5 February 1971 15:00
Kangaskyla, Kinnula, Finland
On this afternoon two young men, P. Aliranta and E. J. Sneck, were working in the woods in Kangaskyla, Kinnula, Finland when Mr. Aliranta noticed a 15 foot wide metallic saucer-shaped object descend and land on four thin legs in a clearing 50 feet away. After it landed a short entity just under 3 feet tall glided to the ground from an opening in the underside. It was dressed in a green one-piece "diver's suit" and wore a helmet with a circular faceplate. It approached the young men, walking on top of the deep snow, and Aliranta moved toward it with his power chain saw in hand. Through three windows in the upper part of the object three more entities could be seen. The humanoid retreated from Aliranta and was levitating into the object from underneath when the young man grabbed it by the heel of its boot with his bare hand. He found that touching it burned like a hot iron and he had to let go at once. As soon as the being was back inside the object it ascended with a slight buzzing or humming sound. Both men felt stiff all over and had difficulty moving. Four landing leg marks and small footprints were left behind in the snow.
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CASE DESCRIPTION
On Friday, February 5, 1971, two young men from Kinnula. Petter Aliranta (21) and Esko Juhani Sneck (18), were working in the woods of the village of Kangaskyla in Kinnula, near the borders of the counties of Middle Finland and Vaasa. At about 3.00 p.m. they were about to end their work, for the cloudy day was slowly turning dark. Aliranta had just turned off his motor saw, when he suddenly noticed a strange metallic-looking object at tree-top level which was descending straight down. It had the shape of two saucers on top of each other and was about 5 metres in diameter. At the bottom of the vehicle there were four thin (5-10 cms.) landing feet, more than 2 metres long. Within a few moments the object descended in a small opening between the trees, about 15 metres away from Aliranta and Sneck. The last-mentioned, however, did not notice what was going on at this time as he was still busy cutting branches off a tree with his motor saw.
During the descent, a round opening appeared in the centre of the underpart of the UFO, and from this, immediately the vehicle had settled firmly on the ground, a strange little being glided down. It actually did glide down those two metres to the snow-covered ground; there was no normal falling movement. After this, the being started approaching Aliranta. Its movements were very stiff and the steps short. The being looked like a space-man, or robot, and was less than 1 metre tall, perhaps 90 cms. The body was covered with a one-piece suit of a green colour. The head had the same cover, and in the middle of it was a sort of lens facing forwards. The hands were round at the tips and no fingers could be seen. The "boots'" at the feet were a uniform part of the dress, and green as well.
The humanoid seemed to move in a strange way on top of the snow surface; it did not go down into the deep snow as one would have expected. As this entity was slowly but steadily advancing towards Aliranta, he started his motor saw and began to approach the strange walker with motor saw in hand. At this point, Esko Sneck also became aware of the strange happenings; the turning on of the motor saw had made him turn around to see what Aliranta was up to.
"The little green man" and Aliranta were approaching each other, the distance between them now less than 10 metres. Suddenly the being turned around and started eventually to go back towards the saucer. This made Aliranta braver, and he hurried to catch the humanoid. Within the saucer, other entities were now visible; there were three "windows" on the topside of the vehicle (about 1 metre wide) and through one on the right side three moving forms were visible, humanlike, although no features or details could be seen.
As Petter Aliranta was about to get hold of the humanoid, when about 3 metres from the saucer, it rose into the air in a strange way, floating towards the opening from which it had come. The humanoid having risen to more than 1 metre above the ground, Aliranta reached out quickly and grabbed hold of the heel of the right "boot" with his bare right hand. However, he had lo let go of the foot right away as it burned like a hot iron (the wounds caused by the burning on the thumb, forefinger and inside of the hand were still clearly visible two months later). At the same time, Aliranta automatically took a couple of steps backwards, so the entity was able lo glide back into the craft undisturbed.
The moment the humanoid had got into the saucer, the latter started to give a slight humming or buzzing sound, and it slowly started to ascend from the ground. Aliranta felt a weak gust of air at this moment, but no smoke or smell could be detected, nor any light phenomenon (there were no lights visible on or in the vehicle during the incident). As the saucer rose upwards the round opening at the bottom closed (but the landing feet kept their position) and within some fifteen seconds the whole object had disappeared into the sky.
According to the eye-witnesses, the visit of this strange craft lasted at least three minutes. After the saucer had disappeared the men could not talk, for they were too amazed by the whole incident. They felt stiff all over and had some difficulty in moving, especially Petter Aliranta. It took them close on one hour before they were able to walk away from the woods. Before they left they had a closer look at the markings left in the snow, evidence of this incredible happening.
At the end of each landing foot there had been a round plate. These plates had penetrated the full depth of the snow cover (then about 40 cms.), leaving four round prints (about 35 cms. across) in an even square with a side of about 2 metres. Within this square the snow had melted some 5-10 cms. on the surface. The footsteps left by the humanoid were also clearly visible. They were small (15 cms.) and quite circular in shape. The strides were all along the same length (even those made during the chase): about 20 cms - Tapani Kuningas, excerpt from FSR 1971
This past week, I had several wonderful conversations with a gentleman named Thomas Hughes. Thomas has been communicating with numerous Sasquatch since his first encounter in April 2008. He has a wealth of knowledge about their existence and whereabouts, some of which he shared with me.
