Brosnya: Russia's Lake Dwelling Dragon

The weekly Karavan+Ya (Caravan+Me) published in the Russian city of Tver, became widely popular 15 years ago when it was first to report about a monster from Lake Brosno in the Andreapol District of the Tver Region. After the first publication in the weekly, the news about a dinosaur from Brosno spread all over the world. Journalists from Moscow and from abroad were seeking sensational publications about the monster from the Russian province. Hundreds of publications and TV programs about the Brosno monster made the creature a world sensation. The Tver weekly Karavan from time to time organizes small expeditions to Lake Brosno to visit the mysterious creature that became so much popular thanks to the newspaper.

Numerous witnesses say that they saw a head of a big beast above water that looked like a dinosaur or a dragon head and a long thin tail. The people said that the creature was covered with scales like a reptile and was about five meters long.

Researchers, who believe that a mysterious big creature does live in Lake Brosno and who work on the mystery of the creature, say that Brosnya (this is the name given to the monster) cannot be a reptile. Otherwise, it would be frozen and died in the climate of the middle geographic zone when dormant. If the strange creature has come to life, it means it is a mammal and breeds through syngenesis. However, some problems arise in this connection. First of all, the lake is too small for an entire population of large predators to live and breed there. Second, a group of these big mysterious creatures needs much food, which is also a problem in the small lake. There is a hypothesis saying that some water systems join lakes, seas and oceans. If so, Scotland's Nessy may be a relative to Brosnya living in Russia's province.

It is rumored that the strange giant creature has been living the Lake Brosno for several centuries already. One of the legends says that the lake monster scared to death the Tatar-Mongol army that headed for Novgorod in the 8th century. Baty-khan stopped the troops to have some rest on the sides of Lake Brosno. Horses were let to drink water from the lake. However, when horses came down to the lake, a huge creature emerged from the water roaring and started devouring horses and soldiers. The Baty-khan troops were so terrified that they turned back, and Novgorod was saved. Old legends say that some enormous mouth devoured fishermen. Chronicles mention some "sand mountain" that emerged above the lake surface from time to time. Once, Varangians wanted to hide stolen treasures in the lake. But when they approached the small island, a dragon came to the surface from the lake and swallowed the small island up.

The terrible monster disturbed people's minds over the 18-19th century. It was rumored that the giant creature emerged on the lake surface in the evenings, but immediately submerged when people approached. It is said that during WWII the beast swallowed up a Fascist plane. Today, there are lots of witnesses who say they chanced to see Brosnya walking in the water. People say that it turns boats upside-down and has to do with disappearance of people.

Everything said by locals and tourists who witnessed Brosnya proves that the creature (either a dragon or a dinosaur) does exist. However, some people treat the issue skeptically and still say that the creature may be a mutant beaver or a giant pike of 100-150 years. Others conjecture that groups of wild boars and elks cross the lake from time to time. Do boars and elks dive and stay under water for a long time? However, local people witnessed neither boars, nor elks, and the Karavan newspaper and other expeditions spoke about some other creature.

There are some more scientific hypotheses concerning Brosnya. One of them is a gas version saying that when hydrogen sulphide goes up from the lake bottom it makes water boil up; this boiling in its turn resembles a dragon head. But the amount of hydrogen sulphide must be considerable to produce this effect. Other version says that there is a volcano in Lake Brosno that makes ejections on the water surface from time to time. It is well-known that there are several fractures at the bottom of the lake, the depth and the direction of the fractures cannot be defined. It is not ruled out that the volcano crater is inside of one of the fractures. This explains why the volcano, if it actually exists, has not been discovered yet.

Fishermen say that the underwater world of Lake Brosno has a structure of several levels. From time to time burbots and perchs can be found in the lake. This is strange at all that some sorts of fish can be found in the area at all. For example, herring can be found in a lake in Peno District in the Tver Region. This is strange that the sea fish may live in the lake at all. Smelt shoals from time to time can be found in Lake Brosno as well. The phenomenon of Brosnya can be explained from the physical point of view: huge smelt shoals are reflected on the water surface through refraction of light and produces the effect of a huge reptile head. Physicists say that any mirage appears in hot weather. Indeed, witnesses say that they came across Brosnya in summer. However, origin of the strange monster is still a mystery.

In November 1996, the Karavan weekly started an expedition to Lake Brosno in the Tver Region. The expedition consisted of writer and journalist from Tver Yeugeny Novikov, head of the Tver Regional Legislative Assembly's press-service Nikolay Ishchuk, journalist Marina Gavrishenko, photographer Anaida Jilavyan and editor-in-chief of the Karavan newspaper Gennady Klimov. In seven years after that expedition, we would like to know whether the people believe that the creature actually exists.

Gennady Klimov says: "The lake actually keeps some secret. When the depth of Lake Brosno was measured, it turned out that in some parts it was 120-160 meters deep. It means that Lake Brosno is the deepest in Europe. What is more, the lake belongs to the preglacial epoch that is why mysterious phenomena are quite possible in it. As for me, my concerns about the whole of the story are quite particular. I am interested in the mechanism according to which global myths arise. I say that the administration of the Andreapol District where the lake is situated could have been more adroit to form economy of the district depending upon the Brosnya myth. Today, I do not personally care if the creature exists or not. But this is a really precious myth from the point of view of the future. Much is spoken about monster called Brosnya in different parts of Russia and in other countries, but nothing is said here in the Tver Region where the creature "lives". It is believed that Loch Ness creature does exist. The whole of the county where is lives is connected with the creature myth. The nature here in the Tver Region is wonderful and pure. There is a unique technology of making and using myths. These technologies will be extremely important in the future."

Marina Gavrishenko, the journalist who took part in the expedition says: "At first sight, the whole of the monster story looks like a fairytale. After the expedition to Lake Brosno, I do believe that the place is actually mysterious. Stories told by witnesses prove this opinion. We met with local people who were perfectly sane and adequate. What is more, all legends about the mysterious monster trace the roots back to the old times. I am sure that legends and rumors cannot arise from nothing."

Nikolay Ishchuk, the head of the Tver Regional Legislative Assembly press-service says: "I do not believe in wonders. What we chanced to see at Lake Brosno is actually mysterious and incomprehensible. If the phenomenon can be explained with the laws of the planet's life, I believe this is a miracle indeed. I recollect our expedition to Lake Brosno and our attempts to take pictures of the creature as a wonderful journey. This is wonderful that people may have such interesting adventures. May it be so that the expedition actually came across some miracle? Inexplicable things must exist in this world. When people do not understand some things they want to know more and reveal more new facts." - Sofya Vorotyntseva - Pravda.ru

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The bio-luminescent, aquatic reptile has inspired terror in the fishing villages surrounding Russia’s little known Lake Brosno for generations.

