Manitoba Mounties Nab Sasquatch
Posted by: Craig Woolheater on August 16th, 2007
Manitoba Mounties nab Whiteshell ‘sasquatch’
Teen in gorilla mask frightened campers for two years
Mounties in eastern Manitoba have nabbed a strange, hairy monster that has been stalking campgrounds in and around the Whiteshell Provincial Park for the past two summers.
Police received the call around midnight on July 30 from a woman who had been startled by the beastly creature while camping at Pinawa, about 90 kilometres east of Winnipeg.
“This was further to about 10 calls we had last year of the same incident in the Whiteshell Provincial Park, so the members were aware of the type of person we were looking for,” Staff Sgt. Glen Reitlo told CBC News Wednesday.
“A couple of our members attended and ended up finding the sasquatch.”
The creature turned out to be an 18-year-old Winnipeg man wearing a hairy gorilla mask, which Reitlo described as “ugly” and “scary.”
“Something like that at midnight would scare someone,” he said.
“When he was confronted by not only the police, but the person who he scared, he admitted that he was the person who had been responsible for the last year and a half,” Reitlo said.
Reitlo said the man was not intoxicated when nabbed by officers; he apparently had been camping in the area over the past two summers and simply enjoyed the prank.
His victims were less impressed. The woman who complained gave the man quite a tongue-lashing, Reitlo said.
“He was pretty meek and mild at the end of it … he definitely learned his lesson, that’s for sure.”
No charges have been laid.CBC News
Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005.
I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films:
OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou.
Why do people keep doing that? Don’t they realize that there are some that WOULD SHOOT them? Just insane!
It’s pranks like these that keep some people non-believers.
I agree with Darla KnD, some people would shoot them if they thought it was a sasquatch. Sigh……moving on.
I ask again…
We hear endless excuses as to why a real Sasquatch has not been shot.
Why is it any more likely that someone dressed as a Sasquatch would be shot?
I am under the impression that it is not only guns that this jokester should be worried about, but also the unwanted attention of an amorous Bigfoot. 🙂
I guess this is the time that I step in to remind folks that this is a story about a hoaxer wearing a costume, not about gun control, gun rights, etc.
All comments mentioning these things will be edited/deleted.
mystery_man–Thanks for bringing some levity to my life today. I don’t think I can top that post, so I’ll just say, “Thanks for the laugh”!!!
I thought about putting on a suit before & doing just what this kid did. Then I thought, what kind of idiot am I. This is not the smartest thing I have thought of.
Especially where I live, hunters all over the place. Not a very smart move.
I can laugh at most stuff, from Benny Hill to Python, but this I dont get.
I can’t for the life of me think why, even under the severest intoxcation, anybody would find this activity even vaguely amusing, even if they did it just ONCE! But this guy is sober and has done it on various occasions over two years.
Suggest a whip round to buy the poor guy a back-up brain cell for the faulty one Mother Nature provided him with.
It really is too bad that someone didn’t pop off a shot over the dumbarse’s head…
I’m sure his ‘wee fun game would have come to an abrupt end.
I cannot find any history of anyone ever being shot in a gorilla costume; I challenge someone to find it. Would you shoot a gorilla if it was running around in your hunting lands? I think fear of getting into trouble would make anyone not pull the trigger. You’d more likely want to be the guy who reported the gorilla to authorities; maybe getting on the 5 o’clock news about the escaped animal. Thing is, no one reports a gorilla in the woods; they all report bigfoot.
I’d like to know if ‘wanting to impersonate a crypto- creature’ has a swanky psychological term for that behavior.
Perhaps there’s even a psychosis term for ‘wanting to be shot in a gorllia costume.’ I’m sure there is?
There is, and you said it.. PSYCHOSIS!!
I see nothing wrong with a harmless prank, so long as the prankster does not draw it out and comes forward when people really get scared, or in danger. In a way, wearing a monkey mask at night is a form of artistic expression. It might not be a bright idea, but it is not that much different from a man in a ladies nightgown on the sidewalk. Who are we to tell someone what to wear in a public place? Otherwise a uniform might be required one day to go camping!
Just think, this guy has been doing this for well over a year! So it must have worked well for him. In other words, the victims response was as expected. Done in good taste, I can see how it could be very funny! Especially if caught on video. I find it all harmless. I think it is good they caught him, so he can get treatment for his addiction. But I am glad no charges have been filed for now, and I doubt his intentions were bad. I have pulled pranks on my friends and when younger, even strangers. I found it very funny and so did most of my victims, after they found out. One prank even involved an angry Bigfoot recording just off in the darkness from our campfire. The guys (young and healthy) had downed a few, then around 11PM the tape went off. It started out low, got a bit louder, then eventually went into a wild madness!
At first they thought it was a bear, but then realized it was not! None of them had the courage to go see what this thing was. One actually suggested it sounded like a Bigfoot in some sort of gas pain, or mating ritual! I and my partner in crime simply could not stop laughing. Yet none of the other guys even noticed us practically with tears in our eyes! I kept a watchful eye and was ready to end the prank instantly. What is quite interesting is that this was our hunting camp and we all had guns. At night the guns were kept in our trailers unloaded. Despite being way back on some logging road, with some wild creature in the woods late at night, none went for a rifle! Yet I really believe they were a bit scared. After some 10 minutes of this, they finally noticed our laughter and quickly put 2 and 2 together. We fessed-up. They took it well, but vowed to get even. They all laughed with us. As they should. I would, if a good natured prank was pulled on me. I would! Life is too short to get serious about a jokester. So long as no real harm was done and the prankster promises never to do it again- like I did.
I would not have pulled that prank if there was an old person in the group and would be mindful of such things. But I could see how fooling strangers could be risky, because one might not know their health status. But this guy did it many times and no real harm was done, that we know of. Some of his victims might even laugh along now. I guess he was willing to take the physical risks and that was his business. Sort of like an Extreme Sport. Perhaps he was counting on no handguns allowed in Canada? Yes I can see the humor, but I would not have done it that many times.
I happen to believe in Bigfoot. I have seen and feel there is more than enough evidence to support this. Bigfoot pranks do not change my opinions. I am actually for the public not believing. I would prefer them to view Bigfoot as a prank. That way the creatures would be left alone by whackos. When Bigfoot is finally proven, scientists will want research funds to go study the things. Perhaps even tag one. Then there will be the odd types that will want to enter their domain and try and live with the creatures. What for? So we can destroy them? The African Mountain Gorillas were better off prior to being discovered by us. Plus obviously they, (Bigfeet) do not want our contact now. So the more non-believers the better for Bigfoot.
But no matter what, when Bigfoot is proven, pranks or none, the choice to believe in or not to, will have ended. So the outcome of a public prank today is basically meaningless, in the scheme of Bigfoot.
“Why is it any more likely that someone dressed as a Sasquatch would be shot?”
If we accept that a bear can be misidentified as a sasquatch, aren’t we also obliged to accept that a guy in a gorilla costume can be misidentified as a bear?
“It’s all fun and games until someone gets killed…” We had a hobo living not far from my family’s ranch who wore bear skin in the winter. The police told him not to wear it because someone would probably shoot him, and this is in the mountains of California so far out there that no one would call it in if it happened. I haven’t seen him this year, so…