbers may well be limited by what nature can support, unlike how we as humans have adapted and developed such technologies as to proliferate and dominate the earth in such numbers, that the only creatures that really outnumber us are fish, insects, rodents, and birds.
RAVEN: Very interesting concepts,Adam. You give us a lot of food for thought as we end this interview. Thank you again for your time. It was an honor to have you here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Interestingly,Adam discovered the following three photos on GOOGLE EARTH that can be found at the coordinates of N 39deg. 40' 57" by W 84 deg. 22' 40" if anyone would like to check them out and zoom in on them yourself.(I encourage you to do so.You can see the shape as well as size of the creatures when you zoom in on them)
They seem to show what could possibly be two mandogs in a field close to where Adam resides.
Here are two links to click on that zoom them up a little closer for you:
http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/8038/mandogfield1dr8.jpg
http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/8130/mandogfield2rw0.jpg
I hope you enjoyed reading this interview as much as I enjoyed conducting it. Adam is very knowlegable,sincere,and a joy to talk to. I would love to interview him again in the future for an update.
Until next time,my fledglings!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious,
Raven
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Transitions
Please forgive my lengthy absence recently.
Many transitions have been taking place in the past couple of weeks.
We had a tragedy in the family and I have been away for a little while taking care of things and doing some much needed healing. Now I am ready to delve back into my research and get the ball rolling here in my Mysterious Haven.
Much appreciation and many thanks go to Nick Redfern(http://monsterusa.blogspot.com/) and Ken Gerhard(http://tonezone.com/ken/) for being the wonderful mentors/friends they are,and for collectively steering me back to my research and keeping me focused on pushing forward with courage. You two are amazing and I am incredibly fortunate to have you in my life and be learning from you.
**Please be sure to check out both Ken and Nick's works. They are very passionate about their research and writing, and it is never anything short of phenomenal. I'm a huge fan of them both. **
Now,as far as my own research and how it's coming along :
Things are coming along,but they're coming along slowly for now.
I have some very exciting interviews in the works coming up very soon. I know you will enjoy them.
From Dogman and Bigfoot to Ghosts and Ghoulies,I'll have a little something in store for all of you,so stay tuned!
I will keep this short and sweet for today. I'm off and running to do some research.
Be well and stay mysterious!
Many transitions have been taking place in the past couple of weeks.
We had a tragedy in the family and I have been away for a little while taking care of things and doing some much needed healing. Now I am ready to delve back into my research and get the ball rolling here in my Mysterious Haven.
Much appreciation and many thanks go to Nick Redfern(http://monsterusa.blogspot.com/) and Ken Gerhard(http://tonezone.com/ken/) for being the wonderful mentors/friends they are,and for collectively steering me back to my research and keeping me focused on pushing forward with courage. You two are amazing and I am incredibly fortunate to have you in my life and be learning from you.
**Please be sure to check out both Ken and Nick's works. They are very passionate about their research and writing, and it is never anything short of phenomenal. I'm a huge fan of them both. **
Now,as far as my own research and how it's coming along :
Things are coming along,but they're coming along slowly for now.
I have some very exciting interviews in the works coming up very soon. I know you will enjoy them.
From Dogman and Bigfoot to Ghosts and Ghoulies,I'll have a little something in store for all of you,so stay tuned!
I will keep this short and sweet for today. I'm off and running to do some research.
Be well and stay mysterious!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious, Raven
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Still learning my way around the new blog
Please excuse the daily changes in blog scenery and the delay of postings while I sort everything out and get used to how blogspot works.
"The Elvira of the paranormal world" (as I've been recently dubbed by a friend) has some very exciting stories and interviews coming up for you in the near future,so be sure to stay tuned!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious, Raven
"The Elvira of the paranormal world" (as I've been recently dubbed by a friend) has some very exciting stories and interviews coming up for you in the near future,so be sure to stay tuned!
Your Mistress of the Mysterious, Raven
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
First post--To protect or not to protect...
...that is the question.
It has been a long standing controversy in the crypto community..... Do we continue to set laws in place to ensure the safety of creatures we've yet to scientifically identify?