Laying just 250 miles north-west of Moscow near Andreapol in West Russia is a relatively small body of water known as Lake Brosno, which, according to eyewitness accounts, is the home of a bizarre, glowing, reptilian creature. Reports of this luminous beast, which allegedly lurks near the bottom of their lake, date back to at least 1854.

That having been said, the legends of this aquatic horror have been told and retold for centuries. One of the most famous tales associated with the dragon concerns its encounter with the Tatar-Mongol army that headed for Novgorod in the 13th century. Their leader, Batu Khan, allegedly stopped his troops on the shore of Lake Brosno to rest and allow the horses to drink but, when the horses ventured to close to the lake, a colossal roaring beast emerged from the dark water and devoured animals and soldiers alike. The troops were so terrified that they turned back and Novgorod was saved.

Other ancient legends describe an “enormous mouth” that ate fishermen and a “sand mountain” that appeared on the surface of the lake. More recently, locals claim that during World War II, the dragon – apparently an Allied sympathizer – managed to swallow a Nazi airplane.

Described as being a 16-foot long, “iridescent,” dragon-like creature, with a fish-like or serpentine head, this animal is said to have spread terror throughout the small fishing communities located not only on Lake Brosno, but situated on the Volgo river as well.

This bizarre form of bio-luminescence is rare among cryptids, and has been reported in only two other animals, the winged predators known as the DUAH and the ROPEN, both of which are reputedly “flying” creatures that hail from across the globe.

Although most descriptions of Brosnya suggest it is reptilian, some researchers believe that due to the often frigid climate around lake Brosno, this creature cannot be a reptile. They have surmised that this animal is likely mammalian, although what manner of mammal they do not know.

In 1996, the Itar-Tass news agency reported that many of the residents of Brosno Lake are terrified of what the local press has dubbed “Brosnie” or “Brosnya” and that many of the citizens of these tiny villages have taken to fortifying there homes, as quoted from an article released by Reuters News Service:

“I’m afraid,” said one elderly woman, Varya, who lives in the small lakeside village of Benyok about 400 km northwest of Moscow. “I do not feel comfortable staying in this place. The monster could crawl into my house any day.”

Although there have been some (admittedly blurry and difficult to find) photos taken of this creature, not everyone is taking the reports of this animal so seriously. This was evidenced by the flippant remark made by an obviously skeptical scientist – Lyudmila Bolshakova, of Moscow’s Institute of Paleontology – in the same article, who refused to even entertain the notion of investigating this phenomenon:

“It sounds like a country fairy tale, the kind of story told over the years in the countryside.”

Thankfully, not all scientists seemed to share Bolshakova’s limited assessment of the situation. Tver region paleontologist, Nikolai Dikov, was quoted as saying that based upon the photographs this creature was probably related to an animal of decidedly prehistoric origin:

“The creature’s alleged shape suggested an extinct order of reptiles with teeth like mammals.”

The “extinct order of reptiles,” which Dikov was referring to is probably of the family known as Synapsids, whose teeth were differentiated into molars, canines, and incisors, similar to mammal’s teeth.

In 1996, an anonymous tourist from Moscow allegedly snapped a picture of this beast after his 7 year-old son screamed that he saw a “dragon” in the Lake. Sadly, this photograph, like so many others, is seemingly impossible to find.

In November of that same year, the Karavan weekly started an expedition to Lake Brosno. The expedition consisted of journalist Yeugeny Novikov, head of the Tver Regional Legislative Assembly’s press-service Nikolay Ishchuk, journalist Marina Gavrishenko, photographer Anaida Jilavyan and editor-in-chief of the Karavan newspaper Gennady Klimov. Gavrishenko, had this to say about Brosnya:

“At first sight, the whole of the monster story looks like a fairytale. After the expedition to Lake Brosno, I do believe that the place is actually mysterious. Stories told by witnesses prove this opinion. We met with local people who were perfectly sane and adequate. What is more, all legends about the mysterious monster trace the roots back to the old times. I am sure that legends and rumors cannot arise from nothing.”

In 1997, additional reports of this animal swimming close to onshore settlements caused yet another frenzy of terror along Brosno’s coast, and in the summer of 2002, experts of the Kosmopoisk Research Association went for an expedition to Lake Brosno and did echo deep sounding. The results of this expedition have yielded perhaps the most bizarre development in this case to date.

The Moscow newspaper “Arguments and Facts” interviewed Vadim Chernobrov, the Kosmopoisk coordinator, who discussed the strange discovery they made in the depths of the lake:

“Echo deep sounding registered an anomaly. There was a huge jelly-like mass of a railway car size handing five meters above the bottom. The mass stood motionless. We waited for some time and then decided to make it move: we threw an underwater petard, a low capacity explosive device. When the device blew up, the creature started slowly going up. We stared at the water, and it was clear; there was nothing resembling a monster, however something unusual was still felt in the lake water.” - americanmonsters.com

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Near the bottom of Lake Brosno, or perhaps deep in the recesses of man's imagination, a monster of huge proportions lurks. The evidence, much like that of Scotland's Loch Ness monster, is based on a single photograph and a few alleged sightings. The picture shows a panoramic view of Lake Brosno with an object floating in the foreground. As with the Scottish "Nessie," it is not clear whether the object is a large log -- or something more ominous from the deep. "I'm afraid," said one elderly woman, Varya, who lives in the small lakeside village of Benyok about 400 km (250 miles) northwest of Moscow. "I do not feel comfortable staying in this place. The monster could crawl into my house any day."

"It was big like this," said Tanya, another grandmotherly type who believes the creature hides from humans near the lake bottom. "I saw a head, like a fish -- and big." She sketched a snake-like head rising from the water with a large eye on the side. Tourists from Moscow camping near the lake added to the legend by taking a photograph after their seven-year-old son shouted out that he had seen a dragon monster. A newspaper in Tver, the nearest major town, recently published the photo, and the story was picked up in the local media. "It is completely possible that the creature which you see in this photo is a relative of the famous Loch Ness monster," wrote the newspaper, Caravan-1. Locals who believe in the monster -- and there are certainly a fair number of sceptics -- say it is much like a serpent, and one report estimated its length at five metres (16 feet).The alleged sightings are not prompting scientists to rush to the attractive lake surrounded by trees to conduct tests however ."It sounds like a country fairy tale, the kind of story told over the years in the countryside," said Lyudmila Bolshakova, an expert at Moscow's Institute of Paleontology. Regional media said there are written reports of sightings of the monster dating back to the 19th century, and the legend is even older. But a group of journalists visiting the lake this week saw no sign of the monster. - Nikolai Pavlov BENYOK, Russia, Dec 14, 1996 (Reuters)

