Bigfoot Or Big Fraud?
By Emma Norman
An increase in reported sightings of “bigfoot” in a region of India has led to an investigation by the authorities and redoubled efforts to find the uncertified creatures. Is this a crazy man hunt or could it be the start of some legendary science?Occasional sightings of bigfoot (plural: bigfeet?*), known locally as Mande Burung or “Jungle Man”, have been reported for years in the Garo Hills area of the Indian state, Meghalaya. There are stories suggesting the existence of bigfoot in various regions around the world, and the descriptions of the beast are the same; seven to ten feet tall, covered in dark brown hair, with no apparent neck and a pronounced forehead. In the Himalayas they are known as Yeti, Yowie in Australia and Sasquatch in the Pacific northwest region of the United States and British Columbia.
One of the recent sightings in the Garo Hills was by farmer, Wallen Sangma, who claims to have seen a family of four. Wallen claims they were “frightening, huge, bulky and furry”. Sounds like scary stuff.
The Achik Tourism Society in the Garo Hills area are adamant the creatures exist there and have been trying to prove this for years. They have provided photographs of thatched nests, giant footprints and even tufts of hair. Now why would a tourism group so publicly claim to have a population of bigfoot in their area?
A team of wildlife experts and other officials will be conducting a study in the Garo Hills to attempt to find out whether these creatures are myths or masters of houdini-ism. Mainstream scientists and academics largely believe that bigfoot don’t exist due to the lack of physical evidence - no big foot bones or bodies have ever been found.
*We had an editorial mull and decided the plural of bigfoot must be bigfoot, like sheep and sheep.
For more from Emma, try her page.
Or check out these big chunks of sciencey goodness:
- Spoof - More myths and legends
- Reviews - More about feet
- News - How to eat a giant squid
- Interactive - The big question
Image: Manu M
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