Instant Celebrity Occupation: Bigfoot’s Podiatrist
Posted by: Loren Coleman on May 1st, 2009
Cryptozoologist Bernard Heuvelmans once remarked, in essence, that cryptozoology was a field where a multiplicity of disciplines would be needed to bring to bear all the evidence to establish that new species exist.
The most recent episode of “MonsterQuest” (“Ape Island”) gave a sterling example of this principle.
Bigfoot’s Podiatrist.
Perhaps only the good doctor’s local newspaper would get the spelling of his name correctly and the title of his occupation precisely, but instant celebrity status is the outcome of Wednesday’s broadcast:
Podiatrist on History Channel show…
The History Channel TV show “MonsterQuest,” [which originally aired April 29, 2009],… feature[d] Crown Point podiatrist Michael Nirenberg and his examination of casts of footprints possibly made by the apelike creature known as Sasquatch or Bigfoot.“MonsterQuest” producers flew Nirenberg, a forensic podiatrist, to a remote area of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, to examine the footprint casts.
Dr. Michael Nirenberg’s credible appearance added greatly to the program.
Before viewing the footprints, Nirenberg said he was a bit cynical about the existence of Bigfoot, but kept an open mind.
“I met with (Sasquatch investigator John Bindernagel) and we looked at the prints, and they videotaped me talking to him about the footprints, and looking at them and studying them,” Nirenberg said. “After that, they gave me a few hours to study the footprints. They then asked me what I thought: Did I think they were a hoax? Did I think they were real?”
“At the end of all of this, there was nothing there I saw that screamed hoax. I think for someone to hoax these footprints would be very difficult.”
~Source: Elizabeth Lisican, Post-Tribune [3/16/09]
It is rather apparent that Michael Nirenberg, who understands celebrity, is rapidly becoming “Bigfoot’s podiatrist.” See also here and listen here.
Meanwhile, as the week comes to a quick close, take a moment to…
🙂 Thank You.
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.
Saw Cryptomundo get a shoutout on G4 last night. Nice.
What’s that picture at the bottom of this article? Isn’t that a bear print (double-imprint)? I think I see claw prints at the top and the angular off-set at the bottom left looks like a heel from the double-imprint.
Disclaimer: The photograph at the bottom is of a “footprint image” tied to the publicity and articles about this doctor. It may be a totally created piece of art or someone’s quickly discovered bear print that they have tied to this “Bigfoot” story.
The fact that so many fields and disciplines converge in cryptozoology is one of the things that fascinates me about this area. And it’s not only how scientific fields that comes together, but also how they mesh in with input from amateurs and the layperson. Any field where biologists, geologists, chemists, zoologists, anthropologists, psychologists, campers, hunters, podiatrists, and some guy in an armchair reading books can all come together to talk, exchange information, and drive forward the effort to get to the truth, is very exciting in my opinion.
All of these facets, and the input from scientist and layperson alike, are important to bring to bear on this subject.
I agree the more disciplines that we have looking at evidence and there willingness to speak out on it, is going to be one of our best weapons in solving this mystery.
One has to wonder how many other professionals are waiting in the wings with evidence, test results and commentary on the matter.
m_m:
Claiming no more dog in this hunt than some-guy-in-an-armchair status :-D:
It says something to me that numerous folks like this, having nothing to gain from doing so, publicly admit to being either converted, or moved off of cynicism, by close examination of the evidence.
Way too many people take the way too easy response – easy because it’s never examined – that oh, he’s doing it for the publicity, when a moment’s thought dashes that as ridiculous. How the HECK could this help him?
And before anyone answers: please think about it for a minute, so that the answer you provide will reflect that you did that. It would be a refreshing change.
Another thing:
I wouldn’t make any claims too fast for that photograph at the bottom. I’d say bear hind print (not double) if I had to bet on it.
It’s to Nirenberg’s credit he kept an open mind and looked at the evidence objectively, rather than preconceived notions.
The more sunlight is thrown into the mix, the more the object will be clearly seen, I say. Good post, Loren.
Yes it is very much to his credit centered skepticism and neutral objectively is the optimum position for research and field evidence to be studied and tested.
The more professionals in mainstream science we get to look at our evidence the better off we will be and the less slanted and bias the commentary on the evidence if it is presented to these professionals first rather than to the professionals in the BF community.
Sorry if that sounds harsh, but that is the reality that we have in this field and I know that there are BF researchers who do realize this out there.
Have a good one.
doctoratlantis, that was my impression, too: superimposed bear print. You can see the more recent print very clearly, then you have the extension towards the ‘heel’. I hope that isn’t the causes of the ‘mid-tarsal break’ we hear so much about. But surely the better researchers know the difference!
He looks like a kind man.