Fire-Impacted Bigfoot Research
Posted by: Loren Coleman on October 25th, 2007
The fire storms of Southern California have burned more than 400,000 acres and nearly one million people have been evacuated. California has suffered from 8,000 wildfires this year alone, and sadly, 6,800 of them were started by people.
The California fires of the fall of 2007 are widespread, and the human impact is massive. We hear stories, naturally, of firefighters, celebrity houses burning, and people moving from the danger zones. But what’s happening to the wildlife?
Endangered animals like the California condor are being evacuated from the San Diego Wildlife Park. The Los Angeles City Department of Animal Services is cautioning Southern California residents to avoid wild animals who have been displaced by wildfires. Birds are said to be flying in from fire ravaged areas. The southern California habitat of the bighorn sheep remains safe, news reporters note.
Is anyone systematically gathering this data for all wildlife? On the impact to cryptids?
What about Bigfoot too?
The disaster of the eruption of Mount St. Helens caused speculation for years afterwards as to whether any dead Bigfoot were to be found in the area of destruction. Reports of helicopters flying out bodies of Sasquatch were part of the rumor mill for a few years. Conspiracy theories gone wild.
How about a realistic fire-impact study in hominology? The lab is open, but is anyone gathering the data?
The time is now to collect reports of actual sightings of movements of wildlife retreating from these fires, increased activity of Bigfoot in southern and northern California, sightings of Sasquatch from the West, and anomalistic zoological accounts from northern Mexico, in a more global fashion. Who will step forward for this challenge?
What is happening with Bigfoot, in relationship to the fires of California?
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
The size of the area is absolutely depressing. My heart goes out to all the victims!
To me the answer is obvious and the reasons are two.
1) Who is stepping forward to address the challenge? No one.
2) Why? Well, look at all the evidence that’s been accumulated over a half-century. And all of that evidence has not so much as sparked a limited investigation by science into the animal’s possible existence.
I would say this. If you are a Sasquatch researcher with a routine upcoming investigation into another possible hotspot, say, Ohio, you might want to change plans, buy a plane ticket, and figure out where some possible places out in CA might be to look, right about now.
Because if this critter exists, it would surely seem that some places are about to see slightly more of them than usual.
I think it goes without saying that the people who keep databases will want to watch sighting concentrations in CA very closely over the upcoming few weeks or months.
Richard 88 – It is indeed a depressing reality, I was thinking though…..is it possible that the latest sightings of bigfoots appearing in unexpected areas across america related to this tragedy???? Possibly they are evacuating the california area for safer lands farther out of california and that is the reason for sightings located in states recently thought to have no bigfoot link? Maybe they new it was going to happen and therefore left their home range? Or maybe because there is a certain time of year in america where this naturally happens, and we are sure that sasquatch is relatively intelligent, they have figured out when and were these anomalies will occur.
That fire area is enormous and like Richard88 I was depressed to see it. Forest fires can have their place in nature and the ecosystem, but these man made conflagrations are devastating. I was not aware that there had been so many this year in Southern California. It’s bad enough that some species are losing their habitat due to human encroachment to begin with, let alone burning what is left down. I’m glad to see some areas, like the Bighorn sheep habitat, are OK. As for bigfoot and the effect the fires may be having on them, it is a very interesting line of inquiry. I don’t know who would be up for pursuing it, but I think likely not any mainstream research groups. I agree with DWA that any Bigfoot researchers out that way might want to look into it.
Yeah it would be a good idea to keep an eye out for anything. There is every possibility that they would even venture into extreme close proximity to the public to escape the fire damaged areas.
Of course, an aspect of what I suggested that I just now thought about:
Sasquatch sightings have many characteristics that seem to earmark them as events external to the observers, i.e,. they appear less to be false positives than potential evidence of a real animal.
Among these characteristics are sighting distributions. For example: areas with low human population densities seem to have the highest concentrations of sightings. Not what you’d expect of a figment of people’s imaginations. Likewise, sightings appear overwhielmingly to cluster around water sources, and to occur in areas that anecdotal evidence seems to suggest as excellent habitat.
This would be a capital opportunity for researchers to tack yet another coincidence?-I-think-not feature onto sighting report concentrations. If such seem to conform to what wildlife biologists might predict in the wake of an event like this, that’s another arrow in the proponents’ quiver, don’t you think?
Are there recent (last few years) reliable sightings in that area? If so, would they probably go where the other wildlife does? Islands? High peaks above the fire – perhaps where the bighorn are?
Right now, I suspect anyone wanting to go into the burn area to look for them would be in trouble with the authorities.
What sort of practical steps could actually be taken in a situation like this?