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Babushka Tanya (Grandmother Tanya) and her husband, whose house is metres away from the shore, claim to have seen the monster on more than one occasion. Tanya took a Reuters Television camera crew to the lakeshore site from where she claims to have seen the monster. "I only saw a head of this creature, so I was not scared at all," she said while trying to draw the beast. "It is now on the bottom of the lake, deep, and it is hiding from the winter cold", she explained. Local press reports describe a creature about five metres (16 feet) long living in Lake Brosno, 80 km (50 miles) northwest of the Russian capital, and have published photographs, though they are too indistinct to be convincing according to some experts. Natalya Istratova, Professor of Biology at Moscow State Zoo, says it is "absolutely impossible" to say what kind of animal the monster might be without examining it. However one Lake Brosno resident, Baba Nadya (Grandmother Nadya), is terrified of the beast fearing it will crawl out of the lake and into her house "any day." A local press report describes a creature about five metres long. It quoted a local palaeontologist, Nikolai Dikov, as saying the creature's alleged shape suggests an extinct order of reptiles with teeth like mammals. Recent palaeontological excavations at Russia's old lakes of the tectonic origin, like Lake Brosno, are reported to have provided evidence to a theory linking the Brosno monster to pre-historic dinosaurs. Near the Siberian lake of Shestakovo, palaeontologists are said have found the bones of a pre-historic creature, quite similar to the descriptions of Brosno's babushkas. - www.nfo.ac.uk

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Fortean / Alternative News: Frederick Co. MD Anomaly, Aussie X-Files Missing and Mexican Cryptid

Frederick County, MD light anomaly had several witnesses

MUFON CMS - 6/6/2011: I was sitting on my deck facing south in Walkersville MD. My house is about 1/2 mile from route 15 north of Frederick MD. I noticed a bright light on the horizon. The object moved above the tree line, then went back down again, to the left, slowly, until I couldn't see it anymore. A friend of mine in Thurmont MD (north of here, not far from Camp David), could see it as well. I snapped a picture of it with my iPhone camera, then ran to get my digital camera, switched it to the video setting, and filmed about 41 seconds of it. It appeared a few more times, then didn't come back anymore. I honestly thought it was a state police helicopter at first, but after awhile, it was apparent this was not a helicopter. No noise at all.

Here is a link to the video I posted of the event on FaceBook.

NOTE: I received 2 inquiries about this particular light anomaly in Frederick County, MD last evening. As well, there was activity noted throughout the Baltimore metro area last night...mostly orange orbs. I will see if other information comes forth. Lon

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Australia X-Files: MISSING!

Could there be any better fodder for Australia's conspiracy theorists? The Department of Defence has ''lost'' its X-Files.

For decades, Defence officials dutifully investigated an unknown number of UFO sightings being reported all over the country. Intelligence officers attached to the Royal Australian Air Force checked the known movement of aircraft against reported sightings, and politely responded by mail to everyone who claimed they saw floating lights or flat saucers or streaking vapour trails. Some of the files were marked as classified.

Last year, the British government released a large part of its dossier on unidentified flying objects after significant pressure from freedom- of-information applicants. More than 4000 pages of Defence Ministry documents, detailing 800 reported encounters during the 1980s and 1990s were posted online.

Fairfax sought access to the Australian version. But the response was more surprising than what the files might have contained - the material has largely gone missing.

The department spent two months searching its offices for files that would be captured by the Herald's FOI application, which sought a ''schedule of records held by the Department of Defence … which relate to unidentified flying objects''.

But in late May, the department's FOI assistant director, Natalie Carpenter, delivered a reply that seemed almost designed to set online chat rooms alight with conspiracy chatter.

The only file Defence was able to locate was titled ''Report on UFOs/Strange Occurrences and Phenomena in Woomera''; the others had been destroyed.

''We also discovered one [other] file, which had not been destroyed but could not be located,'' Ms Carpenter wrote.

''In an effort to retrieve this file our office conducted searches of the Defence Record Management System, National Archives Australia [Canberra], National Archives Australia [Chester Hill], Defence Archives Queanbeyan and Headquarters Air Command, RAAF Base Glenbrook.

''Despite searching these locations, the files could not be located and Headquarters Air Command formally advised that this file is deemed lost.''

Previous FOI applications for similar files had also been destroyed, she said, ''as is normal administrative procedure''.

What is left is sketchy at best - a handful of ancient press clippings and scattered pieces of formal government correspondence. The papers show that about six years ago, the Australian UFO Research Association was able to locate some files, now missing. The organisation's summary of the material is one of the few complete items left in the remaining dossier.

It shows there were a series of sightings from around the country and overseas, including people living in towns near Woomera, a weapons range.

One incident report released to the organisation that year was a detailed report of an object's flight path by Warrant Officer G.E. Millard in October 1952.

Though he was able to track its movement for 24 minutes via radar equipment, he couldn't actually see the target using the normal telescope attached to the radar. After extensive investigation, he concluded the anomaly was a snow cloud.

The UFO research group's report says ''to date we have found three Department of Supply files dealing with the topic of 'flying saucers' or UFOs''.

''The earliest file so far located in South Australia is from series D174, control symbol SA5281 titled 'Unusual Occurrences Flying Saucer at Woomera' with a date range of 1952-1955. It was originally classified 'Secret'. It is a 25-page file.''

In November 2000, the then defence chiefs decided the department would stop collecting UFO reports.

''For many years the RAAF was responsible for the handling of Unusual Aerial Sightings (UAS) at the official level,'' they wrote in a department-wide policy memo.

''This function ceased in 1996 after consideration of the scientific record suggested that there was no compelling reason for the RAAF to continue to devote resources to the recording and investigation of UAS.

''The ADF does not accept reports on UAS and does not attempt assignment of cause or allocation of reliability. Members of the community who seek to report UAS to ADF personnel are to be referred to their local police authorities in the first instance, or alternatively to seek contact numbers for civil Unidentified Flying Object research organisations from the relevant state telephone directory.'' The memo said the ADF did not affiliate with any civil UFO organisations. - smh

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Bio-Station Alpha is there.....

My friend Bob Gardner, MUFON Chief Investigator PA & DE and STAR Southeast Regional Team Leader (http://mufonpa.com) emailed this morning that the original video of the find had be removed...but he painstakingly (for an hour) scanned the red planet manually and found it. Pictured below....

Thanks Bob!

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An Imp, Cyclops or Unknown Creature?

