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Bigfoot: real or myth?

No legendary beast has captured the imaginations of as many people as Sasquatch (AKA Bigfoot) has. Despite very little evidence for its existence, there are still hosts of believers - some of whom have built careers on hunting for Sasquatch.
Bigfoot

No legendary beast has captured the imaginations of as many people as Sasquatch (AKA Bigfoot) has. Despite very little evidence for its existence, there are still hosts of believers - some of whom have built careers on hunting for Sasquatch.

While there have been reports of Sasquatch from all over North America, most sightings are centered in the Pacific Northwest – mainly B.C. and Washington state. Reports date from the mid-1800s and persist today.

Stories of hairy, ape-like “wild men” are found all over the world, under different names. There’s the yowie, a tall, hairy, ape-like creature with big feet found in Australia. There’s the yeren, a smaller version of Sasquatch found in China. And of course, there’s the yeti of Nepal and Tibet. In fact, there are similar stories from every continent except Antarctica – and that hasn’t been fully explored, so who knows what’s out there?

Of course, there have also been hoaxes. In 2008, Rick Dyer and Matthew Whitton claimed to have found a dead Sasquatch. The two men received $50,000 from an organization called Searching For Bigfoot, Inc., as a good faith gesture. But when the Searching For Bigfoot team got the “body” it was discovered to be a fake. In early 2014, Dyer claimed to have killed a Bigfoot. Instead of thinking that something might be amiss, the public flocked to see the body on tour.He made an estimated $60,000. Three months later, the body was found to be – you guessed it – fake. Dyer said that he did kill a Sasquatch, but was worried the body would be stolen on tour. This does not explain his refusal to show results from testing that allegedly proved it was real.

You wouldn’t normally think of Saskatchewan as a hotbed of supernatural sightings, but there’s a pretty robust Bigfoot scene here.

Early this year, a family was driving near Craven, Sask., when they saw an unidentifiable, hairy biped walking in the ditch. The family stopped to take a video, which is available on YouTube. It shows the top half of a brown figure walking slowly into the trees and disappearing. The sighting was covered by Global News.
A few months ago, YouTube user Mike Glenn uploaded a video of a hairy, upright biped that he saw while hiking in Greenwater Provincial Park.
In June of this year, a couple was driving on Highway 5 toward Saskatoon when they saw a black creature run across the road on two legs. At first they thought it was a bear, but then realized bears don’t run on two legs.

In 2006, Shaylane Beatty was driving from Deschambault Lake to Prince Albert when she saw – you guessed it – a hairy biped walking by the side of the road, which turned to look at her as she drove by. She described it as over two metres tall with long arms. Beatty was so startled that she almost hit the ditch. She and her uncles went back the next day and found large footprints, which professional Bigfoot hunter Tom Biscardi of the aforementioned Searching For Bigfoot, Inc., called “the find of the century.”
Since the 1970s, Rockglen, Sask., has been the site of many Bigfoot-like sightings. Local residents refer to the creature as Zoobie or Zoobs. Zoobie is said to stand between 8 and 10 feet tall with a high voice and a skunk-like odor (Bigfoot is also said to have a strong odor). Some residents in Rockglen release a newsletter that discusses the sightings.

In 2005, a man hunting near Wakaw reported to Sasquatch Canada that he was driving home in the rain after a hunting trip when he went into the ditch. He got out to go find help, and saw a creature moving very quickly down the road from him. He describes it as not very tall, but wide, with no neck, short legs, and long arms. After the creature disappeared, he found a footprint he said was about 16 inches long and 5-6 inches across. He never told anybody for fear they would think he was crazy.

The Sasquatch craze doesn’t show signs of slowing down, with organizations and amateur hunters trying to prove to the world that it’s real. If the hairy bipeds exist, everyone’s inability to get a clear shot of them will likely fuel speculation and imagination for years to come.