Latvian Ape Man
Posted by: Loren Coleman on November 13th, 2011
Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 29, 4 February 1937, Page 6
“APE-MAN” FOUND
A strange creature, half man, half ape, has been captured near Riga, Latvia, by a band of foresters. The band, engaged in inspecting one of the great forests of the region, suddenly came upon the man-ape, crouching at the foot of a tree. As they approached the creature fled, and swinging itself on to an overhanging branch, climbed with remarkable speed and agility to the’top of the tree. One of the foresters took a shot at it, whereupon the creature, emitting a wild shriek, crashed to the ground. The foresters seized it and found it to be entirely naked, and its body covered with long, thick hair. Upon taking the captive to a nearby village it was discovered that he was actually a farm labourer who had disappeared many years ago. The apeman can neither speak nor understand anything when spoken to, but lets out yells of delight when meat and fruit are placed before him.
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.
Missing farm worker? Psychosis or head trauma perhaps? I can see abandoned children turning feral but are there any documented cases of an adult turning feral to the point that language skills are lost? And while I can understand the naked part I don’t understand the ‘long and thick’ hair all over his body. Unless he was suffering from an endocrine or genetic mutation I can’t see the human body suddenly sprouting that much hair.
Wonder what eventually became of this man? 1937 wasn’t that long ago but I don’t read Latvian or any other Baltic languages so I’m out of my depths.
Wait.. so he was a farm labourer, but his body was covered with long, thick hair? Also why no pics?
having family of Latvian descent I can safely say that having a body covered with thick hair is not uncommon for men or women from that part of the world.
Well that settles it then! Bigfoot(s) and ape men are just crazy old forest dwellers 😛