Sasquatch are gentle and playful giants. They range in height from 6 – 15 feet and live to an age of approximately 120-140 years. They are natural pranksters and are caretakers of Mother Earth. What I mean by caretakers is that they have adapted themselves to the planet instead of trying to change the environment to suit them. These beings have the ancient knowledge of plants and the way this planet operates.
Like humans, there are a variety of different species and they reside all over the world mostly in the mountain areas. Obviously, they prefer dense forest areas where they can thrive and be hidden from human populations.
Sasquatch are highly intelligent, multi-dimensional beings who used to reside on a planet called Malduk, which is now the asteroid belt. When their planet was destroyed approximately 300,000 years ago, they migrated to other planetary systems by teleportation through the use of pyramids, and some by space ships. These beings live mostly in small, close-knit communities. Their decisions are based on how it would affect the whole group and not just the individual. Continue reading at The Habits and Whereabouts of the “Sasquatch” aka “Bigfoot”
Former reserve deputy talks about being terminated for investigating UFOs
Working in the field of ufology can be extremely rewarding for those with an inquisitive mind, but can also have a deep affect on your personal life. Chuck Zukowski learned this first hand. For eight years, Chuck worked as a Reserve Deputy for the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, where he served and gave back to his community. He has also spent the past 25 years conducting studies on the alleged Roswell UFO incident, consulting for the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), and leading investigations of animal mutilation cases.
In August of 2010, a bizarre horse mutilation took place in Rush, Colorado. The rancher called the local sheriff’s department, which sent out two deputies to investigate the mutilation. Unhappy with the department’s conclusion of an animal predator, the rancher called Chuck to come out and investigate. Due to the precise nature of the mutilations, he concluded that it was not the mark of an animal predator. A local news station caught wind of the incident; a news reporter came out to interview Chuck and a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department. In the story, Chuck’s and the depertment’s views on the incident differed, and because of this, Chuck was relieved of his duties as a reserve deputy. Not everything set right with his firing. Discrepancies existed throughout his termination letter. Even Chuck’s fellow deputies did not understand why it happened. These events lead Chuck to bring his story to the public, not for pursuance of reprisal, but for his story to be heard and understood.
Date of sighting: April 1, 2012 7:37 AM
Location of sighting: Beijing, China
This was reported this morning in Asia. Also Know China time is a day ahead of USA. The person posted this from their cellphone directly.
Eyewitness states: "This UFO was in Beijing CBD Jingxian. Today I shot it in the morning from the CTS overpass. I was too interested in the traffic and the main road, when I pushed the shutter I actually had a UFO!" - The Canadian
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Boy Needs 30 Stitches After Pufferfish Attack
A young boy in Australia has suffered a rare attack by a type of fish described as a "cross between a tadpole and a shark".
Tom Horn, five, was bitten while wading with his family on Thursday Island, in the far north of Queensland.
The creature bit both of his feet and he needed to be taken 450 miles to Cairns for surgeons to operate.
The attack was by a feroxodon multistiatus, known as 'ferocious pufferfish', which grow to a length of only 14 inches but have powerful teeth-filled jaws.
"They were unbelievable wounds," said Tom’s policeman father, Senior Sergeant Jamie Horn. "The ball of his left big toe was missing and a chunk of flesh was missing out of his right heel.
"You wouldn't think a little pufferfish could be so vicious.''
Tom needed 30 stitches for his wounds. He was kept in hospital for two weeks on antibiotics as a precaution against infection, reported Queensland’s Courier Mail newspaper.
Surgeons now plan to have a report published in a medical journal to document the rare attack.
The newspaper described the fish as "a cross between a tadpole and a Great White Shark'', which can slice off ears, fingers and the toes of swimmers.
Dr Peter Doherty, research director of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, almost lost a finger in an attack.
"They've got a great set of jaws with a beak like a parrot-fish for crushing up coral and rock,'' Dr Doherty said.
"I'd put my hand into a bucket of fish, and it latched on to my finger and almost bit the whole finger off.''
According to the Courier Mail, three pufferfish attacks happened in 1979 in Queensland, and during one incident a six-year-old girl lost two toes.
As a result, the local council put a bounty on the fish and warned swimmers of the danger. - sky
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Florida Scoutmaster D. S. “Sonny” Desvergers and three boy scouts report seeing a UFO in Florida near Palm Beach, Florida on 19 August 1952. This was Project Blue Book Case Number 1981:
Strange Object Found in Woods Blasts Scouter
WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. (AP) - A deputy sheriff and two Boy Scouts added details Saturday to a Scoutmaster's story of his encounter with a strange object in a rural wooded area last Tuesday night.