Scott Corrales - Inexplicata

By Arq. Salvador Mora - Director, Grupo La Esfera Azul

On Friday, March 19, 2010, an event occurred in Chiquimitio, Michoacán, Mexico, whose characteristics make it extraordinary within the field of cryptozoology, according to the events described:

Chiquimitío, a town of approximately 1,500 residents, is a small community some two thousand twenty meters above sea level, quite close to the city of Morelia. And that's where some local residents encountered a strange creature, small and walking on all fours before standing on two legs. They described the creature as having thin arms, legs and torso, covered with very little hair. Unfortunately, the few witnesses to this event were gripped by fear, and threw themselves against the unknown entity, lopping off its head with a single blow and throwing its small carcass to the local dogs, which devoured it almost immediately. It should also be noted that Chiquimitío is a farming community, and it is customary for residents to carry machetes wherever they go.

Subsequently, the same people involved in the event took what remains, up to this moment, the only evidence of the case: one cell phone video with a duration of 1 minute and 11 seconds, showing the head propped up against what appear to be wooden boards. A quick inspection of the creature's head can be seen through small sticks, as well as three photos showing it in detail. One of them, particularly, displays the head in comparison with a human torso.

After quickly recording this video and photo evidence, the eyewitnesses sadly chose to throw away the head, leaving no possibility for subsequent physical analysis.
Only a few days after the event, a person known to our group approached us to provide us with the visual evidence, describing how he gleaned all of the information, telling us that a person who worked alongside him in a family business was among the few witnesses to the event. It was this individual who managed to capture the events on video and photo formats, and it was precisely the person who told our friend that at the moment that they saw something whose characteristics were completely unknown to them, it sent them into a generalized psychosis. They subsequently regretted not having preserved any physical evidence for subsequent study.

It should be noted that we first thought it could be case of cyclopia - a congenital deficiency characterized by a single facial orbit visible on the face of living creatures -- that is to say, a single eye -- accompanied by cranial deformation and the absence of a nose (also known as holoprosencephaly) and that the creature's physique, and its similarity to a dog of the Chihuahua breed, could have indeed been an adequate hypothesis. However, a situation that also prompts reflection is that one of the characteristics of cyclopia, while it can affect any living creature, it is evident in approximately 1 to 3 per 1000 births. This low percentage is either stillborn or dies shortly later.

This factor also leads to consideration. This being's head shows signs of having been alive for a longer time, a detail evident in the teeth, which were in some way developed. In turn, the strange shape and size of the ears is striking. These could initially be said to resemble those of a Chihuahua dog. However, this species of canine has rigid and firm ears, contrary to what we see in this unknown creature, as the ears appear larger and more flexible.

It has been said for a long time that in communities near Chiquimitío and several locations in the state of Michoacán, there have been sightings of strange beings resembling the legendary elves, trolls and even cyclops and giants, all of this forming part of the area's legends.

No final conclusion is possible for this case, based on all the foregoing. However, considering the evidence and all that has been investigated, we can say that on 19 March 2010 in Chiquimitío, Michoacán, Mexico, something was seen. A genetically deformed animal, an imp, a troll, a cyclops? You have the last word. Thank you very much.

Click for video

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Fluorescent fauna - Fiji reefs

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and other partners are currently exploring a remote coral reef off Fiji's Totoya Island.

Accompanying the organizations is Roko Sau (Roko Josefa Cinavilakeba), the current high chief of Totoya Island who will this week declare the reef off-limits to fishing in recognition of World Ocean's Day on June 8. In so doing, Roko Sau hopes to ensure there are fish for future generations. - mongabay

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Giant Rats Invade Townships, Eat Two Children in Separate Attacks

Giant rats as big as cats have killed and eaten two babies in separate attacks in South Africa's squalid townships this week.

Lunathi Dwadwa, three, was killed as she slept in her parent's shack in the Khayelitsha slum outside Cape Town and another girl was killed in Soweto township near Johannesburg the same day.

Little Lunathi was sleeping on a makeshift bed on the floor of her family's breeze block and corrugated iron home on Sunday night when she died. Her puzzled parents didn't even hear her scream.

When her mother discovered her lifeless body, she saw that her daughter's eyes had been gouged out.

Bukiswa Dwadwa, 27, said: 'I can't forget how ugly my child looked after her eyes were ripped out.

'She was eaten from her eyebrows to her cheeks, her other eye was hanging by a piece of flesh.'

Her father Mncedisi Mokoena said police told him: 'Nothing could have done that but rats'

And today police revealed that a baby girl died in the Soweto township when she was attacked by rats while her teenage mother was out with friends.

'We were called to the scene of the death of an infant due to a rat attack on Monday morning at around 9am,' said police officer Bongani Mhlongo.

'The mother of the child was arrested on charges of culpable homicide and negligence.'

The deaths appear to be part of a spate of deadly rat attacks in the country.

Last month, 77-year-old grandmother Nomathemba Joyi died after giant rats chewed off the right side of her face.

Residents of South Africa's impoverished townships say the giant rats grow up to three-foot long, including their tails, and have front teeth over an inch long.

The suspects in the baby attacks are believed to be African Giant Pouched Rats, a species only distantly related to UK rats, but native to sub-Saharan Africa - and the biggest in the world.

They are nocturnal, omnivorous and can produce up to 50 young a year. Some tribal people breed them for food.

They thrive in the townships' filthy conditions and feast on residents' uncollected rubbish. - dailymail

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Baby dies after 'rat attack' in South African shack

A baby girl died after being attacked by rats in a South African shack while her teenage mother was out with friends, local media reported on Thursday.

The dead infant was found covered in rat bites after neighbours heard her crying in pain during the night while her mother was away from the Soweto shack she shares with school friends, said The New Age newspaper.

"We were called to the scene of the death of an infant due to a rat attack on Monday morning at around 9:00 am," said police officer Bongani Mhlongo.

"The mother of the child was arrested on charges of culpable homicide and negligence."

The baby was not dressed warmly and the cold Johannesburg winter could have contributed to her death, said Mhlongo.

"The young girl's child was covered in blood," a neighbour told the newspaper.

"I could see that the child was dead already, but this girl kept bathing her, we told her to stop but she did not want to accept that her child was dead."

The mother, a high school pupil, was released on bail. - africasia

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Giant Rats Viciously Kill, Eat Babies

Huge rats the size of a cat have killed and eaten babies in two separate attacks this week.

The attacks happened in slums near Johannesburg and Cape Town of South Africa.

A three-year-old girl from the Khayelitsha slum was killed by the giant rat as she slept. Nobody heard a sound, until her 27-year-old mother discovered her daughter -with her eyes gouged out. She was apparently eat from her eyebrows to her cheeks.

In a separate attack, a baby girl from Soweto town was attacked by giant rats. Her teenager mother, who had been out with friends, was arrested on charges of culpable homicide and negligence.

