Luxembourg Wildman Video
Posted by: Loren Coleman on October 8th, 2007
Please refer to Jerry Glover’s previous “Walking With Wildmen” and Luxembourg “Wildman” or “Bigfoot” specific articles for his insights. Here is the video, itself:
I am a middle-aged citizen of Luxembourg who prefers to stay anonymous. In 2002 during winter, i was on my daily walk to film forest life. But before i could reach the forest i noticed some prints on the snow covered ground. Then i saw a hundreds meter away a dark and very huge figure. I tried to get it on the film. The creature disappeared in a forest after a few minutes. I just made some stills of my filming material. I really have no idea what it is and i have never seen something like this before.
I uploaded the video with a better quality here:
Here is a capture take from the video:bigfootlux
(Please click on the image above to view a larger version of the video capture.)
What do you think? Wildman? Almas? Neandertal? Bigfoot? Sasquatch? Yeti? Wudewasa? Kaptar? Fake? Performance Art? Misindentification? Hiker? Hoax? Old Hoax? Boring Hoax?
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.
Apart from the video and its quality, I believe we can safely state this is false. I’m willing to accept the possibility of such large creatures living in remote areas in the US, Canada, Russia, etc. But, simply looking at the size of its habitat, one or more (in order to sustain itself, there has to be a population), I’d rule out Luxembourg.
um……I like the one of the kid in a suit better. Fake or not I love watching these videos. Eventually we will get a REAL good one. I’d like to think if I saw something really big and unknown I would chase it, but I doubt I or anyone else has the moxy. Unless that is what you are looking for.
Europe isnt big enough to suport a population?
Ever heard of a “peters projection world map”? Look it up it shows accurate land mass size.
If americas northwest is big enough to support a small population, mainland europe’s definitly is.
It still has massive areas of woodland mountain and unpopulated scrub for them to wander from Russia to France quite happily.
BUT it is a fake.
Note the tree and creatures colour almost match perfectly.
Said crreature wanders along and when he is stood directly between the cameraman and a tree stands still, camera pans left then back and he has miraculously vanished …….in the most open area of trees you see in the entire video.
hey Lupus, did you ever watch Gorillas in the Mist? Not saying that this is real, but animals have no concept of borders. This could be just one of hundreds all over the Alps. After all, Luxembourg is basically a “dip” or valley set in the middle of the Alps. During the winter it would be one of the few great places for such creatures to hang out. As for the video, I no have high speed cable connection, but it is unfortunate that these videos come off Utube. None of them have great resolution. And, yes, this could have been anything from a purposeful hoax to the filmer happening across a hiker in what looked like a full fur coat.
There is nothing shown here that convincingly makes me think this is anything other than a man wearing dark winter clothing. That’s what I see when I watch this. I see no clear anatomical features that rule out a man in heavy clothing and no particularly impressive gait. To me, there is honestly nothing here that would definitively allow us to rule out a man in winter clothes and say that this must be an unverified hairy hominid. I think that those who want to see a large, hairy hominid will see that, but to most people who are shown this clip, this will appear to be pretty mundane. That’s not to say without a doubt that it is a fake, but I’d say there is a good chance. Whether it is fake or not, it is most certainly inconclusive.
Shumway,
Sure, animals have no sense of borders and I don’t expect them to flash their ID cards everytime they cross one (never mind the fact that isn’t necessary within the EU ;)), but, with a land mass of only 2,586 square kilometers and a population of 500.000, Luxembourg is small and I doubt a population of these kind of animals would go unnoticed. Even if they did travel across the border (to Belgium up west, or even higher, the Netherlands, or France and Germany in the south/east), it would be impossible for them to remain hidden.