They told of scorched grass, strange lights and showers of sparks in the area where D. S. Desvergers said he was "blasted by a ball of fire" from the object when he investigated flashes of light near a country road.
Desvergers, 30, hardware salesman, has described the object he encountered as shaped "like half a rubber ball," about three feet thick at the edge and high enough at the centre for men to stand erect inside.
He told Palm Beach reporters that he knows what the object was, but added: "It's better for me not to go any further for the public good because it might cause panic."
Desvergers reported he was taking three Scouts home Tuesday night when he stopped to investigate the lights in nearby woods. He said he was blasted by the ball of fire and overcome.
Deputy Sheriff Mott N. Partin, summoned by the Scouts, said the hair was singed off Desvergers' arms and three tiny holes were burned in his cap. He also said he found evidence of scorched grass where the Scoutmaster said he encountered the object.
The Scouts said the group saw a "big glow-white light come down out of the sky" and "there were about six reddish lights around it when it neared the ground." - United Press International, 25 August 1952
The case involved a scoutmaster in West Palm Beach, Florida, who had been close enough to a flying saucer to reach out and touch it. In fact, he probably would have if it hadn’t stunned him first with a heat ray!
The incident must have really shook up someone in the Air Force, because unlike the Washington sightings, Ruppelt received all the assistance he needed to investigate. Colonel Weldon Smith in particular expressed great interest in the case. An Air Force B-25 came to Blue Book’s disposal to give Ruppelt and his assistant, 2nd Lieutenant Robert M. Olsson, personal and speedy transportation from Dayton, Ohio, to Florida. In addition, Ruppelt was under no time constraints. He even received special assistance from two other Air Force Captains, Hoey and Davis, who flew down with them and remained to assist.
Upon arrival, the ATIC team heard an interesting story from the witness. He was a curious character. A Marine during the war and supposedly a widely respected man around town, he was also scoutmaster of Troop 33. Because the incident took place right after a meeting ofthe troop and involved some of the boys, it has ever since been referred to as the Florida Scoutmaster Case.
According to the scoutmaster, D.S. “Sonny” DesVergers, it all began while he was driving three scouts home that night. He turned off the coastal highway and down an inland blacktop to go where one of the boys lived. After traveling about ten miles inland he noticed a bright lightin the palmetto thickets. At first he passed by it, but then stopped some way down the road and turned the car around to go back. He hesitated in doing this, but could not help feeling that the light mighthave been a fire, perhaps indicating a crashed airplane.
Despite the pleas from the scouts who did not want to be left alone, DesVergers got out of the car and headed into the thickets—a very dangerous thing to do in the snake infested south Florida swamps. About 50 yards off the road he entered the dense thickets and pushed through waist-high brush. Suddenly a sharp pungent odor came across him. The temperature also seemed a little warmer as he pushed 30 yards further through the undergrowth. Chopping the brush with a machete that he had taken from the car, DesVergers lit his way with one of two flashlight she had on him. From the car the boys could see the flashlight beam and tracked his progress from its reflection. Knowing this, DesVergers periodically paused and shined the light up on the tree canopy.
After moving near an opening, he stopped again to signal his location. Suddenly at that very moment DesVergers felt overcome by a suffocating moist heat. He paused, wondering if the supposed clearing was actually a quicksand-like bog or a pond. Luckily the ground was quite solid, but by this time he had become a little more concerned about his location. He cast the beam of the flashlight down so he could look up at the stars to try to figure out what direction he was facing. But to his great surprise, the stars were gone. Moments ago there were hundreds—now none. Then he realized they weren’t all gone, just the ones directly above him. “This just couldn’t be,” he thought—unless. Unless something was above him!
As his eyes slowly adjusted he realized there was a large oval object hovering only about 30 feet overhead. Slowly stepping back from this frightening situation, he shined his light up on it. Now he could clearly see a concave bottom beneath a smooth gray circular-craft. Stepping back some more he could see a dome on top of the object. The edge of this “saucer” looked like it had evenly spaced veins every foot, with a type of nozzle between them. The former Marine was, to say the least, humbled by this sight and continued to give the craft further space. Suddenly, however, he froze in his tracks. A horrifying sound came from the craft. It was the sound of a door, just like a heavy metal safe makes when opened. Feeling as angry as he was scared, he then found himself helplessly enveloped in a red mist. It seemed to originate from a ball of red fire slowly being expelled from the craft. This overwhelmed him, causing DesVergers to lose consciousness.
In the car the boys, Bobby Ruffing, Chuck Stevens, and David Rowan, claimed they saw their leader become surrounded by a big red ball of fire. Severely shaken by the sight, the boys piled out and ran down the road as fast as they could to the nearest house. They found a farmer who called the State Police who were soon on the scene with a deputy sheriff, Mott Partin, to pick them up. Partin then drove the scouts to the sight of the occurrence to find DesVergers running out of the woods. He stated that the scoutmaster appeared sincerely frightened, more so than he had ever witnessed anyone to be in all his years of law enforcement. The officers went into the thicket and found one of DesVergers’ flashlights still burning near some flattened grass where he had apparently collapsed. His second flashlight was never found. Once they got him to police headquarters, officers noticed that DesVergers’ hands, arms, face, and cap were all burnt. Although the police may have been somewhat doubtful of the heat ray story, they decided to call the Air Force and thus initiated the investigation.
