A Second Review: "Bigfoot: The Definitive Guide"

I asked TBRC Chairman Alton Higgins to write a review of the recent History Channel program "Bigfoot: The Definitive Guide." He was kind enough to do just that. His review is thoughtful and right on point. It seems I was not the only one unimpressed by the program. Check out Alton's review below:


Bigfoot: The Definitive Guide
A Second Point of View
by Alton Higgins
3 February 2011

Perhaps we should have taken a clue from the use of our favorite perpetually persecuted sasquatch (of Jack Link’s Beef Jerky fame) to publicize “Bigfoot: The Definitive Guide,” shown 2 February 2011 on the History cable channel. Despite the involvement of a distinguished cast of scientists, the only “definitive” thing about this latest foray into squatchploitation was that it shouldn’t be taken much more seriously than a humorous jerky commercial.



Well, perhaps that is a wee bit harsh, but when my wife, who is generally apathetic concerning bigfooty things, sat there groaning and arguing at the television, I figured the producers had probably missed the mark with more folks than this sometimes jaded enthusiast.

The first impression that struck me in watching the program was a sense of déjà vu. Was the MonsterQuest marathon from earlier in the day still running? The tone, pacing, music, structure, use of reenactments, etc., really echoed MonsterQuest’s campy formulaic style.

Unfortunately, “The Definitive Guide” needed content more than it needed style.

It’s not that the program was bereft of information. In the fashion of the MonsterQuest series it so resembled, the producers managed to squeeze thirty minutes worth of content into two hours. Unfortunately, little of the information was new, and the original opinions proffered by the distinguished scientists were weak, if not laughable.

The panel of scientists included geochronologist Jack Rink, who has studied Gigantopithecus fossils; Anna Nekaris, bringing extensive field research studying nocturnal primates to the table; taxonomist and fossil primate expert William Sellars; Ian Redmond, a tropical field biologist who spent years studying mountain gorillas with Dian Fossey; and Jeff Meldrum, an associate professor of anatomy and anthropology with expertise in the foot morphology and locomotion of monkeys, apes and hominids. The supporting cast included field biologist John Mionczynski and U.S. Forest Service anthropologist Kathy Strain.

There were some things about “The Definitive Guide” that I enjoyed. Beautiful mountain vistas graced the program throughout, and I thought the dozen plus sighting reenactments were done well. Near the beginning of the program I was pleased to hear the narrator affirm, “Something is out there, but what?” It was also refreshing to see a few new faces from the scientific community willing to grant the sasquatch phenomenon and the question of unknown hominids some time and open-minded deliberation.

Unfortunately, and predictably, not all the discussion appeared to be carefully considered. For example, cursory reviews and perfunctory dismissals characterized the team’s “analysis” of the records of bipedal primates in Florida and “the Patterson film” (as they called it) from 1967. If a child had suggested that Florida witnesses were probably confusing escaped pet orangutans or chimpanzees for large bipedal
primates, one might smile in amusement at the suggestion, but the zany idea is supposed to be taken seriously if it’s offered by a group of scientists. I suppose it applies equally to reported sightings in Texas and throughout the south.

In like manner, the documentary’s Patterson/Gimlin film treatment was unconscionably superficial. In response to Meldrum’s measured comments regarding the subject filmed by Patterson and Gimlin, Sellars shoots back with, “It shrieks at me ‘man in suit.’ I mean, it really does!” Rather than include a discussion regarding the merits of the argument that a homemade cowhide suit could demonstrate the features exhibited in the film, the program’s editors chose to add subjective and irrelevant criticism from
a Mike McLeod, said to be a journalist.

Permit me a brief detour. Science should be about evaluating data and examining evidence. I hope Professor Sellars (and others who share his opinion) will someday reconsider his peremptory pronouncements and pursue some puzzling problems pertaining to the Patterson/Gimlin film. That’s what science boils down to: asking simple questions. To get him and others who share his critical perspective started, I propose a straightforward query. Can you find a gorilla costume from the 1960s (I’ll even throw in the decades from the 70s to the present) that clearly shows a gluteal cleft and the attachment of the trapezius and latissimus dorsi muscles to the spine? These features are plainly visible in gorillas, and they clearly show in the creature filmed by Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin. End of detour.