In the beginning of the clip I think I can see other people and that “wildman” is most likely a member of that party (went for a wee perhaps). It does look like a human in a coat to me. Even if the alps are vast and stretching over many countries I find it hard to be a wildman area. Most of the alps are exploited and has skiing resorts cause it is the nr:1 skiing area in western Europe. Of course, I can be wrong but I doubt so.If there are any forms of wildmen, bigfoots et cetera in Europe they have to be in Northern Scandinavia or in Russia. I think northern Scandinavia could be a place for a shy creature like the bigfoot cause it is geographically very similar to north America.
Cheers
/Fredrik
Agree that it’s a pretty awful attempt at a fake. Perhaps an “unintended” fake, like some joker with a full-length fur coat or something. mystery_man says it best–inconclusive at best.
As to the suitability of Luxembourg as habitat for a population of wildmen, the first thing to remember is that there would have to be a sustainable population of these things and that means enough individuals to provide the genetic diversity to survive consecutive generations. One or two could remain hidden, but we have to account for a viable breeding population, which would likely require a lot of territory for them to remain hidden. Luxembourg is 998 square miles, with a population of roughly 500,000 people. And even though the Northern one third of the country is densely forested and part of the Ardennes mountain range, that is a still a population density of around 500 people per square mile. Compare that to 80 people per square mile for the United States, and about 9 per square mile for Canada. Even with that forested one third, consider those numbers and weigh the odds that a breeding, self sufficient population of undiscovered wildmen are inhabiting those mountains. Maybe they migrate somehow throughout other European countries, but I’m with Jules in thinking that it is unlikely that they could last this long undetected.
I like the name of the filmer: Frank Hansen.
The “real” Frank Hansen was the showman who presented the minnesota iceman.
I say it’s fake. European wildman may exist in the Pyrenees, Scotland and Scandinavia, but not in one of the smallest countrys of the continent.
Sorry, I meant I’m with Lupus, not Jules at the end of my last post. I don’t know where that mistake came from! Sorry!
I say it’s fake. No only because of the guy who filmed is called Frank Hansen…
Some european wildman may live in the Pyrenees, Scotland and Scandinavia, but not in one of the smallest countrys of the continent.
Then it’s too shaky, too Patterson-film-like…
skitdog – mystery_man always says it best…
and yeah, even if this video wasn’t such bad quality, and wasn’t entirely consistent with a man in a long coat, i’d bet all my worldy possessions that there aren’t any wildmen in europe (if by ‘wildmen’ we mean a different species of hominid, or even ‘primitive tribe’, rather than a few individual humans living ‘feral’) (and if by europe we dont mean the caucases and european russia).
There are plenty of relatively close up clear shots, they’re just not steady. So someone stabilize it. I’m sure that will end this discussion pretty quick.
Hmm. Interesting, I guess. I agree it looks like someone draped in rags and tatters, and heavy clothes. Could be it’s more than that, I suppose, but I’m doubtful. It does however also bring to mind that some of the old medieval descriptions of ‘wild men’ wore ragged furs and clothing. Which also makes me think of the ‘Mountain Men’ of the American expansion and exploration era, and the reputations they had, and their apparent preference for that kind of life.
No, I’m not making any claims that this video shows such a person, I’m just ruminating a bit.
It does look like a man in a raggedy coat. But for the sake of argument, has anyone tried to determine the height of the “being”?
assumptions again people. Europe isnt this Luxembourg isnt that. be carefull about drawing conclusion from assumptions. it is reckless and damages all conclusions derived from those assumptions.
i think this figure isnt any taller than a regular human. this is derived from body proportions, what little could be derived from either video.
aside from that you see what looks like a long fur coat with the bottom flying away from the ankle area in several parts of the film.
we need to have proof that this is a “wildman”. there is none. infact the video seem to portray a regular sized human in a long coat out for the same walk as the cameraman.
the track contains prints that look lime regular shoes and arent of any exciting size or stride.
That wouldnt prove anything, some wildmen are not giants.