Ruppelt personally questioned DesVergers upon arriving in Florida. He did so at regular intervals, determining that he remembered details well, but did not repeat them in a rehearsed or exact manner. Ruppelt’s experience with hoaxers indicated to him that this testimony stood in great contrast, showing sincere answers. An Air Force flight surgeon then examined his wounds and likened them to a mild sunburn withindications of singed hairs, suggesting in his words “a flash heat source.” The scoutmaster’s nostrils also showed signs of burns.
Ruppelt examined the sight of the encounter and found nothing to contradict the story. Neither, however, were there signs of scorched earth or grass, or residual radiation. But curiously (although not revealed until after laboratory tests were conducted in Dayton) the roots of the samples of grass extracted at the scene were charred. This puzzled Ruppelt because his team personally collected them. They were from undisturbed ground and while they didn’t pay any attention to the roots at the time, the grass blades were certainly not burnt. The scorched hat also fell under lab scrutiny which suggested it had been damaged by sparks of some sort, possibly electrical in nature. Ruppelt felt satisfied it had not been burnt prior to the incident, as the boys had handled it earlier that night at the scout meeting. In fact, Ruppelt personally questioned the boys, even dressing in civilian clothes during the questioning so as not to intimidate them. His impression was that the boys were sincere even though they did not all give the exact same details.
It started to look like one of the better cases, perhaps the best case yet, but then things fell apart. In those early days of Blue Book investigations, background checks were still conducted. The checks revealed DesVergers had been a Marine, but not a decorated hero as he often bragged. His records only had a dishonorable discharge to show for his war service. Nor was DesVergers a widely respected citizen as he claimed—just widely known.
Local area citizens stated that he was a likable enough fellow, but all agreed they wouldn't believe him if he told them the sun was shining on a bright Florida afternoon. Another complication arose when Ruppelt later returned to the area of the sighting and determined the scouts could not have possibly seen DesVergers overcome by the mysterious flame, even if they were standing on top of the car looking for it. The foliage was just too dense. And although Ruppelt interviewed the scouts again, he did not feel they were part of a hoax. Yet he did file it as such in the official report.
Describing the incident in his 1956 book, he indicated that he still felt it had to have been a hoax, although he did suggest if so, it was the best in UFO history. Other authors and researchers have tried to sensationalize the Florida Scoutmaster Case. Even good books on thesubject claim that the case was so fantastic that the files were never entered into the Blue Book records and that the case does not even appear in the index.
Not true. The case is in the index and Ruppelt’s extensive report can also be found in the National Archives. The material is somewhat misplaced but is all there. And any researcher who has the patience and time to study the files will piece together the same story this author has. Unfortunately, no records will ever tell us if DesVergers really saw a UFO or not. What an irony, if the one time in his life he may have been telling the truth—and no one bothered to believe him. - Captain Edward J. Ruppelt - NICAP
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WAS IT A HOAX?
Headlines shouted, "Scoutmaster Tells of Finding Disc in Everglades: Fired on From 'Saucer'." Putting a somewhat different spin on things, Project Blue Book chief Captain Edward J. Ruppelt, the U.S. Air Force's lead UFO hunter, labeled the man's story "the best hoax in UFO history."
But was it? A hoax, that is. Much has been written about what may be the strangest of many strange and intriguing cases of the flying saucer summer of 1952, a good deal of it wrong or incomplete, some of it "tweaked" for reasons obscure. Here is the full story, with all known pertinent dates, people, events, and facts correct and in their proper places, so far as is possible 45 years later. Go to The Best Hoax in US History? - Karl T. Pflock
I find it interesting the Florida Scoutmaster case occurred only one month prior to the infamous Flatwoods Monster Incident where another 'red alien or entity' was involved:
SEPTEMBER 12, 1952 - FLATWOODS, WEST VIRGINIA
In Flatwoods, West Virginia, three boys were playing in a field when a red ball crossed the sky in an arc and fell behind a nearby hill. The youths, thinking it might be a meteorite, investigated. As the headed to the crash site, they attracted a crowd including a woman with her two sons and other local townspeople. A dog accompanied them and and ahead barking.
When the crowd caught up to the dog they found a thick, pungent smelling mist. The red ball was sitting on the ground. Soon the crowd has spotted a creature in a nearby tree. It had a huge head and two glowing eyes staring at the crowd. Emanating from them were beams of blue light. The alien had no clear lower body or legs. It glided towards the crowd silently. Mass panic happened to the crowd and the dog collapsed, having to be dragged from the path of the alien. The encounter deeply shocked the townspeople. Even after they had fled back to the town, they still could not talk coherently.