Another investigative technique that “The Definitive Guide” barely touched was the use of detection dogs. I have spoken with Meldrum and Mionczynski about this novel avenue of research, and I feel that their insight and experiences could have made for some captivating television.

One of the issues upon which the panel seemed divided concerned the matter of witness testimony. Anna Nekaris, for example, expressed on a couple of occasions her confidence in such accounts. “I believe very much in what local people say,” Nekaris stated, “and if local people tell me something is there, I have a suspicion it may be, even if I haven’t seen it.” I got the impression, however, that the panel as a whole found tales coming from the inhabitants of third-world regions regarding man-beasts of various sorts more compelling than similar accounts originating from countries like, say, the USA or Canada.

Through a presumably rigorous report-winnowing and habitat analysis process the panel deduced the existence of several global “hotspots” of activity that could have some basis in reality. This is all well and good, but it’s surely misleading to casual viewers who may not realize that these areas have long been identified and associated with large bipedal primates. I did think the panel made some reasonable deductions in proposing that the yeti, mande burung, and yeren all represent the same species, the likely descendents of Gigantopithecus. I also think it’s safe to presume that this was not an issue upon which Loren Coleman, who prefers to think in terms of present-day multiplicities of elusive unknown hominoids (even in North America) was consulted!

Speaking of Coleman, he was apparently (I’m guessing) the source of the so-called “Myakka Ape” photos briefly flashed on screen. Their inclusion was an embarrassment to the program, which had enough problems as it was, and served as evidence that the producers did an inadequate job of researching their subject. In a 2004 article, based on conference presentations from 2003, I laid out a number of reasons why I believed those photos should be discounted. The fact that the Myakka affair was given any heed, “even after quite explicit evidence has shown it to be a hoax,” as Jeff Meldrum wrote in 2004, is frustrating.

The program did do an adequate job summarizing recent fossil discoveries and establishing the fact that for millions of years many species of large primates shared the same landscapes. If Homo sapiens is Earth’s only remaining bipedal primate, that is the exception to the pattern of the past, as noted by Meldrum. Regarding the presence of such a bipedal primate in North America, which was the main focus of the program, the panel addressed three possibilities: giant ape, ancient human, and modern
human.

While sitting firmly in the ape camp myself, I did find the ancient human theory interesting, though not very convincing. Homo heidelbergensis was a large and muscular hominin. This species used tools, hunted, and exhibited other forms of social behavior. As Meldrum pointed out, if the North American sasquatch is the descendent of H. heidelbergensis, it is odd that the species would forego the advantages of cultural development to pursue an even more primitive lifestyle.

I was surprised by the program’s inclusion of a related topic regarding an “ancient human” basis for the sasquatch phenomenon, that of hybrids. Many of us, I suppose, have heard these stories of unfortunate women, sex-crazed wildmen, and their doomed offspring. This appears to be a widespread mythos among native North American cultures, even extending to Central America, and it has proven to be a popular subject for dime novels and low-budget movies for many years. However, in the absence of any
corroborative evidence, I don’t think speculations based on such legends or beliefs warrant consideration in empirical, as opposed to social, science discussions.



Perhaps the silliest idea of all those presented was Jack Rink’s. (I wonder if he’s considered starting a jerky business with a Gigantopithecus brand mascot?) He suggested that bigfoot sightings could be explained as glimpses by witnesses of Squamish Indians following the traditions of shamanistic training and initiations. (Is Rink a covert acolyte of M.K. Davis?) The discovery of simple stone tools “in out of
the way places” was proposed as supportive evidence.