(the hibagon, for example)
Ghillie suit, perhaps?
the coat looks to be a mid thigh to knee length variety with appropriate split down the back. i didn’t mean to use the word “ankle” in my previous post.
also i would like to add the video is of such poor quality that any further interpretation is all but impossible without making the assumptions i so dearly hate.
From what I can see it walks like a man, Does not appear to be large enough and I could make a clearer picture with an old Brownie Hawkeye camera. With the new generation of digital still and video cameras there is no reason for poor pictures during daylite hours.
The main reason it gets dismissed as a fake is its unlikely location. Otherwise this is one of the better bigfoot videos. Who knows? Maybe this creature is a real hominid. Whereas we have evolved technologically maybe we have a cousin (Gigantopethicus?) that has evolved paranormally that is able to disappear on the spot, teleport across continents or morph into some other “cryptid”. Let’s not forget that the Natives call these creatures “spiritual”. Maybe what the Natives mean by “spiritual” is not “having a good aura” but “paranormal”.
It’s Hagrid!
The filmmaker could have avoided all the negative comments with better shots of the tracks at the beginning of the video. Toe prints, size comparison to his own boot, etc.
Fake
My biggest problem with the video is if this is a real wild creature, it would have been aware of the photographer’s pursuit and taken off running immediately.
Agree with ZenBug. Unless the footage is stabilized, its impossible to focus in on what the figure might really be-I almost got dizzy trying!
Arguing the location is meaningless. We get reports in eastern Massachusetts, 20 miles north of Boston, of cougars or mountain lions if you will. Does that mean we would need a breeding population on Boston common? It only means that one creature is not where he normally would be. Animals move about.
Its hard to argue what this video is of. Its not clear enough at any time to give a good look. It looks at times like ragged clothing hanging down, but you just cant say for sure. The problem with the new digital cameras, is just what we see here. Extreme pixelation. The squaring of the image on the enlarging hides more than it helps. I agree that a little footage of the footprints would have been helpful. Stabilizing would help, has it been done? More than likely the perpetrators of this wouldn’t want it much clearer. The chance of this being a new unknown creature is pretty unlikely, with the meager info at hand. it can be considered just another iffy video at best, unless some kind of real image can be enhanced from it.
I especially like the argument that wildmen don’t have to be large, your right! Until we prove they exist they can be whatever we want.
Paranormal! maybe the wee people took it. Perhaps the videographer was enchanted and thats why he couldnt get a better shot. Maybe I better stop before I’m edited again.
As much fun as it is to watch some of these clips, you cant read in info that isnt there. There are no clear shots with any real info.
This is not the Euro P&G equivalent.
garbage
Coincidentally, I was actually IN Luxembourg this past April for several days. While I spent most of my time in Luxembourg City, I did take a day trip through the Ardennes region.
In essence, I agree with folks that in general this area is not large enough to support a sustained population of large creatures. However it is INCORRECT to think of Luxembourg Ardennes on its own. Rather you should consider the greater Ardennes region across Belgium, Luxembourg and southern Netherlands and even some of Germany across the river. There are no walls or barriers that would restrict the range across these boundaries and even beyond the Ardennes, the area is very rural – farms and woods. Luxembourg City is the largest urban area and is only about 150,000 people.
The thing is, the Ardennes region is not comprised mountains at all. Rather it is a plateau steeply cut by innumerable creeks and ravines creating a densely wooded, rugged terrain. You would never mistake it for the Rockies, Cascades or even the Ozarks. So…. no way on this one. The Pyrrennes, the Alps or the Translvanian Alps maybe. But not the Ardennes.
Inconclusive at best, but a thought about Luxemburg being a suitable habitat. A few minutes on Google Earth show a country that has a surprising amount of rural landscape, and just like rural landscape here and everywhere, it is productive. Something smart and nocturnal would benefit greatly from the human, at least the h. sapiens, presence and their industry. As far as population viability, Europe’s rivers and woodlands might be a more viable migratory pathway for creatures than one might think. Again, a wary, smart, nocturnal creature might use its special instincts to glean from the abundance all around and still elude capture there just as surely as they have here….and if you see one, well, you’d be considered crazy or possessed, maybe even more so than here in the US.
