Fluffy and Snippy in Colorado
Posted by: Loren Coleman on November 11th, 2008
One Bigfoot encounter discussed for the state of Colorado is of “Fluffy” by S. Cole (darkly drawn above). There have been several, and we have Keith Foster to thank for his on-site research on those encounters. Others, such as Jim Brandon (Weird America) and Chris O’Brien have studied the state closely.
You won’t find anything about Fluffy in O’Brien’s books on the strange parts of the state, but you will discover plenty of hints of horses being attacked by various bizarre cryptids and other things in certain valleys of Colorado. One of the most frequently discussed victims, of course, is Snippy (shown below in an infamous black and white photo).
Perhaps the nicknamed Snippy, a 3-year-old Appaloosa, (actual name Lady) was killed by a cryptid between September 7th and 9th, 1967? She failed to show up for her usual morning drink in a pasture on the Harry King ranch 20 miles northeast of Alamosa, at the foot of Mount Blanca, Colorado. What happened?
Just because one prominent theory (drawings below) trumps all others for what killed Snippy doesn’t mean that alternative hypotheses should not be explored. The most-often heard notion of what occurred to poor Snippy is usually illustrated with humans and heifers, not horses, however.
Perhaps a scene with a horse and a Bigfoot in it has more to say about what is happening in Colorado? Or something else rather mundane and zoologically accepted?
Of course, who knows?
Then, I tend to have rejected that UFO angle even though I know some of you still wish for me to consider it, as if I had not lived through the 1970s. 🙂
The legacy of The Unidentified and Creatures of the Outer Edge: The Early Works of Jerome Clark and Loren Coleman lives on, even inside of me.
Bigfoot remains as unexplained at the next mystery, including one named Fluffy. There are enough riddles around for all of us to solve.
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.
Poor dear dead snippy. After reading about him and hundreds of similar animal mutilations, I find it hard to credit these to cryptid animals. Its never wise to assign one mystery as the answer to another, or one unknown as the answer for another. I too lived through the 70’s, a time where UFOs were the answer for everything from blackouts to bigfoot to crop circles.
The problem with the animal mutilations was always the seemingly surgical removal of parts, parts not likely the first to be eaten by a predator or even a scavenger. If it looks like surgery, perhaps it is. Though doubtfully performed by little green men or even greys. More than likely performed by the top predator humans.
There are many reasons for humans to perform surgery on animals in the field, to take parts. Most likely to follow changes in the environment over time.
We don’t want to forget that we dropped two bombs on Japan, and for decades the areas were monitored for radiational affects over time. We have dropped or placed over 100 devices on our own soil, through the 50’s. What better way to check long term problems with the environment, than to check the animals out there living it? Though the impact on our own environment would be unintentional through the ignorance of long term effects, it would still be just as real. remember we exposed our own sailors in harms way leaving them on ships in South Pacific test areas with nothing to protect them but dark glasses.
Though not a pleasant solution, this scenario is easier to believe than cryptids removing unlikely parts from elsie and snippy etc.
Wow,i did a little research on snippy.Amazing story.
I remember a story about a family using their Colorado cabin for the summer, and having something try to get to the garbage sitting on the enclosed porch. They thought it was a bear at first, but then the next morning they found odd animal hair attached to the screen and obvious clues that the creature was attempting to use the door (not tear it apart as a bear would). There also was a strong odor to the hair. There are plenty of places for Big Foot to hide in Colorado. There are so many dips and valleys that are hard for people to get to.
Lots of country in Colorado. But most of the forest is dry country, not much ‘energy’ for life. All of it gets human presence pretty much every year. That doesn’t *prohibit* cryptids, but there should be quite a few sightings. If Loren has reports of these from his visit to Estes Park, we’re all ears. Preditors would definitely include cougars, black bears (usually not predators of large game) coyotes, potentially wolves and grizzlies – not too many of those, but well within possibility. Napes are thought to be omnivores operating in much the same mode and habitat as bears, presumably competing. So, let us hear of sightings.
Creatures of the outer edge is still one of my favorite reads, I hope to get an autographed copy someday.
I wonder what Loren’s favorite cryptid reads are?
I heard about the story of Snippy when I first moved to Colorado. I still find it interesting. I was also amused (and intrigued) when I first drove up to Pike’s Peak and saw the Bigfoot crossing sign. I agree there is alot of prairie, but there is still plenty of mountains and valleys between the prairies that doesn’t get human traffic on a regular basis. Especially in the winter.
I don’t know about cryptids in the area, but after reading the account of Snippy (if it is all to be believed), it sure doesn’t sound like a case of any sort of sasquatch attack, or even any naturally occurring animal for that manner. Whatever the culprit was, for what it’s worth I have a hard time imagining it could have been a sasquatch.
I tend to agree with hlw that perhaps in this particular case, maybe Bigfoot or the skies are not the places to look, but rather our own species. Sure the case is strange, but humans are capable of some pretty alien behavior themselves from time to time, I’d say.
Well, while interesting, I don’t believe there is a “Dark Knight” or “Superman” curse. There have been dozens of portrayals of both Superman and Batman on screen, on the radio, and on television in the past seventy years, and only three actors who participated in two films and one television show have died due to tragic circumstances.
Bud Collyer, Superman’s original radio voice, and Kirk Alyn, who played the Man of Steel in the ’40s serials, lived to ripe old ages. Danny Dark died of natural causes. Dean Cain, Tom Welling, Tim Daly, and George Newborn are alive and well.
Adam West, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, and George Clooney, as well as Kevin Conroy, who voiced Batman in “Batman: The Animated Series,” “The Adventures of Batman & Robin,” “The New Batman Adventures,” “Justice League,” and “Justice League Unlimited,” from 1992 to 2004, are all just fine.
I just feel that those articles made mountains out of molehills, and sort of cast a pall on these two great characters’ many incarnations over the last seven decades.