Regarding this “out of the way” idea, I remember hiking and hunting with my dad in (what appeared to me to be) some extremely “out of the way” places in Arizona. Once while hiking through a seemingly God-forsaken narrow canyon in the Superstition Mountains we noticed, by sheer chance, a tiny adobe cliff dwelling built in a cleft positioned high on the canyon wall. As we scrabbled our way slowly up to the spot I remember thinking, “Why would anyone chose to live in such a place?” We found it
apparently undisturbed, and we left it that way. I had the same thought on another occasion when we climbed up a desert mesa while hunting javelina. It was a tough climb, rocky and thorny, but when we reached the top we found, much to my surprise, a veritable field of broken pottery and matates. There were no trees, no water, no soil for farming, yet it was plain to see that the area had been inhabited. My point is, just because a place seems “out of the way” to our modern sensibilities doesn’t mean it would have been avoided in the past. Finding stone scrapers in seemingly odd places in British Columbia should not be seen as evidence supporting a modern human explanation for bigfoot sightings. Ian Redmond and Kathy Strain quickly quashed the quirky theory that “The Definitive Guide” spent far too much time developing, just as I have spent too much time discussing it.

Another silly part of the program was the description of bigfoot investigator Cindy Dosen as a research expert, or words to that effect, and the trip she led into the woods with Ian Redmond. The distinguished Redmond, easily the most experienced field man and the most prominent “Definitive Guide” panel member, must have felt at least a little discomfited as he was directed in his scenes and asked to comment about the possibility of sasquatch stick structures. As for Dosen, she probably didn’t describe
herself as an “expert” at anything, but the narrator’s use of the term brings up a sore point often discussed by bigfoot enthusiasts with regard to scientists, if I may digress once again.

In a strange dichotomy, members of “the bigfoot community” (whatever that is) often complain that members of the scientific community pay scant attention to the bigfoot phenomenon, at least publicly. At the same time, those who do are often ostracized or criticized because the “expert” label is often affixed to them (even if this is done by others, not themselves). I have no problem with describing the scientists involved with “The Definitive Guide” as experts in their fields, and each is in a position to commentauthoritatively on different aspects of the presumptive natural history of the sasquatch and other hairy hominoids. Blithely dismissing the opinions of a scientist, especially if the opinions are thoroughly considered and within the scientist’s purview, just because the scientist has never seen or claimed to have seen a sasquatch, amounts to little more than playground-level gamesmanship, in my opinion.
Cindy Dosen may have been chased by a bigfoot, but that doesn’t make her an expert at bigfoot vocalizations (the producers should have provided an analysis of the recorded vocalizations) or an expert field researcher any more than I can claim to be a comet expert just because I’ve seen a couple of them.

I suppose I could nitpick “The Definitive Guide” for days, but a few troubling taradiddles deserve at least a brief mention. For example, the team concluded that a “massive surge” of reported bigfoot sightings was triggered by the Patterson/Gimlin film when it seems just as likely that increasingly widespread access to communication and information during that time period is similarly responsible. On a related point, the team seemed to believe that, outside of the Pacific Northwest, there was “almost
no previous history” of reported sightings in North America when, in fact, there are thousands of such reports (not to mention the ubiquitous legends of native cultures) extending back hundreds of years, as documented in a couple of compendiums on the subject.

The “Bili Ape” was identified as a new species of great ape, recently discovered in Africa, but my understanding is that its DNA is identical to that of the local subspecies of chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii. In my opinion, this should not have been used as a way of trying to establish that large primate species, such as the sasquatch and others mentioned in the program, remained to be discovered and documented.

Overall, I have to say that I got the impression that the documentary was just too hurried in its production. A couple of us in the TBRC had extended conversations with a producer about possibly participating in the filming of the show, but it was almost a “right now” situation and schedules, made more complex with a flight to Canada as part of the mix, could not be worked out. I don’t think participation by one or two of our members would have made any difference in the quality of the final result, and I don’t fault any members of the team of scientists. Involvement in these kinds of projects is always unpredictable; they had no way of knowing if the result was going to resemble MonsterQuest on steroids, a BBC nature documentary narrated by David Attenborough, or something in-between. At least the subject was treated in a serious manner. There were no tongue-in-cheek comments from the narrator or condescending comments from smug critics, as is too often the case in bigfoot-related programming.
We can be thankful for that.

