Lair of the Beasts: The Ape-Man of Sumatra

http://www.mania.com/lair-beasts-apeman-sumatra_article_131611.html A Monstrous Book
Nick Redfern
November 19, 2011

Just published by Britain’s CFZ Press is a brand new book from Richard Freeman, of the Center for Fortean Zoology, one of the very few full time groups in the world dedicated to uncovering the truth behind Bigfoot, the Yeti, sea-serpents, the Chupacabra, and much more of a beastly nature.

Over the course of the last few years, Richard has been on a number of expeditions to the island of Sumatra in search of its very own equivalent of Sasquatch: It has become known as the Orang-Pendek.

And, having collected an absolute mass of very impressive reports, credible on the record testimony, numerous stories, and taken hundreds of photographs, Freeman has now gone ahead and published his many and varied findings in his latest book, which is titled: Orang-Pendek: Sumatra’s Forgotten Ape.

Richard says of his quest to find the answers behind the legendary mystery: “We are impressed by big things; dinosaurs, whales, rhinos, super-tankers, skyscrapers. Mention mystery apes to the man in the street and he will imagine bipedal hairy giants, 10 feet tall. Indeed most reports of such things speak of massive animals; the Yeti, the Yeren, the Sasquatch, and the Yowie.”

He continues: “But for every Bigfoot there is a Littlefoot. Stories of little hairy men are widespread - but none are as famous as Sumatra’s Orang-Pendek.”

As for the specific nature of the Orang-Pendek, here’s what Freeman has to say: “Orang-Pendek means ‘short man’ in Indonesian. The creature is said to be powerfully built and immensely strong but relatively short at around 4½ to 5ft in height. It walks upright like a man and rarely, if ever, moves on all fours.”

And as Richard has come to learn during the course of his various expeditions, the Orang-Pendek is “…generally said to have dark brown or black fur but honey colored or reddish hair has been reported. Sometimes a long mane of hair that falls down to the shoulders is also mentioned. The Orang-Pendek generally seems to be a solitary creature, though there are rare reports of groups of them being seen together.”

CFZ Press note of Richard Freeman’s Orang-Pendek: Sumatra’s Forgotten Ape that: “This book looks at the history of sightings of the Orang-Pendek; similar creatures across the world; has in-depth accounts of the author’s four CFZ expeditions in search of the creature; and finally analyses the evidence to produce a cogent theory as to what the elusive short man of the forest might actually be.”

The editor and director of the CFZ, Jonathan Downes says of Freeman’s work that: “It is a tour de force by Richard Freeman, one of the most popular cryptozoology authors on the planet and the author of Dragons: More than a Myth and The Great Yokai Encyclopaedia - The A-Z of Japanese Monsters.

And if all of that has caught your attention - and you’re interested in learning much more about a mysterious ape that isn’t Bigfoot or the Abominable Snowman - then I most definitely recommend you get hold of a copy of Freeman’s Orang-Pendek: Sumatra’s Forgotten Ape at the earliest opportunity.

Written skillfully, and in an entertaining fashion, by someone who knows his way around the island of Sumatra, who has extensively searched for the animal, and who has some amazing stories, data, and witness testimony to share, the book is likely to become one of the most important, new cryptozoological-themed books in a very long time. I don’t exaggerate!

Nick Redfern’s new book, Keep Out, is published by New Page Books in December

The Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot Footage 44th Anniversary

From CryptoMundo.com:
Why do I think the P-G footage is authentic?

I feel it combines many forms of evidence:

1. The event occurred in an area known for Native traditions of these forms of hominoids. Locally, the cryptid is called Oh-Mah.

2. There are contemporary sightings, from the 1950s onward, here.

3. In this specific incident, the animal was seen.

4. It was smelled.

5. It was sensed by the horses.

6. A trackway of ten prints was found, the tracks casted and preserved – via film and in a physical state – for others to analyze. Such examinations reveal flexible, animate feet for this cryptid, historically now known as a Bigfoot.