I’m not saying that I think this shows that…but who knows what’s beyond the pale.
Humm, Let’s see. The elusive and reclusive Bigfoot has finally decided to take a stroll in plain sight – in Luxemburg, no less. And for no apparent reason. Not foraging or chasing anything.
I have a bridge to sell!
Smmoulder, Dogu4, good info provided on the area. My own Geographic Encyclopedia makes no mention of the exact lay of the land in the Ardennes, only to say that the Northern third of Luxembourg falls within this range, that it is described as a mountain range, and that it is a densely forested area crisscrossed by rivers.
I mentioned population densities before and of course this can be misleading. Japan for example has an incredibly high density of population on paper, yet one has to remember that 90% of that population is focused into major cities in the coastal plains. The vast majority of the country is composed of mountains that support an incredible bio diversity, perhaps even some creatures that are thought to be extinct or even the hibagon (Japanese wildman) that Tengu pointed out earlier. I suppose if Luxembourg is similar, with the bulk of the population situated away from pristine rural areas, it increases the chance that these creatures could be out there. I still find it unlikely, but possible I suppose.
I still think, however, that we should not jump to too many conclusions about the migratory patterns, possible nocturnal habits, or innate ability to evade detection that these creatures might have. In the end, while the area maybe COULD harbor such a hominid, we still have a creature here that is seemingly supported by very little evidence (far less than anything on sasquatch if you ask me) as well as some videos that are quite inconclusive in my opinion. Which would be a more inaccurate conclusion, that perhaps the habitat basically follows the known biological model of creatures represented in this area, or that there is an unknown hairy wildman there that is skillfully evading us and migrating about while leaving very scant evidence at all? If Occam’s Razor applies, which is the simpler answer in this case? Right now, I won’t totally close the door on this one, but I remain skeptical of a Luxembourg wildman based on what I’ve seen so far. This video certainly doesn’t offer any answers for me. Interesting to speculate about, though.
Does luxemburg have a history of wildmen sightings?
I know the Hibagon is well documented, records going back many centuries, there are tales of the `mountainman` (sorry, Mysteryman, cant reccal that in japanese…yamahito??) a hairy man who lived in the mountains and would sometime help woodcutters in return for food.
(arent there similar tales from the causcus??)
The very first frames of the video are damning: The footprints are offset (the way people step). All the sas prints I’ve seen (at least in the PNW) are in a single line. If the vid came from ’round here in the PNW, I’d call it baloney for that reason alone. Also, arms are too short to qualify for sas, again by PNW standards. AND, the camera jiggling is clearly overdone, as if to obscure damning details, exactly as was done in the bogus Sonoma footage that was endorsed by and then embarrassed the BFRO.
Tengu- The folklore of Japan is full of a wide variety of creatures said to inhabit the mountains, including the creature that your name “Tengu” comes from, but I think you mean the “yama no hito” or “yama no otoko”. It was said to be an incredibly strong, ape like creature that woodcutters would appease with bowls of rice. I don’t really know about the old stories of wildmen in Europe, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there is something similar. A lot of cultures around the world have folklore that feature wildmen of some sort.
First of all the camera is shaking too much to get a clear view of the individual, it looks to me that the person has some type of clothing on. This video doesnt show me much.
Christoph, the video taken by Frank Hansen is not the one shown here. Frank’s video is much shorter in length (only about 5 seconds, in which the figure is ‘clearly glimpsed’ in just two or three seconds) and filmed in summer, also in Luxembourg. If you would care to look at my article, I have correlated the two videos because I think it’s a strong possibility that they show the same figure, or at least a related one. It’s a long stretch to think that two people in Luxembourg are faking videos with similar looking figures less than two years apart. Yes, it’s a world in which anything is possible, but I don’t think that’s happened here.