My final comments concern my first bit of apprehension upon hearing of the program, specifically, the “Bigfoot: The Definitive Guide” title assigned to it. This told me that whoever was at the helm of the documentary lacked a true scientific perspective regarding scientific knowledge and the processes used to learn about the world around us. No scientific explanations are fixed, set in stone, definitive. All knowledge is tentative, subject to change. Challenging the ideas, results, theories, evidence, and etc. of other scientists is a big part of what drives scientists and makes science fun. Sure, some scientists learn things that help mankind in one way or another, but most pursue arcane topics out of an unrelenting sense of curiosity and the joy that comes from discovering something new.

“Bigfoot: The Definitive Guide” will not go down in the annals of television as one of the best bigfoot- related documentaries, much less as having established anything definitively. However, I do hope that the scientists involved, upon reflecting on the experience, develop an increasing level of openness to that which goes against convention. If that is a result, then “Bigfoot: The Definitive Guide” will have
garnered a degree of success that goes beyond television ratings or generally critical reviews.

References

ABC News Online. 29 June 2006. Mystery apes are chubby chimps, zoologists find. http://is.gd/L12hrk

Arment, Chad. 2006. The Historical Bigfoot. Coachwhip Publications. 348 pp.

Higgins, Alton. 2004. Evaluating Purported Sasquatch Photographic Evidence. http://is.gd/kV5nhw

Meldrum, Jeff. 2004. Book Review: Bigfoot! The True Story of Apes in America. Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol.18, No. 3, pp. 521-523.

Strain, Kathy. 2008. Giants, Cannibals & Monsters: Bigfoot in Native Culture. Hancock House Publishing. 288 pp.

The Truth About the Broken Bow Gar

Below are a couple of photos of bow fishermen with a monstrous alligator gar. These pictures, for those interested in such things, are probably familiar as they have been circulating around the internet for years. What may not be known to most is the true story behind the photos.

First, the photos are real. That is a real fish taken using archery tackle. What is not factual is the information regarding where the fish was caught and its actual weight. According to the story circulating on the internet, and a caption on one of the photos, the huge gar was caught in Oklahoma's Broken Bow Lake and weighed in at a gargantuan 327 lbs. The story gets even better. The usual email includes a theory that giant gar, like the one in the photos, could be responsible for the disappearance of swimmers in several Oklahoma lakes. It's a great story. The only problem is that none of it is true.

The gar, while truly a giant, was taken from the Sam Rayburn Reservoir in East Texas by Keith Riehn and Robin Parks in 2005. According to several sources the gar measured 8' 2" in length and weighed in at 244.5 lbs. The Dallas Morning News confirmed the origin and circumstances behind the catch in a 2005 article. In part, the article reads, "Using tackle that would suit Luke Skywalker, two Missouri archers won a tag-team version of gar wars at Sam Rayburn Lake, bagging a gigantic alligator gar that weighed 244.5 lbs. It is the pending Bowfishing Association of America world record. Curiously, the last line of the article reads, "The giant fish is not, however, largest of its species taken with bow and arrow in Texas." Why this other, apparently larger, gar is not recognized as a bowfishing record is not clear. At the time this article was written, the heaviest gar ever taken in Oklahoma weighed a "mere" 184 lbs. The fish was taken by Sean Chatham on the Okie side of the Red River.

The assertion in the email that huge gar could be responsible for disappearing swimmers in Oklahoma lakes is interesting to ponder but baseless. While gar are huge and fierce looking they don't seem to see people as prey. Periodically, stories will circulate about a gar that bites the foot of a person who had their legs dangling in the water from a pier or boat. This has happened but mistaken identity seems a more logical explanation. Most wounds are inflicted upon fishermen as they try to haul a big gar into their boat. Gar have large mouths full of razor sharp teeth and they thrash around quite a bit when boated. The closest thing to a gar attack I've heard of didn't actually include a gar at all. MonsterQuest did a show about giant fish that included a feature on giant muskie. It seems a very large muskie did, in fact, attack a person who was wading in shallow water in a northern lake. I've not heard of any similar stories regarding gar in Texas.