Well in order for bigfoot to be an issue in these fires, you’d have to have some sort of evidence that bigfoot lives in that habitat. I am very familiar with the locations of the fires and habitat (especially now) it’s not…
I am afraid that I have nothing to contribute to knowledge of these areas and/or habitat. I have only recently visited America in this year for the first time and the furthest I got was Pennsylvania :S
I did get to see New York though which I must say was nice, but then again I found it got very samey…if you know what I mean.
To Kathy Strain’s statement:
“Well in order for bigfoot to be an issue in these fires, you’d have to have some sort of evidence that bigfoot lives in that habitat. …habitat (especially now) it’s not… ”
I say: Well, let’s not be too hasty here.
The statement “absence of evidence is not evidence of absence” must have been invented by a scientist, because a statement more scientific at heart would be hard to come by. No evidence (yet) does not mean it isn’t habitat. It might not be at all times; but it might be at some times.
The area of the fires might not be a place to send a primary expedition team, given what anecdotal evidence seems to say. But if sighting patters in areas around the fires’ fringes change in the short term, that opinion might change as well. The sas probably has much in common with other primate species we know about, if it exists. But if it’s a new species – heck, if it’s a separate species from others, new or no – it’s obviously going to have some unique traits, and almost certainly some we wouldn’t expect, or how could it have gone so long without confirmation?
Once again, it’s not the area itself that needs watching; it’s the fringes of that area. If sighting patterns change, one possible reason to consider would have to be the fires.
The beauty of the approach is that no one has to go into the fire area at all, or even into the field, just yet. Simply observe sighting reports from CA, and see if unusual numbers might be coming from areas that logic might dictate would indicate movements consistent with fire dispersal.
Simple as that. Particularly when sas proponents need all the help they can get, why turn away when Mother Nature may be giving us a [back]hand?
Discoveries have a disquieting tendency to happen in places no one’s looking.
I live here in socal. and know these areas very well. DWA, Mystery-man, and scotsman, I too am very depressed about these fires and the impact they are having on our wildlife and civilian population. Yes, the wildlife in these areas are being drawn out of their habitat and moving into populated areas. The area in San Diego is mostly a Chaparal area that is very dry. Alot of cougar, deer, coyote, and smaller creatures live in this area. I have not heard of sasquatch reports in that area.
The mountain areas in socal may be a different story. There may be sasquatch in Arrowhead but I do not recall any reports coming from that area. I can say that are wildlife has been hit very hard.
I’ll keep you all posted if I hear of any sasquatch reports. Thanks for all of your concerns.
As you already know DWA, I am not a proponent that bigfoot can be just anywhere. It isn’t wise or prudent to be advocating that people utilize their limited resources (as you stated in your first post: “If you are a Sasquatch researcher with a routine upcoming investigation into another possible hotspot, say, Ohio, you might want to change plans, buy a plane ticket, and figure out where some possible places out in CA might be to look, right about now.”) to be looking in places where it isn’t reasonable to assume a bigfoot might be present.
You are correct that if bigfoot was using the houses and hoses for their territory (haha), then you will see a shift into other areas. In that regard I have put out a large “Vacancy” sign on my National Forest to make sure they feel welcome!
Does anyone honestly think there are Bigfoot in Southern California? I haven’t heard any reports from this area in years.
Kathy:
What first post? :- D
I might have gotten a bit carried away by the .000 batting average of sas researchers in convincing the scientific community. If you’re not getting it done in OH, why not travel?
So OK, skip the plane ticket part (unless you feel lucky). But definitely watch encounter reports and see if anything unusual starts turning up in CA.
These fires don’t sound anywhere near controlled yet. Given that evidence indicates that animals may have built-in warning systems of upcoming natural upheavals, some movement may now, or may soon, be occurring in places outside the current fire perimeter that might start showing up in the form of reports.
(Or, given what seems to be the general public take on the sas, not. Unless you know more than you’re telling anyone, you need reports, and people have to feel comfortable making them.)
Given the kinds of data that might come out of the blue in areas where major natural disasters, or OK let’s just say changes, are taking place, I wouldn’t ignore the potential. And you may not even have to leave your computer to stay on top of it.
To make it all short bigfoot creatures might be heading up north to Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. But most bigfoot reports come out from the northern california mountains. Not southern california.
hey loren & everyone think wildlife of any kind & sasquatch will definetly move to safer forests areas from the horrible fires. will this increase or decrease sightings of these creatures that a toss up. but i feel realy bad for all the people of ca dealing with these horrible fires indeed. please keep me updated on this for future updates. great article as well. good evening bill green 🙂 🙁
Hello Cryptomundo members,
My name is Vance. I live in East Central Florida. After chasing around the “Skunk Ape” Florida’s version of “Bigfoot” so called by many a local for the past 30 years or so, I have determined for myself at least, that the Skunk Ape lives almost entirely in the Floridan aquifer system. And this is why it is so rarely seen. And the Florida wildfires of ’98 didn’t threaten them in the least. Maybe this is so in California.