I say continue because there are already several governing bodies that have done just that.
Back in 1969, Skamania County's Board of Commissioners in Washington passed an ordinance making it a $10,000 fine and five years in prison for anyone who kills a Bigfoot in their county.
In Arkansas,the senate passed a resolution in 1973 that protected the habitat of "Whitey",a well known water monster who made a portion of the White River its home.
Loren Coleman writes:
"In Malaysia, the breaking news on April 22, 2006, from the New Straits Times is that “the Johor Government has announced total protection for the Bigfoot, as a State heritage, which cannot be injured, captured, transported out of the State or killed.”--Cryptomundo,April 22,2006 http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/spin-yeti/
It is'nt too hard to imagine the chaos that will ensue once these creatures are finally"proven to exist."
Bubba and his entourage will undoubtedly be taking potshots at our hairy hominid friend, from the tailgate of a Chevy pickup, before you can even utter the words " If rabbits feet are so dang lucky, what happened to the rabbit?".
Something needs to be done before the situation gets that out of control. Would'nt you agree?
Waiting til the last minute when things finally go "ape" is'nt exactly what I'd call a great policy.
We know we are on the brink of the discovery of the century...nay,the millenia.
Would'nt it be nice to have nationwide laws in place before such occurences become the norm instead of just the imaginable unimagineable?
Not that it is'nt a great scam to keep us all thinking we're crazy,thereby keeping a seven foot tall,600 pound creature a secret (hey,I'll give credit where credit is due! ) ....but it's not going to work forever,fellas.
We're not a bunch of witless dolts that'll buy anything our "leaders" feed us and move on quietly without incidence. Too many credible witnesses are testament to the fact that we are about to embark on a journey our world may not be prepared for if we have'nt got some kind of plan of action in place beforehand.
You can only hold the lid down on a boiling pot for so long. Eventually you'll have to take it off the heat,turn down the temperature,or pay the price when you get scalded from the lid being violently blown off.
It's a recipe for disaster.
It has been a long standing controversy in the crypto community..... Do we continue to set laws in place to ensure the safety of creatures we've yet to scientifically identify?
I say continue because there are already several governing bodies that have done just that.
Back in 1969, Skamania County's Board of Commissioners in Washington passed an ordinance making it a $10,000 fine and five years in prison for anyone who kills a Bigfoot in their county.
In Arkansas,the senate passed a resolution in 1973 that protected the habitat of "Whitey",a well known water monster who made a portion of the White River its home.
Loren Coleman writes:
"In Malaysia, the breaking news on April 22, 2006, from the New Straits Times is that “the Johor Government has announced total protection for the Bigfoot, as a State heritage, which cannot be injured, captured, transported out of the State or killed.”--Cryptomundo,April 22,2006 http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/spin-yeti/
It is'nt too hard to imagine the chaos that will ensue once these creatures are finally"proven to exist."
Bubba and his entourage will undoubtedly be taking potshots at our hairy hominid friend, from the tailgate of a Chevy pickup, before you can even utter the words " If rabbits feet are so dang lucky, what happened to the rabbit?".
Something needs to be done before the situation gets that out of control. Would'nt you agree?
Waiting til the last minute when things finally go "ape" is'nt exactly what I'd call a great policy.
We know we are on the brink of the discovery of the century...nay,the millenia.
Would'nt it be nice to have nationwide laws in place before such occurences become the norm instead of just the imaginable unimagineable?
Not that it is'nt a great scam to keep us all thinking we're crazy,thereby keeping a seven foot tall,600 pound creature a secret (hey,I'll give credit where credit is due! ) ....but it's not going to work forever,fellas.
We're not a bunch of witless dolts that'll buy anything our "leaders" feed us and move on quietly without incidence. Too many credible witnesses are testament to the fact that we are about to embark on a journey our world may not be prepared for if we have'nt got some kind of plan of action in place beforehand.
You can only hold the lid down on a boiling pot for so long. Eventually you'll have to take it off the heat,turn down the temperature,or pay the price when you get scalded from the lid being violently blown off.
It's a recipe for disaster.
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