Why hoaxers would want to falsely credit another region and lake for this catch is a mystery. What is for sure is that the gar in these photos was taken in the Lone Star State. This shouldn't be a surprise. After all, everything is bigger in Texas. Oh, except for gar. It seems the largest gar on record, weighing in at an astounding 350 lbs., was caught in the Saint Francis River of...Arkansas. Let's just keep that between us, ok?

MonsterQuest Yeti Expedition Special

I thought I would remind everyone that the two hour season finale of MonsterQuest will be airing tomorrow night (10/24). The episode features the expedition undertaken by Adam Davies in search of the yeti.

The expedition team was actually air lifted by helicopter to an extremely remote location in the Himalayas. They then hiked for several additional days to reach their target destination. This strategy hasn't been employed since the famous Tom Slick expedition many years ago.

Several stories have leaked out regarding the hardships and dangers endured by the team during their time in the Himalayas. It should make for some interesting viewing. Loren Coleman has posted a great write-up on the upcoming episode and has posted some exclusive photos over at Cryptomundo. You can access the write-up here.

Podiatrist Examines Alleged Sasquatch Footprint Castings

There is an interesting article on today's Chicago Post-Tribune website about a local podiatrist who was asked by the producers of MonsterQuest to examine castings of alleged sasquatch footprints.

Dr. Michael Nirenberg was asked by the producers of the History Channel's hit series to examine various castings taken in different areas and over a period of many years. To my knowledge, Dr. Nirenberg is the first podiatrist to examine plaster castings of alleged sasquatch footprints. You can read the entire article and get more details here. However, his opinion after examining the castings can be summed up in his statement, "I'm led to believe there is some sort of creature out there making these footprints."

Give the article a look. Dr. Nirenberg has some interesting things to say.

MonsterQuest: Swamp Stalker Episode Review

I just finished watching the MonsterQuest Swamp Stalker episode. All in all, I was pleased with how it turned out. I thought all the researchers were presented in a positive light and that the show did a good job of explaining the various techniques used to search for the sasquatch-like creature that has been seen for decades in the Ark-La-Tex-Oma area. Also, I truly appreciate how the subject matter is taken seriously and how evidence that is collected is critically analyzed. Having said that, I do think there was room for improvement with this episode.

I suppose my first criticism would be that the MonsterQuest producers tried to cram too much information from too many different areas into one episode. The two research teams were 75-100 (though the narrator said 250) miles apart. In my opinion, if the episode was to focus on the “Fouke Monster” or “Swamp Stalker” that is where the teams should have been looking exclusively. There are plenty of good areas to search in and around the Sulphur River bottoms. Instead, the second group of researchers was sent far north into the Ouachita Mountains. In addition, the sighting of TBRC researcher Daryl Colyer was included in this episode. This incident occurred far to the South of the Fouke area along the Trinity River in southeast Texas. Also, the show featured the discovery of a set of large footprints and a handprint along a creek in southeast Texas. Plaster casts were taken and evaluated by Dr. Jeff Meldrum of Idaho State University. This is all well and good but, again, this evidence was collected far to the south of Fouke. While I have no doubt that the same type of creature is responsible for the sightings in all three of these locations, I do believe the show would have been better had the producers zeroed in on one location only and done a truly in depth investigation.

The second thing I was a bit disappointed in was how the encounter of the bow hunter was glossed over. I have heard him recount his story in person and it is absolutely incredible. I don’t believe it was given the attention it deserved. There was also a discrepancy in how the story was depicted on the show and the report the hunter filed with the TBRC. The narrator said the encounter occurred in “broad daylight”. This is not the case. According to the hunter, the incident occurred prior to dawn while still dark. There was a large full moon out, however, that allowed good visibility. Also, the hunter described seeing two animals beneath him. This was not mentioned on the show. I believe these errors fall on the MonsterQuest producers. I’ve talked to this man myself and heard him recount his story several times months apart. His story has always remained the same. Never once have I heard him say the encounter occurred in broad daylight. You can read the actual report submitted to the TBRC here. I believe that the lack of detail presented was a decision made necessary when the producers decided to include material from too many separate areas in this one show.