The suspected species of the attacks are believed to be the African Giant Pouched Rats, a species native to sub-Saharan Africa. They are the biggest rats in the world and can grow up to three feet long. Its front teeth can grow over one inch long, and they are nocturnal omnivores, capable of productin up to 50 young per year.

The giant rats thrive in squalid towns. - ibtimes

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Gettysburg, PA Area Bigfoot Sightings

First of all, I would like to thank those readers and listeners who tuned in to the radio show on Sunday night at Beyond the Edge Radio. We welcomed back former co-host Sean Forker who will be adding what he calls his 'color commentary' to the show. We opened the call-in line and each of us talked about our personal paranormal experiences as well as current alternative news. It really was an enjoyable show!

During the show Eric and I commented on separate reports we had both received in the past week that referenced Bigfoot sightings in and around the Gettysburg, PA area. Eric's report focused on a sighting that occurred in Gettysburg...though it does need to be verified since the nature of the sighting was a bit idiosyncratic, let alone that the beast was seen digging through a trash bin and ran off with a KFC bucket. I'll leave that one to Eric!

I received a correspondence from a man in Indiana who wanted to remain anonymous. It seems he and his family had spent the past week vacationing in Gettysburg and were on their way home on Friday night (6/4) at around 8:30 pm. From the information I have gathered, he was driving westbound on US 30 (Lincoln Way-Chambersburg Rd) near the intersection of Rt. 234 (Buchanan Valley Rd) on the central eastern edge of Michaux State Forest...approximately 10 mile west of Gettysburg. He noticed that about 40 yards ahead of him a large, tall dark-haired humanoid darted out onto the highway (4 lanes wide) and bound across from north to south into the adjacent woods. He states that it seemed to take only 8-10 long strides in order to cover the width of the highway. He also states that the beast was carrying an object under it's left arm but couldn't make out what it was. He said it looked towards him and he was able to get a look at the face which was lighter in color than the rest of the body. It was somewhat different than Bigfoot images he had remembered seeing...the face and chin were distinctively long. I referred the witness to several Bigfoot / Sasquatch / primate / early human images and asked him to pick out one that closely matched what he saw. The picture is posted below.

I plan to get a better fix on the location as well attempt to contact local residents in order to find out if others have witnessed the creature.

Though the overall area is known more for ghost sightings and hauntings...as well as the Conewago Phantom reports east of Gettysburg, there have been several Bigfoot reports from Adams County including the following reported to the BFRO:

BFRO Reports - Adams County, PA:

-January 1998 ? (Class A) - Nighttime sighting by motorists on Route 116 between Gettysburg and Fairfield

-October 1997 (Class A) - Bowhunter encounters multiple creatures chasing deer

-June 1997 (Class B) - Very loud, extremely powerful howl heard near home

-June 1992/1993 (Class B) - Footsteps heard on porch, large dark shadow passes window, near Gettysburg

-July 1961 (Class A) - Possible encounter between a juvenile and a human child, near Gettysburg

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Saturday, November 12, 2005

PENNSYLVANIA BIGFOOT SIGHTINGS

By DEBBY HEISHMAN
The Public Opinion - Chambersburg, PA

For anyone who's ever fled with thudding heart from a shrill nighttime sound or blurred apparition, a recent group of visitors to Michaux State Forest is willing to wager that what's out there is more real than imagined.

Bigfoot Field Research Organization last week converged on Caledonia State Park to investigate hollows and hillsides of the surrounding state forest, anticipating an encounter with the elusive mystery, Sasquatch.

The organization, known as BFRO, was founded in 1995 and claims the largest database of credible Bigfoot/Sasquatch sightings throughout the United States and Canada. Besides collecting data, volunteer members do field inquiries throughout the country.

This expedition, BFRO's first in Pennsylvania, was initiated on the strength and number of qualified sightings in Adams and Franklin counties, said BFRO founder, Matt Moneymaker.

The Waynesboro Reservoir capers, which had caused a stir a few years back, were already a footnote in the "cases closed" file. Those oversized footprints, Moneymaker said, had long been debunked as contrived. Talk now centered on a 1997 report from an Adams County hunter who told of seeing three large creatures passing quickly through the woods as he crouched on his tree stand above.

A dozen or more seekers, some with their own expensive, hi-tech instruments, came equipped for a scientific search. Most came with stories of their own — a never-to-be-forgotten sight or sound that kept them wondering.

Michael Greene, a retired fraud investigator, owns a thermal imager, which he'd wired to a digital camera worn at his waist, and a night vision scope.

Greene's eerie backwoods experience had occurred many years earlier.

"I heard this ungodly loud howl," he said slowly, "unlike anything before. When I heard this same sound later on a recording, my skin went cold. That's how strongly it came back to me."

Recordings of sounds attributed to [sasquatches] have been collected for years. BFRO maintains a computer file of more commonly heard vocalizations — from a low moan to a high-pitched whistle — which are useful in the field.

Sound is a new tool that Moneymaker believes will be key in getting a response from [sasquatches].

"[Bigfoot/Sasquatch] research is in its infancy here [in the eastern U.S.]," he said. "In the east, it never got much attention; it had a folkloric association."

There are informal associations with individuals at northwestern universities, said Moneymaker, but because of the stigma attached to the subject, the group's academic associations are not usually not publicized.

On the third night of their vigil, the team set up in a large open tract where they had heard promising evidence the night before.

Breaking into four smaller groups, the team kept in touch by radio. Through the heavy, hand-held thermal imager, one pair at a distant point was seen as two clear white clumps under the gray-white stick images of trees.

The night was cool and silent, with an occasional barred owl or barking dog raising voice in the distance.

Mark Maisel scanned the clearing with night vision binoculars, observing the surreal nature of their quest.

"Bigfoot research is considered a pseudo-science," he said. "But our methods are based on scientific method. We're curious. That's why we're out here."

Maisel interviews people who report sightings.

"I met with a man once who needed a cigarette before he could even talk," he said. "While he was telling me his story, the hair on his arm stood straight up. He was clearly shaken. You can't make up something like that."

Paul Mateja, who investigates sighting reports in New York, said he became involved with BFRO after reporting four incidents that occurred to him and his family over a 25-year period in upstate New York. Immersed in the biology of Bigfoot identification, he has kept up a correspondence with primate researcher, W. Henner Fahrenbach of Oregon, who has published works on the Bigfoot phenomenon.

Not long ago, Mateja said, his wife heard an awful call at 3:30 a.m.

"The sound was so powerful, it shook the windows of our farm house and woke up the neighbors," he said.

From time to time, after a signal, one of the crew would bellow into the night, a loud, deep drawn-out call that echoed among the hills. It should have scared up sounds from coyote, birds and deer all across the hillsides, said Maisel, but nothing stirred or called.