On September 13 there was clear evidence of what had happened the previous night. The grass gave off a foul odor and was crushed flat. There were also marks on the ground from the UFO. The encounter was investigated by the US Air Force, who's represenatives were not identified as such. A week before the encounter a woman in Weston, West Virginia (ten miles from Flatwoods) had had a similar encounter and was hospitalized for several weeks.
AUGUST 19, 1952 - WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA
A month prior to the encounter at Flatwoods, a similar encounter had occured in West Palm Beach, Florida on August 19. A scoutmaster, "Sonny" Desvergers, was driving some of his scouts home when they saw an odd light. When they entered the brush, Desvergers found himself in front of a hovering object with a red vaporous glow. The glow engulfed him and the object emitted an ozone smell.
Desvergers collapsed and was discovered by police at the scene. The hat he had been wearing showed electrical spark holes and the soil under were the UFO had hovered showed bizarre traces. A US Air Force lab discovered that the roots of the grass had been cooked from below, but the exposed blades were unaffected. An alternating magnetic field is a possible cause for the plant damage and injuries to Desvergers. The field could possibly have been part of the purpolsion system of the UFO.
Case Number 37146
Log Number US-04052012-0012
Date Submitted 04/05/2012 06:10 UTC
Date of the Event 03/14/2012 09:30 UTC
Source MUFON
Disposition Unresolved
Summary Two large, very bright objects submerged in ocean with distinct "disc" shape.
Tags disc lights
Sighting Location
City Pacifica
Region California
Country United States
Latitude 37.6202553
Longitude -122.4795094
The latitude and longitude presented here is an approximation to protect the reporters identity
Sighting Specifics
Viewing Distance 501 Feet - 1 Mile
Sighting Duration Undisclosed
Object Features Unknown
Object Flight Path Stationary
Object Shape Disc
Weather Factors Unknown
3/14/2012 - unedited: This event was observed by a large group of witnesses including a highly credible coworker that wishes to remain anonymous. While driving the coastal highway near the town of Pacifica California, this individual observed two very large, glowing objects in the ocean and roughly ¾ mile from the coastline. The evening sky, at approximately 6:30pm, was 100% overcast with no direct sunlight anywhere in sight. The glowing objects appeared as sharp ovals from this distance. But it was clear that the actual shapes were discs and were submerged in the ocean at an unknown depth. A group of witnessed developed as vehicles stopped to see. The observers shared their thoughts, and agreed that the two objects were in fact submerged and moving with indistinct patterns, but not in a way that resembled a worldly vehicle such as a submarine. The group also concluded that sunlight could not be the cause because there were no breaks in the dense cloud cover. Furthermore, the lights continued to project into the late evening until about 9pm, well past sundown. At some juncture during the event, a passing ship (perhaps a Coast Guard vessel) approached the objects in an attempt to investigate. The ship then quickly veered away from the objects in an apparent evasive maneuver to avoid confrontation. At this juncture, most of the witnesses were in fear of their safety and left the scene. - MUFON CMS
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Township to use owls to help eradicate 'cat size rats'
The city of Johannesburg has enlisted the services of owls to rid Alexandra township of rodents.
Situated north of the city, the township is home to fat rodents, some as large as cats.
Having been tormented by these "wild domestic cats" for years, residents can now look forward to whether the new owls innovation will bring some relief.
The city will launch the Owl Box Project next Friday.
Johannesburg's head of health and social development Nonceba Molwele said the city would use three natural ways to eradicate the nuisance - owls, rat cages and fumigation.
"In order to achieve this natural process (of using owls), the city has partnered with EcoSolutions amongst other partners.
"This project will be running in Alexandra for the next three years, and has so far involved educating the local communities and schools on the role that owls play in eradicating rats. The education covered the myth and beliefs that associated owls with witchcraft," she said.
While rodents are associated with filthiness, black people generally associate owls with witchcraft and evil spirits.
Molwele said the city and EcoSolutions had been working with three schools - Zenzeleni primary, Iphuteng primary and Minerva secondary - for the introduction of the owl project.
"The owl nesting and release boxes have been installed in all three schools. This has helped them to learn and understand the role that owls play in controlling and managing rodent populations.
"To encourage community participation in the project, a selected team of school children will be feeding the owls for 21 days with food provided for by EcoSolutions."
Molwele said residents should stop using poisonous pest control substance like ratex "because should an owl eat a poisoned rat, that would have the same effect to the owl, it will kill the owl".
"Prevention is, however, the best solution for rat control. We have to eliminate the conditions in which the rodents thrive and for this we need the active co-operation of all residents of Johannesburg. Illegal dumping and the careless disposal of food and waste material are the primary causes of rodent infestation.
"Illegal dumping attracts rodents and provide them with a comfortable environment to nest and continue breeding," Molwele said. - sowetanlive
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Namibia: 'Strange Serpents' Plague Settlement
Since December last year, Erongo's Tubuses settlement, north of Usakos near the foot of the Erongo Mountains, has apparently been plagued by hundreds of 'large strange snakes'.
Speculation is rife, but one peculiar version has it that some residents claim that they saw a helicopter flying low over the area before the New Year - soon after which there was a sharp increase in the snake population.