I found much to like about this episode as well. I mentioned in a previous post that I had been invited to participate in the filming of this episode but could not due to my work schedule. It turned out that I got to have a hand in this episode after all. I was present on the 2006 TBRC investigation that yielded the footprint and handprint castings featured on the show. I actually took the photos of TBRC investigator Daryl Colyer pouring and pulling the plaster castings as well as the photo of the creek and surrounding area (I have posted one photo above and two photos to the right). It was exciting to see Dr. Jeff Meldrum examine evidence that I helped collect.

While it is easy for me to say, I think that MonsterQuest would have been better off making a separate episode for each of the three areas discussed and/or investigated on this show (the Fouke, Area, the Ouachita Mountains, and Southeast Texas). There is plenty of historical background, local folklore, Native American legends, newspaper accounts, and modern sightings in each of these areas to fill up a one hour episode. I hope that these episodes will be produced and aired one day.

I will post an entry at a later date recounting the details of the 2006 investigation that yielded the footprint and handprint castings.

MonsterQuest: Swamp Stalker Update

Watch the trailer for The Swamp Stalker episode of MonsterQuest here.

The show will air on February 18 at 8:00 P.M. (CST). The show will repeat at 12:00 midnight and again at 3:00 P.M. (CST) on February 21.

The show features one of the most compelling sasquatch encounters I've ever heard. I won't spoil the show for you but it is the story told by the bow hunter during the episode. You won't want to miss his account.

MonsterQuest: Swamp Stalker

The third season of the History Channel's hit series MonsterQuest is underway. I wanted to give you the heads up on the season's third show entitled Swamp Stalker. The show will air on February 18 at 8:00 P.M. (CST). The show will repeat at 12:00 midnight and again at 3:00 P.M. (CST) on February 21.

The Swamp Stalker features two MonsterQuest teams comprised largely of Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy (TBRC) investigators as they work to try to solve the decades old mystery of the "Swamp Stalker", a bigfoot-like creature, roaming the Texas-Arkansas-Louisiana border. The "Swamp Stalker" was immortalized in the cult classic movie The Legend of Boggy Creek. I was actually invited to take part in this episode but was unable to participate due to my work schedule. I can assure you, however, that the TBRC investigators who were able to participate did a top notch job. You can read more about the episode at the TBRC website here or at the History Channel website.

MonsterQuest Yeti Expedition Update

There is an update on the Cryptomundo website about the MonsterQuest backed expedition to find evidence of the yeti in Nepal. You can access the article here.

Apparently, things got more than a little scary and tough over there. According to the article, the hiking turned out to be even more difficult than anticipated and at least one crew member nearly fell to his death. Adam Davies, team member and author of Extreme Adventures, may have made the understatement of the year when he said, "The Himalayas in winter are not to be taken lightly." The MonsterQuest episode featuring this expedition will be airing soon. I'll post the date once it is announced.

I've never been to the Himalayas but can personally attest to the dangers that await anyone who seriously pursues the sasquatch in these United States. The areas I frequent here in the south vary from mosquito, gator, hog, and snake infested swamps to mountainous and rocky cougar, black bear, and rattlesnake territory (as you may have noticed the snakes are pretty much a constant in my part of the world). I've also been to Washington state looking for these animals. The mountainous terrain, bears, and big cats, not to mention harsh winters, make that area no picnic either. My hat is off to these guys, and other serious field researchers, who brave these hazards again and again trying to document this amazing and elusive animal.

MonsterQuest Yeti Expedition

Loren Coleman, of Cryptomundo, is reporting that The History Channel and producers for the show "MonsterQuest" will soon announce plans for a two week expedition to search for the yeti. The team will be using helicopters to drop members deep into the heart of the Himalayas. This will save days of hiking and allow the team to spend their entire two weeks actively researching. If this report is accurate, this may well be the best funded and most documented expedition in the area since Tom Slick searched fifty years ago.

For more details on this expedition you can click here.