A recorded scream was played through the amplifier, but as the shrillness faded out, there was only silence.

For two nights, there was little to record other than vehicles that frequently hummed along distant roads, shooting lights across the dark woods.

Encounter
Before the team members had left their campsite for the last night's search, an uncommitted visitor dropped by to meet Moneymaker.

Ray Sterner works at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., and in his spare time, he makes maps. His copyrighted relief maps are made available through North Star Publications.

Sterner had become acquainted with Moneymaker after learning that one of his maps was appearing unacknowledged on BFRO's Web site. He called to set them straight.

Since then, Sterner has prepared the relief maps for BFRO. At the same time, he's disproved two videos that had been submitted as evidence. In one film, what appeared to be a stick thrown across the frame was proven to be an insect that had flown across the lens.

"I'm a skeptic," said Sterner. "You need a lot of proof."

Sterner and his wife, who live in Carroll County, Md., hike on occasion in Michaux. When he learned Moneymaker would be here, Sterner sought him out.

The men conferred briefly, holding an Appalachian Trail map against a tree. Then, huddling at the picnic table with his team, Moneymaker highlighted three possible search routes on the map. Blue marker crisscrossed the black elevation lines printed on the map.

"Excuse me," interrupted Sterner. "That's my map you're using. I'll need it tomorrow if I intend to go hiking."

Laughter ensued, and Sterner continued. "Could I have your autograph?"

With the same blue highlighter he'd been using to route a final search, Moneymaker signed the map and handed it back to Sterner.

Before they parted, the two shook hands.

NOTES: if any updates or other reports come forth I will post here...Lon

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Fortean / Alternative News: Triangular UFO Over Nashville, Beings Attack Again and Bio-Station Alpha

 

Triangular-shaped UFO hovers over Nashville, TN

MUFON CMS 0 6/5/2011 - Nashville, TN: I took this photo at the corner of Riverside Dr. and Eastland Ave. in Nashville, TN at 2144 CST on 5 June 2011 with my HTC Thunderbolt Phone camera. There was a large triangular form with lights at each point. It appeared to be massive, over a football field in size. It also appeared to be over the river or close to it. It gained altitude while rotating clockwise and the "faded out" while heading NW. The rear lights faded before the front one.

My wife and I were driving home from visiting my parents who are flying to CA in the morning. On our return home we were heading West on Eastland Ave., up a slight hill. My wife points to the left over some trees and I can see something, it turned out to be these three lights. We stopped at the stop sign at the top of the hill and I got out my phone. I notice a car coming behind me, so I turned right and pulled immediately to the shoulder of the road. I got out and noticed that the car behind me stopped and got out too. As I took the photo I realized that at least 7 cars had stopped and were watching. It lasted about 3 minutes from when we first spotted it. I took a quick video as well. After it faded everyone was just in shock and got it their cars and left. We talked to the guys who pulled up behind us, and I showed him the photo I took. We high-fived and left. It was certainly disturbing and everyone was in disbelief.

**********

Attacked by the 'same beings'

MUFON CMS - 5/14/2011: Same Beings since Sept-2006 usual attack usually once or twice a year. My first attack was Sept-2006. I was on Amtrak enroute to go and work for Homeland Security. I was going to work for US Customs and Border Patrol-Duty Station-Piegan, Montana. Past US Customs ID 194485 Class 626A Sept-2006.

My life was threatened on Amtrak Train in Charlottesville, Virginia. A Black Female on the train told me that I was going to die. I did not know the female. I moved to another area of the train and called 911. I was told by the dispatcher to get off the train at the next stop. I got off the train in Charleston, West Virginia. I was afraid to take a taxi from the station so I attempted to walk to a hotel within site of the Amtrak Station. I went out of the back of the station and walked across railroad tracks. I dropped my pillow and blanket on the tracks and began to run. I ran to the left and attempted to make it to a Bridge. I made it to the bridge area and then my mind goes blank. I wake up at another bridge about 1 or 2 miles from where I was at. I do not know how I got to the other bridge. My clothes were still on and I still had cash in my pants pocket. I still had my black bag with all my personal items in it. I was like in Shock. I began walking down the road and some Police Guy picked me up and all I said to him was to please drive me to a hotel. I got to a small hotel across from the Hospital there in Charleston, West Virginia. I was in shock and I sort-of felt like I had been drugged. I felt like I was being hunted by something. All of my Survival Instincts turned on. I did not feel safe in the hotel that I was at. I began calling Family Members to come and get me. They could not come until 2 days later. I was stuck in Charleston, West Virginia for two nights. I was afraid of something that I cannot even explain and I was cautious of other humans. I feel like I was being hunted and tracked. I made a report with Barbara Inselman at Fort Snelling, MN-Human Resources with Homeland Security. I called US Customs in DC and begged them to come and get me! I called my Duty Station in Piegan, Montana-Don Terry whom is now working and Canada and Begged for someone to come and help me.

Fact-Something took me from one bridge in Charleston, West Virginia and took me to another bridge about 1 or 2 miles away. My mind is blank-The only physical affect that I have suffered is coming back to NC with Telepathic Abilities.

Getting back to my attempt to get to my duty station. I made it back to NC from West Virginia. I re-scheduled and tried again. I had no problems until Amtrak Train 29 DC to Chicago. I could not afford to Fly so I was stuck back on Amtrak attempting to make it to Montana.

On train 29 DC to Chicago I felt like I had been drugged. My heart was skipping beats, my mouth dry and numbness in my head and arms and confusion and slurred speech. I called 911 from the train and was taken to a hospital in Chicago. I told the doctor that I felt like I had been drugged on the train and I was en-route to work for US Customs in Montana. The doctor was a white male in his 40's tall brown hair maybe 6'2 190lbs. I overheard the doctor tell someone in the hallway that he did not want HOMELAND SECURITY in there investigating! When I over heard this I knew I was not going to get the care and test that I needed. I signed myself out of the hospital and put my Customs ID on the paperwork-194485 Class 626A Sept-2006. I stayed at a hotel withing walking distance from the hospital for one night and attempted to treat myself.

I made it as far as Rugby, North Dakota and called my duty station and told them that I still felt like I was being tracked and hunted and that I felt like I had been drugged. I was told that because I was 2 days late for duty to turn around and go back to NC and start the process over again.

US Congressman Patrick McHenry attempted to get me re-instated to my same position but some smart ass from Customs in DC sent back a letter indicating that my travel difficulties were not serious enough to give me re-instatement.