According to one resident, the snakes are not the usual kinds (like pythons, puffadders, whip snakes and mambas) found in the area. The 'new' snakes were also larger and more dangerous.
"Instead of staying in the bush, these snakes are coming into the homes as if the houses belong to them," said David /Nuseb.
One story has it that a toddler was apparently sitting on the couch watching television, when a large serpent entered the living room and made its way to the TV where it started 'fighting' with the images on the screen.
"The child called his parents; the snake was cornered and killed," /Nuseb said.
There is agreement among the community that there is usually an increase of snakes after a good rainy season, like that of last year, but then the snakes apparently stay in the bush, away from people.
Another member of the community, Isak â‰Naweseb said that scores of them have been killed by people over the past few months, or by vehicles driving over them on the roads.
"Just this past weekend, when a relative of mine went to a funeral nearby, he said that he drove over three large snakes," said â‰Naweseb.
(While he was speaking to the newspaper, another resident at the area, a certain Yvonne, sent an sms to the this reporter's mobile claiming that a snake was in the generator room at the waterpump.)
Mobile images of some of dead snakes were given to The Namibian. The images are of poor quality, but a comparison to the snakes kept at the Swakopmund Snake Park did not shed much light except - considering the colours - that some of those photographed could have been Angolan or Mozambican cobras and a mambas. Some of the snakes are found in that area, while others not.
One argument is that the snakes could have been washed downriver from another region.
"Sometimes large snakes are found in Swakopmund, especially after the Swakop River has flooded. The river bring the snakes downstream from the interior. Maybe this was what had happened, an official at the snake park explained.
The owner of the Snake Park, and author of books regarding reptiles of the Namib, Stuart Hebbert, said that nothing is "impossible" anymore, but there were definitely things that were "improbable".
"The story of the helicopter is improbable. Helicopters are very expensive, and it would be much easier to transport snakes by car. And why would someone drop snakes from a helicopter?" he asked.
Hebbert said that he did not want to shrug off the community's stories as fables, but admitted that he was a sceptic.
"I've heard many snake stories, and once a story gets off the ground it spreads like wildfire, and with that the snakes become more in number, bigger and more dangerous," he said.
He said that the idea of good rains bringing more rodents into the area, attracting more snakes, was more probable. - allafrica
Thanks to Karl for the heads up!
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Smallest Town In US Sold By Its Only Resident
A tiny town in Wyoming, advertising itself as the smallest in the US, has been sold by its only inhabitant in worldwide internet auction.
Buford was purchased by an anonymous Vietnamese buyer after 11 minutes of frenzied bidding.
The sale of the south eastern Wyoming town, which comes with a convenience store, gas station and a three-bedroom home, attracted online viewers and on-site bidders from 46 countries.
The new owner flew to Wyoming for the auction, according to Williams & Williams, the auction house handling the sale.
"Owning a piece of property in the US has been my dream," the Vietnamese businessman said in a statement.
The 10-plus acres of land also includes a mobile phone tower and a car park that a lorry company uses to switch trailers at night.
I'm happy and I'm sad all at once.
Don Sammons, currently the town's only resident, moved with his wife from Los Angeles to the Buford area in 1980.
In 1992, six years after his wife died, Mr Sammons purchased the town.
The 61-year-old decided to auction off the Western hamlet to move to Colorado to be near his adult son.
"I'm happy and I'm sad all at once," Mr Sammons said.
"But I'm more happy than sad because this is all I wanted. I can continue and start the next chapter of my life."
He added that he planned to go somewhere with sandy beaches and "maybe a palm tree" for a week or two before writing a book about his life in Buford.
William & Williams executive Amy Bates said the firm had never seen the level of interest that accompanied the Buford auction.
"It's the Wild West in the US. It's owning your town and getting away from it all," she said.
The former railroad stop once was home to about 2,000 people but they started to move away after the train service ended. - sky
An associate forwarded an inquiry they received about a sighting in southeast Georgia:
Last Autumn I caught sight of a large animal moving through the cypress trees of the swampy area that borders one of the fields I work. I live in Ware County, Georgia. I was working the field at the time and noticed the movement. It was late afternoon and still light out. The animal was huge, hairy and walked on all fours but I did see it rear up once. It reminded me of a black bear but much larger and lighter in color. I was about 200 yds. away from it but I still had a good look. I know for a fact that this was not a bear. I've seen black bears in the Okefenokee and this didn't look like one of those at all. I later saw a picture of an animal, a mapinguari, that is supposed to be a legend. I swear that is what I saw. Have you heard of this animal? I haven't seen it since but there have been a lot of cypress trees tore up lately and I'm wondering if it has been causing it. Some people have said for many years that there's a swamp beast in Ware County but I never paid it no mind until now. Henry
NOTE: could this have been a Bigfoot? I have included other information about the Mapinguari...which is a creature supposedly from the Amazon rain forests. Anybody familiar with a swamp beast story in southeast Georgia? Lon
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Sloth Scares the Boonville Natives
Hammond Times, Hammond, Indiana
Wednesday, August 18, 1937
Boonville, Ind., Aug. 18. [1937] – (U.P.) – A stranger who declined to identify himself strolled into the newspaper office here today and declared that the weird, mysterious beast whose screams and prowlings have terrified residents of the Ohio river valley is simply a giant sloth.