Nice to meet you folks, been lurking since the begining here.
Well, DWA, I always know more than I tell anyone! LOL!
Lets just hope and pray that these fires are under control soon and that there is no more loss of life.
I’m not sure what we can surmise here. If sasquatch exists in this area (and I’ve not seen much published to indicate that), it’s a tall biped with primate intelligence, presumably having both the brains and the ability to flee the area. On the other had, this fire moved at explosive speeds in some areas. So any local sasquatch population would likely be split between “refugees” and casualties, with at least a few identifable bodies left (note that humans can be identified as humans even after death by fire).
Hello Everyone!
Did anyone happen to see Tuesday 23 October (maybe Monday – my memory isn’t what it used to be) morning at approximately 8:43am EDT (5:43am PDT), on KTLA (channel 5 in LA) the telecopter was taking live pictures of one of the horrendous fires cresting a large hilltop and backlit by the fires was a large figure walking from left to right on the hill/mountain top. My first thought was a firefighter, but it wasn’t carrying a hose or extinguisher or shovel for that matter. When the cameraman zoomed in on it, you could make out that it didn’t have a hat/helmet on, either. When the cameraperson panned back and showed the entire hill/mountaintop, there was no accompanying equipment, fire fighters, trucks with lights, etc. The cameraperson then zoomed back to the hill/mountaintop and showed the figure walking into the fire. I had a distinct WTF moment.
Now, I am the kind of person who wants irrefutable proof of anything paranormal and would love to see the video tapes of that moment again – just to satisfy myself.
BTW, this was on channel 232 Dish network. Don’t know if the satellite feeds are the same as free broadcast, or have some time delay in them.
If i remember correctly the only sighting reports to come from southern California area was back in the 70s, up in the Santa Ana’s and san Gabriel’s. There apparently is a fire near Big Bear which sits at a fairly high altitude (8200) and receives 100 inches of snowfall a year.
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So I call it quite possible that a bigfoot or two are on the move.
This area is not forested, San Diego’s back-country is still essentially a desert for the most part. People should be looking for Bigfoot where the PG film was done, just set up a tent for a month. The recent ‘juvenile Sasquatch in Pennsylvania’ … I’m afraid when i saw Pennsylvania I became doubtful. Are there gorillas all across Africa? Don’t think so.
I am more concerned about The Wild Animal Park and the animals in the San Diego Zoo. Of course fire has an impact on wild life but old Sasquatch if he in fact lives in Southern Cal retreated to a safe abode, no signs no corpse.
well if he is from around there, there is a chance he has fled, we can at least agree that he has enough intelligence to do so.
NightFlight…
Sounds like something straight out of a movie. Just imagining that scene gives me the creeps. Was the news reporter saying anything?
Nightflight- Are you sure it couldn’t have been a dazed and imperiled human that was seen? It seems to me that it is not only wildlife that are being endangered by these fires.
As far as the Big Ones go, I’m sure they are smart enough (some say mystical) to vacate. It’s all the other animals that can’t out run the fire that I feel for. Poor things.
DWA’s “And you may not even have to leave your computer to stay on top of it.” is right on – just tap into the Archives for those SoCal counties for historical reports, before you buy that plane ticket.
I’ll go there and wander around in the ashes – just pay me. Always gets down to money, doesn’t it?
BTW, some jerk was spotted trying to set yet another fire – when cops tried to grab him, he tried to escape, and they shot him dead!
Jason Vac and Mystery Man,
First, I believe the weatherman was giving a summation of the Santa Ana winds with the telecopter live feed providing “color”. There was no voice feed from the telecopter at that moment. But clearly you could tell that the camera operator was concerned, also.
Second, with a huge fire cresting the hill/mountaintop, back lighting the figure making it almost a silhouette and with it moving to escape (I assume), it could have been a large bipedal anything. When the camera zoomed in on it as it walked into the fire from the camera’s point of veiw, it blew me away. I thought to myself that if anything I would have turned down the side of the hill that wasn’t burning to escape.
Maybe someone in the LA area could request the videotape if they know someone at KTLA. I thought (and still think) it was highly interesting.
Nightflight- It definitely sounds interesting. Bigfoot or not, I hope no one was hurt.
Nightflight & MM – Of course it would be a very difficult, and one might say selfish thing to think, assume, or even talk about it being a sas. The alternative (and the majority would think this to be the most probable situation) is that it was an unfortunate person caught in the wrong spot at the wrong time that would almost certainly mean another loss of human life. BUT in this field that we all love so much, this is exactly the kind of scenario that would most likely lead us to a Bigfoot confirmation. So I am sitting on the fence that divides the excitement of finding potential new evidence, and the part of me that thinks this should just be on one of those “TOO EXTREME FOR TV” videos.