February 20, 2012

More On Mammoth Hoax

There is more news detailing the Mammoth Hoax, originally discussed here and here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ijg5F-5sdI

Michael Cohen responded to Ludovic Petho’s claims (via Huffington Post) by sending in an email: “I just looked at this footage and all it proves is that someone filmed the same spot at another time. While this new revelation does open up the prospect that this might well be a hoax at this stage, it is not conclusive and might simply be a case of the same spot being filmed twice.”

Using a frequent technique in deceptive responses, Cohen never addressed the question on the table, but instead used distraction in his followup.

“I was only given sketchy details regarding this footage,” Cohen added. “And it is interesting to note that if, indeed, a mammoth was filmed, it occurred in the Irkutsk region — an area of intense paranormal activity.”

Blake Smith, the skeptic known as “Doctor Atlantis,” is going to post an interview with Petho on Wednesday, but in the meantime, he has the following on YouTube.

Blake Smith writes me: “What my video does is demonstrate that Cohen is wrong about this alternate interpretation. I identified that the video Cohen used comes from 1:09 to 1:19 in the Petho video. There is zero chance that identical water patterns would come back even in the extremely unlikely event that Cohen’s source had managed to line up the shot exactly the same. (Of course Cohen’s video had motion added – but with a motion stabilization applied it is clear that this is exactly the same video.) So I think this video does add something to the body of evidence which turns Cohen’s video from a possible hoax to 100% certainly hoaxed. I’m sure you know how much we skeptics hate to use the word ‘certain.’ šŸ˜‰ Anyway, it is out there if you want to link to it. Your readers might or might not find it of interest.”

Loren Coleman About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the worldā€™s leading cryptozoologists, some say ā€œtheā€ 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. Sandersonā€™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 Colemanā€™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.

Filed under Breaking News, CryptoZoo News, Hoaxes