The man said he and his uncle were returning home from Mexico two years ago with the sloth, which they had captured on a game hunting expedition. He said they lost it near Evansville and never had found a trace of it since. He was uncertain if it was two-toed or three-toed, but averred that sloths came in both varieties.
When a sloth is hungry and frightened, he said, it will give vent to blood-curdling shrieks and yells such as terrified river valley residents have reported they have heard intermittently since Friday night [August 13].
At that time Mrs. Ralph Duff reported she caught a fleeting glimpse of the animal and said it looked like an ape.
Posses, according to reports here, are searching the river bottoms cautiously in the hope of tracking the beast to its lair.
River folk said today that they had seen an empty circus truck in the vicinity, and assumed that animal experts are endeavoring to capture the alleged monster also.
The mapinguary (also spelled "mapinguari") is a hairy biped reported from the Amazon Rainforest of South America. It is firmly embedded in local folklore, and some legends show characteristics that would tend to classify this beast as supernatural, scaring away researchers who work in the field of cryptozoology. The mapinguary sometimes speaks, likes to punish hunters who violate religious holidays, and is often bulletproof. Certain lore seems to link it with the South American werewolf. The more werewolf-like version of the mapinguary is called the "wolf's cape" and is thought to have originally been human.
Other sightings describe what sounds more like a real animal. The mapinguary looks something like Bigfoot, being a bipedal hairy giant, but it is less human-looking than Bigfoot. In fact, it resembles a giant sloth, an animal that was alive during the last Ice Age. Even its footprints resemble those of the giant sloth. Therefore, cryptozoologists who are investigating this creature usually think that if it exists, it is really a giant sloth.
Ornithologist David C. Oren is the researcher who is most strongly associated with the theory that mapinguary legends represent sightings of living giant sloths who survived the Ice Age extinctions, but there are many other scientists and adventurers who have looked into the problem. Charles Fort was perhaps the first to suggest the survival of giant ground sloths in South America, in reference to legends about the "blonde beast" of Patagonia.
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A Huge Amazon Monster Is Only a Myth. Or Is It?
Perhaps it is nothing more than a legend, as skeptics say. Or maybe it is real, as those who claim to have seen it avow. But the mere mention of the mapinguary, the giant slothlike monster of the Amazon, is enough to send shivers down the spines of almost all who dwell in the world’s largest rain forest.
The folklore here is full of tales of encounters with the creature, and nearly every Indian tribe in the Amazon, including those that have had no contact with one another, have a word for the mapinguary (pronounced ma-ping-wahr-EE). The name is usually translated as “the roaring animal” or “the fetid beast.”
So widespread and so consistent are such accounts that in recent years a few scientists have organized expeditions to try to find the creature. They have not succeeded, but at least one says he can explain the beast and its origins.
“It is quite clear to me that the legend of the mapinguary is based on human contact with the last of the ground sloths,” thousands of years ago, said David Oren, a former director of research at the Goeldi Institute in Belém, at the mouth of the Amazon River. “We know that extinct species can survive as legends for hundreds of years. But whether such an animal still exists or not is another question, one we can’t answer yet.”
Dr. Oren said he had talked to “a couple of hundred people” who had said they had seen the mapinguary in the most remote parts of the Amazon and a handful who had said they had had direct contact.
In some areas, the creature is said to have two eyes, while in other accounts it has only one, like the Cyclops of Greek mythology. Some tell of a gaping, stinking mouth in the monster’s belly through which it consumes humans unfortunate enough to cross its path.
But all accounts agree that the creature is tall, seven feet or more when it stands on two legs, that it emits a strong, extremely disagreeable odor, and that it has thick, matted fur, which covers a carapace that makes it all but impervious to bullets and arrows.
“The only way you can kill a mapinguary is by shooting at its head,” said Domingos Parintintin, a tribal leader in Amazonas State. “But that is hard to do because it has the power to make you dizzy and turn day into night. So the best thing to do if you see one is climb a tree and hide.”
Geovaldo Karitiana, 27, a member of the Karitiana tribe, claims to have seen one about three years ago, as he was hunting in the jungle near an area that his tribe calls “the cave of the mapinguary.”
“It was coming toward the village and was making a big noise,” he said in a recent interview on the tribe’s reservation in the western Amazon. “It stopped when it got near me, and that’s when the bad smell made me dizzy and tired. I fainted, and when I came to, the mapinguary was gone.”
Mr. Karitiana’s father, Lucas, confirmed his son’s account. He said that when his son took him back to the site of the encounter, he saw a cleared pathway where the creature had departed, “as if a boulder had rolled through and knocked down all the trees and vines.”