I had to call someone in NC and borrow money to rent a car to get back to NC. I had spent everything I had to make it to Montana. I rented a car from Minot, North Dakota-the first rental car place as you walk in the door to the left. They would not give me a car-even though they had a parking lot filled with cars. They insisted that I drive a White Van with Virginia Tags on it back to NC. I found this STRANGE. Before I left North Dakota I called DON TERRY at my duty station in PIEGAN MONTANA and told him the tag number on the Van. I felt like the damn thing was going to blow up and it had been sprayed down with something.

I am leaving out details because I am being rushed to get off the computer. I am at a cookout at my boyfriends sisters house.

Since Sept-2006 I have been attacked by these beings 1 or 2 times a year.

These beings may appear as Shadows, Lights, Orbs, or Grey Like Beings. They have put something in my Right EAR. These beings touch me..they can basically do what they want to me and my own boyfriend is laying beside of me not knowing a damn thing is going on. I can feel when these beings are around and they have been back since Feb-05-2011. These beings can also jump into other humans and their eye color will change. These beings are coming in stages and then leaving.

I am having to get off the computer..If there is anyone out in this world that is going through what I am please e-mail me at [email removed/cms/tg]

Sincerely, Amy in NC

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Continued: As I stated in my previous message I never made it to my duty station in Piegan, Montana. I was going to work for US Customs in Piegan, Montana. My past ID is 194485 Class 626A Sept. 2006.

I was attacked on Bridge in Charleston, West Virginia and somehow taken to another Bridge about 1 or 2 miles from where I was at. My mind is Blank..I do not know What or how I was taken.

Physical Problems since the attack-These Beings put something in my Right Ear and I came back to NC with Telepathic Abilities.

Telepathic Ability- I will attempt to explain this- It is like being able to hear other humans in my head without the use of my ears. It is like listening to a Radio and not being able to turn this off. The others that I am able to hear talking in my head have used me like their own ET doll. I mean they have attempted to program me like a computer. They have used the book of war on me. They have attempted to make me go without sleep for days-usually 3 at a time until I go nuts. I finally just got to the point I would take a sleep aid to knock me out. As long as I get sleep I am ok and can function. Some of the speech patterns are familar to me of humans that I know. I have even tested these other humans and gave them my cell phone number and address attempting to get them to make actual contact. These other humans or whatever they are will not do this. So basically I hear them talking about me 24 hours a day other than when I am asleep. Sleep is the only break I get! These others that I can hear have developed some kind of code or use certain words that sort-of clue me in on who they are. These telepathic thing is totally seperate from when I am attacked by the Alien Beings. When I am attacked by the Alien Beings I am physically being attacked. Others may not be able to see the beings but they can touch me. They mess around with my physical body. They have not bothered me since May. These being come and go..They will appear to be lights or shadows-orbs or gray like beings.

Problems I have gone through since my return to NC- When I first got back I was in shock..instead of someone taking me to my regular doctor and getting me checked out physically my mother had me thrown into a Mental Hospital. I was TORTURED by FOREIGN DOCTORS. It took me 1 month to get released. My Career in Law-Enforcement was destroyed by this action being taken. I am not Crazy! I have been attacked by these beings and no-one would believe me. I am banned at home from saying the word Alien, Customs, or Montana. I am not allowed to talk about what has happened to me. Basically I am told to just get on with my life and forget.

I have been beat up by the cops here in NC-Cherryville City and Cleveland County Sheriff Department and Rutherford County Sheriff Department. Basically someone in my family will go and take out InVoluntary Committment Papers on me and then the Cops chase me down and send me off to a Mental Hospital where they attempt to Kill me by Over Dosing me on Meds. The last attempt to kill me in a Hospital was at Gaston Memorial where they forced meds on me that dropped my BP down to 77/44. If I am sent off to a local hospital it will take up to 2 weeks to get out. If I am sent off to a State Hospital it will take 1 Month.

I work full-time as a CNA at Cleveland Pines in Shelby, NC and I will be going to college this Fall at Cleveland Community College in Shelby, NC. I am going back to school this fall for Nursing-RN degree.

What I need from you guys is protection-from the Police and from being thrown into Mental Hospitals when there is nothing wrong with me.

I need for you guys to move in people around me in this area-Gaston County-Cleveland County-Rutherford county-see if you guys start picking up this Telepathic Thing going on down here.

Every time I get thrown into a Mental Hospital the first people I call are the Church Of Scientology in Charlotte, NC and then they make contact with CA or NY. NY has saved my life before from Kings Mountain Hospital where they were attempting to kill me with meds.

You may contact me through me e-mail [email removed/cms/tg] I do not have my own computer but I am saving to buy one. I do not have a phone right now because someone broke into my jeep and stole the only 2 phones that I had.

PS- My youngest Child was taken from me because I was talking about being attacked by Aliens. Gaston County DSS did this to me Feb-15-2010. I have been fighting to get him back and I will be in Court in Gaston County Tues-at 9:30AM. I am doing all that I can to get my child back and if there is anything that you guys can do to help me I would be very thankful. My youngest son is 16 years old and I have a job and a home for us to live in and there is no reason that I cannot get him back.

Sincerely, Amy in NC

NOTE: Amy...if you are able to read this, please feel free to contact me. Your story is similar to others. If anyone knows Amy's identify, please forward my message to her...Lon

**********

"Bio-Station Alpha" calling from Mars

An American 'armchair astronomer' claims he has discovered a strange structure on the surface of Mars while browsing Google.

David Martines was scanning Google Mars when he discovered the long white edifice and has even listed the coordinates (49'19.73"N 29 33'06.53"W) so others can see it for themselves.

Mr Martines posted a video of the 'station' on YouTube which has been viewed more than 200,000 times.

On the video, he talks through the discovery he has named "Bio-Station Alpha". "It's very unusual in that it's quite large, it's over 700 feet (210m) long and 150 feet (45m) wide. It looks like it's a cylinder or made up of cylinders," he says.

"It could be a power station or it could be a biological containment or it could be a glorified garage — hope it's not a weapon.

"I don't know if NASA even knows about this."

NASA and Google have yet to respond to media inquiries. - ninemsn

**********

Scientists Find 'Werewolf' Gene

Scientists have discovered a genetic mutation responsible for a disorder that causes people to sprout thick hair on their faces and bodies.

Hypertrichosis, sometimes called "werewolf syndrome" is a very rare condition, with fewer than 100 cases documented worldwide. But researchers knew the disorder runs in families, and in 1995 they traced the approximate location of the mutation to a section of the X chromosome (one of the two sex chromosomes) in a Mexican family affected by hypertrichosis. Read more at Scientists Find 'Werewolf' Gene

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Revisting the Westall UFO Incident

By Jewel Topsfield - On April 6, 1966, students from Westall High School and Westall State School claimed to have seen a mysterious metallic flying object hover above them before descending behind trees in Clayton South.