Stablisation of the anonymous 2002 video – the one here – clearly shows a figure, possibly carrying something on one shoulder, and wearing tatters or pelts, as does the Hansen video, (which stabilisation reveals something else unusual. Please refer to the article for more.)
So, to everyone who is firmly skeptical about this video, which I think deserves a little serious consideration, I urge you to reflect on it in the context of both videos.
What a crock! It is a guy in heavy winter gear perhaps carrying a stick or rifle. I loved the film maker’s inability to hold the camera still. LOL. What a joke!
Note to all aspiring crypto photographers…
In the future, if you have a cryptid encounter-or want to realistically fake a cryptid encounter 🙂 – take the following three steps:
1.STAND STILL! Use your camera’s zoom to get closer to your subject, not your feet.
2. CALL OUT! Any animal, wild or otherwise, will turn-if even only briefly- toward the source of any loud noise before bolting. This will give you a good face shot for future analysis (or, again, add authenticity to your fake).
3. GET FOLLOW-UP SHOTS of the area you just filmed to provide better frame-of-reference for analysis. Don’t just tell us it was huge, show us by getting reference shots of certain topographical landmarks your cryptid was near in your film or photograph.
Me personally, I don’t believe most of what I see on this or other similar sites when it comes to the more outlandish cryptids (although I must say Mr. Coleman has a much more level-headed approach to the subject matter than most), but it would at least be easier to indulge in some entertaining suspension of disbelief if the hoaxes were a little more creatively planned out.
LOL! Well, jagboy, I definitely agree with number 1!!!!
A few years back my Mum and Dad were driving through the border between Luxembourg and (I think) Germany. This was before the UK was a part of the EU.
As they waited at the checkpoint an athlete ran past them from the German to the Luxembourg side. The border officials waved him a cheerful hello.
They caught up with him later and he explained that he was an Olympic hopeful for the marathon, but that to train full distance on roads from where he lived he had to run across the border.
I don’t know why I am telling you ths, really, but it just somehow seems pertinent to a discussion on a race of giants wandering serenely in an out of a country that is only marginally bigger than its postage stamps.
sausage1,
You are quite right. Western Europe in general is an area that has been walked over, fought over, excavated over, farmed over etc etc for countless centuries. If there was ever a race of giant wildmen living in the Ardennes there would have been evidence, even proof by now. This is not North America where there are vast tracts of dense mountain forests that have seen very little, if any, human activity even up to the present.
Wildmen in western Europe, specifically Luxembourg/Ardennes? The chances are absulutely ZERO and this also applies to the Alps and the Pyrenees. Not in the slightest chance.
The nearest ‘possible’ location would be northern Scandinavia and into Russia. That area is still sparsley populated and little visited.
This was posted on You tube last year, and i noticed it again recently (as a newer video, i do believe)…. anyhow… i remember last year someone saying that they had seen this video even previous to that….. (your all by yourself and you are basically going to stalk a yeti in plain daylight out in the open? i just don’t get it
Lyndon: excellent observation about how well examined western europe is by dint of its long history of human occupation and activity. That, as well as the geology that includes a wide variety of conditions favorable to caves, also makes the preservation and discover of human fossils particularly well suited. I think it likewise explains the european bias in paleo-anthropological theory. With the recent discoveries of h. neanderthal in Siberia and China, places not ordinarily thought of as having supported these earlier hominid populations, I am wondering how long before we find earlier hominids in North America. After all, a world in which hominids are chasing their prey across northern Eurasia is a world in which North America is connected to Eurasia via the landmass Beringia, which despite it’s being called a land bridge, is in fact a now submerged sub-continental land mass beneath the shallow post glacial rise in sea-levels. For the vast majority of the last couple of million years it was an welcoming plain for herds of grazers and their predators.