Though the descriptions of the mapinguary may resemble the sasquatch of North America or the yeti of Himalayan lore, the comparisons stop there. Unlike its counterparts in the Northern Hemisphere, the creature is said not to flee human contact, but to aggressively hunt down the hunter, turning the tables on those who do not respect the jungle’s unwritten rules and limits.
“Often, the mapinguary gets revenge on people who transgress, who go where they shouldn’t go or harvest more animals or plants than they can consume, or set cruel traps,” said Márcio Souza, a prominent Brazilian novelist and playwright who lives in Manaus, in the central Amazon, and often draws on Amazon history and folklore in his works.
Amazon folklore, in fact, is full of fanciful creatures that are used to explain unwelcome or embarrassing phenomena. The boto, for example, is a type of dolphin that is said to be able to transform itself into human form, wearing a white hat to cover its air spout, and seducing and impregnating impressionable young virgins.
When a hunter or woodsman gets lost in the jungle, he often blames the curupira, a mischievous red-haired elf who has feet that face backward and takes delight in making trails that lead travelers astray. And when an experienced navigator inexplicably disappears or drowns in calm waters, he is usually said to have fallen victim to the iara, a cross between a siren and a mermaid.
Scientists link the current mapinguary legends to the Megatherium, one of the largest mammals ever. It vanished thousands of years ago.
“If you’re a rubber tapper and you’re returning to camp empty-handed, you’d better have a pretty good explanation for your boss,” said Marcos Vinícius Neves, director of the government’s department of historical and cultural patrimony in Acre State, where a statue of a mapinguary has been erected at a public plaza here in the capital. “The mapinguary is the best excuse you could possible imagine.”
Mr. Souza, the writer, counts himself among those who believe the mapinguary is a myth. The deforestation of the Amazon has accelerated so rapidly over the last generation, he argues, that if the creature really existed, “there would have been some sort of close encounter of the third kind by now.”
Partly for that reason, most zoologists scoff at the notion that it could be real.
The giant ground sloth, Megatherium, was once one of the largest mammals to walk the earth, bigger than a modern elephant. Fossil evidence is abundant and widespread, found as far south as Chile and as far north as Florida. But the trail stops cold thousands of years ago.
“When you travel in the Amazon, you are constantly hearing about this animal, especially when you are in contact with indigenous peoples,” said Peter Toledo, an expert on sloths at the Goeldi Institute. “But convincing scientific proof, in the form of even vestiges of bones, blood or excrement, is always lacking.”
Glenn Shepard Jr., an American ethnobiologist and anthropologist based in Manaus, said he was among the skeptics until 1997, when he was doing research about local wildlife among the Machiguenga people of the far western Amazon, in Peru. Tribal members all mentioned a fearsome slothlike creature that inhabited a hilly, forested area in their territory.
Dr. Shepard said “the clincher that really blew me away” came when a member of the tribe remarked matter of factly that he had also seen a mapinguary at the natural history museum in Lima. Dr. Shepard checked; the museum has a diorama with a model of the giant prehistoric ground sloth.
“At the very least, what we have here is an ancient remembrance of a giant sloth, like those found in Chile recently, that humans have come into contact with,” he said. “Let me put it this way: Just because we know that mermaids and sirens are myths doesn’t mean that manatees don’t exist.”
Even so, the mystery of the mapinguary is likely to continue, as is the search.
“There’s still an awful lot of room out there for a large sloth to be roaming around,” Dr. Shepard said. - The New York Times
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A July 2007 report from Rio Branco, Brazil states that a creature with one eye, like the Cyclops of Greek mythology, as well as a gaping mouth was seen wandering in the deep jungle. The creature was tall, seven feet or more when it stood on two legs, that it emitted a strong, extremely disagreeable odor, and that it has thick, matted fur.
Geovaldo Karitiana, 27, a member of the Karitiana tribe, claims to have seen as similar creature in 2003, as he was hunting in the jungle near an area that his tribe calls “the cave of the mapinguari.”
“It was coming toward the village and was making a big noise,” he said in a recent interview on the tribe’s reservation in the western Amazon. “It stopped when it got near me, and that’s when the bad smell made me dizzy and tired. I fainted, and when I came to, it was gone.”
Mr. Karitiana’s father, Lucas, confirmed his son’s account. He said that when his son took him back to the site of the encounter, he saw a cleared pathway where the creature had departed, “as if a boulder had rolled through and knocked down all the trees and vines.”
Source: Witness accounts to reporter
NOTE: The mere mention of the mapinguari, the giant sloth-like monster of the Amazon, is enough to send shivers down the spines of almost all who dwell in the world’s largest rain forest. The name is usually translated as “the roaring animal” or “the fetid beast.” Though the descriptions of the mapinguari may resemble the Sasquatch of North America, the comparison stop there. Unlike its counterparts in the Northern Hemisphere, the creature is said not to flee human contact, but to aggressively hunt down the hunter, turning the tables on those who do not respect the jungle’s unwritten rules and limits. Here is an interesting link - On the trail of a man-eating megatherium...Lon
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