Many more say they later saw the perimeter of a perfect circle singed into the grass at the Grange Reserve near Westall State School.

The Age reported the next day that hundreds of children and a number of teachers saw the unidentified flying object, which the paper said might have been a weather balloon.

The article said witnesses had seen a number of small planes circle around the object - however, a check later showed that no commercial, private or RAAF pilots had reported anything unusual in the area.

But despite the many witnesses, exactly what happened at 11am that day in Cold War-era Melbourne suburbia has remained a mystery.

Suzanne Savage, who was in form 2 at Westall High in 1966, recalls principal Frank Samblebe holding a special assembly after she and her science class saw a ''classic saucer-shaped object'' descend into Grange Reserve and then disappear into the sky.

''He said he didn't want to hear any more about this nonsense. We were not to discuss it ever again - and so I didn't,'' Ms Savage told The Saturday Age.

Ian Cochrane, who was in form 3 at Westall High in 1966, also believes the bizarre occurrence was covered up.

Mr Cochrane recalls returning to Grange Reserve the following Saturday to show his mates the perfect circle of flattened grass, only to discover the site had been dug up.

''If you talked about it you'd get nutbags to contend with, or people who couldn't cope, so you just didn't talk about it,'' Mr Cochrane said.

What did the students see? Was it a UFO from outer space, a secret military aircraft, a meteorological oddity or an example of a psychological phenomenon, where people were influenced by each other to believe in something they did not really see?

Forty-five years later Shane Ryan is still searching for answers. The English teacher has spent the past six years investigating the flying saucer enigma, which he believes ranks alongside the daylight school-based UFO sightings in Broad Haven in Wales in 1974 and Ruwa in Zimbabwe in 1994.

''It's obvious to me people saw something very strange and unusual and somebody in the government didn't really want the story to get out,'' he said.

Mr Ryan has interviewed more than 300 people connected to the case, 89 of whom claim they saw a flying saucer and 138 who saw the circle. He said several witnesses told of police and men in military uniforms who cordoned off the landing site and interviewed some students.

However, despite extensive searches, Mr Ryan has been unable to find police or military personnel who attended on the day or locate documents that may be held by state and federal government agencies.

''I'm so frustrated that after all these years I can't get an official answer about why the powers that be were there that day and why they didn't want the students to talk about what they saw,'' he said.

Mr Ryan's search for the truth is the subject of the documentary Westall 66: A Suburban UFO Mystery, directed by Rosie Jones, which will screen at 8.30pm on Tuesday on the Sci Fi Channel on Foxtel and Austar.

The Australian Teachers of Media have also created a study guide around the event, which can be used in the national history curriculum.

The study guide says Westall 66 reflects a fascinating and pivotal period in world history. ''With its undercurrent of Cold War paranoia, secret US airbases and a strong military relationship between Australia and America, this story raises questions about the acceptability of cover-ups and untruths delivered by governments in the interests of national security,'' it says.

Study guide co-writer Lee Burton says these are themes that have repercussions today. ''This is an example of how we can help students understand an historical event within a local community that occurred in living memory,'' she said. ''My guess is it will be very popular.'' - theage

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The Day the Earth Stood Still in Clayton South


The following is in reference to the April 6, 1966 UFO incident at Westall High School, in the Melbourne suburb of Clayton South, in Victoria, Australia...Lon

heraldsun - Flying saucers, crop circles, missing film, disappearing files, denials, military cover-ups, threats and shadowy Men in Black.

It couldn't happen here?

Most people would say it couldn't happen anywhere!

But more than 100 witnesses to one of the world's biggest UFO mysteries are adamant that it did, in broad daylight in Clayton South on April 6, 1966.

And 44 years after the event, many are still fuming that the military they say were swarming around the scene for days have offically denied the incident and no record appears to exist.

They say they spent their lives being doubted and want some official acknowledgment that something weird happened above and behind Westall high and primary schools that morning.

London's Telegraph newspaper rates it as the fifth-greatest UFO mystery of all time, but another mystery is how little-known the episode is here.

A documentary - Westall '66: A Suburban UFO Mystery - premieres on Austar and Foxtel's Sci-Fi Channel at 8.30pm tomorrow.

Producers hope it will flush out an official who can say what the military were doing and what they found.

Researcher Shane Ryan has spent five years tracking 110 witnesses, many found through an appeal in the Herald Sun in 2006, but could find no military officials, and no record of a military response.

But locals remember it vividly, saying it lasted days.

The 110 Mr Ryan has found who say they saw saucers include professionals, tradies and a Ministerial Adviser, but not one military official of the time.

He says time is running out for them to come clean.

"Whatever security concerns there were at the time, they are redundant now,'' he says.

A TV crew covered the incident and it screened on the 6pm news, but the film canister from the job was recently found empty in the station archives.

Several witnesses say they were warned off speaking by sharply-dressed men in dark suits, in the principal's office and at home.

Others recall school threats of detention for UFO talk.

But talk there was, and coverage.

The Dandenong Journal reported the incident on its front page for consecutive issues and ran interviews with witnesses.

Many were school pupils who say they saw flying saucers from their school yards. Some ran to Grange Reserve, where the craft appeared to have come down.

Terry Peck, 56, was among them. She says she was playing cricket on the oval, saw the saucer and chased after it to Grange Reserve.

"Two girls were there before me. One was terribly upset and they were pale, really white, ghostly white. They just said they had passed out, fainted. One was taken to hospital in an ambulance,'' she says.

Ms Peck says she saw a silver, classic-shape saucer rise up.

"I was about 6m away from it. It was bigger than a car and circular. I think I saw some lights underneath it.

"We all got called to an assembly ... and they told us all to keep quiet.

"I'd absolutely just like someone to come forward from the services just to say 'yes, it did happen, and it landed and there was a cover-up'.''

Jacqueline Argent, 58, in Form 3 then, says she saw a UFO from the oval and was one of the first three kids over the fence looking for where it came down.

"Originally I thought it must have been an experimental-type aircraft, but nothing has emerged like that after all these years,'' she said.

She says she was called into the headmaster's office and interrogated by three men: "They had good-quality suits and were well spoken. They said, 'I suppose you saw little green men'?


"I spoke to my parents about it at the time and they were pretty outraged.''

Retired engineer Kevin Hurley, a Monash Uni student then, missed the saucers but saw the aftermath.

"There were army or air force people in the area,'' he said.

"I'm pretty sure they were going around the area with geiger counters or metal detectors.

"I'm not a freak that thinks Martian people are coming. I don't think that kind of stuff, but it's bugged me.

"After 44 years, I reckon they need to come clean on this.''

NOTE: you can read more on this incident, including videos and commentary, at The Day the Earth Stood Still in Clayton South...Lon

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