7. And finally, the apparent animal was filmed, and analysis of this footage by Americans, Canadians, Russians, and others verify this was authentic, probably made of an unknown primate, and it was not an elaborate or casual hoax, as assumed by debunkers and some closed-minded skeptics, in a few cases...

Patterson-Gimlin Footage Turns 44
Loren Coleman
October 18th, 2011
http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/p-g-44

U.S. And Russian Scientists Target Elusive Siberian Snowman

Lee Speigel
lee.speigel@huffingtonpost.com
10/5/11
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/05/siberian-snowman_n_994268.html

Snowmen aren't just playthings children build in wintertime. Some say they're living beings, and an international group of scientists are about to go hunting for one -- specifically, the Siberian Snowman.

Around the world, there have been reports of large, hairy, human-like creatures. Known variously as Bigfoot, Sasquatch, the Abominable Snowman and the Siberian Snowman, none of the elusive animals have ever been captured to confirm their existence.

But cryptozoologists -- researchers who study the alleged existence of unknown animals -- say eyewitness accounts, photographs, films, videos, footprints, hair and even fecal material all suggest the possibility of an unknown species that doesn't seem to want to be discovered.

That may all change, as scientists from the U.S., Russia and other countries come together this week for a conference that will include a trek to the Siberian region of Kemerovo to hunt for the alleged snowman.

"The creatures are generally five and a half to seven and a half feet tall, a lot thinner than what most people think of as a Yeti or Bigfoot," said Loren Coleman, founder and director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.

"They're hearty-looking and have multi-colored brownish-black fur, sometimes with a lighter top to their head and patches of white on their arms, which is unique to the Siberian Snowmen."

Coleman, who is the co-author of "The Field Guide to Bigfoot and Other Mystery Primates," added that the elusive Siberian Snowman is reportedly not as fearful of humans as are his hairy counterparts on other continents.

"They're sometimes seen at the edge of a forest just staring at people and not really considered as wild creatures, compared to some Yeti reports in Nepal where they reportedly attack yaks or sherpas," Coleman told The Huffington Post.

Sightings of the Siberian Snowmen have increased three-fold over the past 20 years, prompting scientists at Moscow's Darwin Museum to speculate that there may be a small population of these creatures.

Igor Burtsev, head of the International Center of Hominology in Moscow -- which investigates so-called snowmen -- told The Voice of Russia radio that "when Homo sapiens started populating the world, it viciously exterminated its closest relative in the hominid family, Homo neanderthalensis."

"Some of the Neanderthals, however, may have survived to this day in some mountainous wooded habitats that are more or less off limits to their arch foes. No clothing on them, no tools in hands and no fire in the household. Only round-the-clock watchfulness for a Homo sapiens around."

While the Darwin Museum invited Coleman to join its Siberian conference and to give a presentation, he declined, because rather than extending to him the professional courtesy of paying for his trip, "they turned around and said, 'Oh, no, we can't afford that!' And they suggested I go to one of the online travel services to get a cheap flight," Coleman said.

Despite that little inconvenience, Coleman said he thinks the museum is doing serious work in the realm of hominology -- the study of unknown hairy bipedal creatures.

Another reason why it's not the most convenient time for Coleman to be trekking through Siberia is that he's in the process of a major expansion of his museum -- the only cryptozoology museum in the world.

"We're going to have enough space now to exhibit more of the evidence, including my collection of 150 footprint casts and other materials from Yeti, Bigfoot and other hominids from around the world," he said.

As scientists search for evidence of the Siberian Snowman in the mountains of Kemerovo, Coleman will have a grand monster re-opening of his museum on Oct. 30 in Portland.

Bigfoot Toy Collectibles

Lyle Blackburn of the excellent Rue-Morg.com Website has created a a virtual museum of Bigfoot related toys. Some of the pictures are here: others include GI Joe and Lego sets. To see the entire collection:

http://rue-morgue.com/blog/archives/2011/09/17/monstro-bizarro-finding-plastic-bigfoot