Update: Mohawk Mystery Photos
Posted by: Loren Coleman on March 24th, 2007
While the DNA samples are being tested, here is an update to my earlier posting, 
Click on image for full size version
Click on image for full size version
Click on image for full size version
These photographs have been sent in by and credited to Adrian McDonald, to whom I send my appreciation.
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.
Coyotes or wild dogs; the scratch marks are from smaller claws, not a bear’s it appears.
We have coyotes here in the Dakotas and my parents live in a rural area loaded with them, they also have cats. But I’ve never saw damage like that before, the fan from the motor got the cats before the coyotes could I guess!
Can a mountain lion really do that much damage? I don’t really know that much about cats, as they have only been recently reintroduced into South Dakota (Black Hills).
Good morning Cryptos….
Look’s like damage from one the legendary Khatadin creatures of the “Prophecy” lore.
Malicious or vicious damage to a vehicle…is a hanging offense here in Oklahoma…get a rope.
Ole bub would have to re-think his “no kill” policy if they damaged his Tundra…LOL
Glad that fender bender beast is up there and not here…JMHO
In our latest research project…ole bub has been testing different insect and tick repellents…yup…I’m tick bait…pretty damn sad…when the dawgs get ticks from me…no bueno.
live and let live…
ole bub and the dawgs
It looks like most of the damage was caused by gnawing to me. I have a hard time believing coyotes could unleash that kind of devastation on a car. Also, why would they do such a thing? What was there a steak hidden behind the tire? Coyotes are actually very shy animals and not prone to aggresively attacking things like this, least of all cars. This type of full on assault just would not be in keeping with their typical behavior, I feel. It looks more like the work of a very angry bear to me.
Also, wouldn’t something causing this kind of mayhem have made a ruckus doing it? There are pieces strewn everywhere. I’m suprised no one realized what was going on. This leads me to think that the damage was done fairly quickly and this would suggest a larger animal to me, not a pack of haywire coyotes.
Probably wasn’t coyotes, but could have been dogs. Big dogs can do a lot of damage by scratching and gnawing. I still think a bear is more likely though.
I’m in Kittenz’s camp (As usual). Most likely a bear. Further, if he didn’t tear into it like a maniac, it’s possible, I think, for him to have picked it apart quietly enough that it didn’t wake the neighbours…
Agreed, that’s a lot of damage right there. I don’t see anything smaller than a large angry bear capable of this. What puzzles me why would it do it? Are they known to pursue prey with that much intensity? Doubt it. Now a mountain cat would for certain if there were any around there. Or perhaps someone’s exotic pet cat escaped along the way there.
Bears don’t have to be pursuing prey, especially in the early Spring; they are so hungry during this season that they will go after any food with gusto. The’ll trash a car to get at a bag of chips if they can smell the food.
Looks more like work done by the world’s most dangerous animal to me-people.
I’m with Doug on this.
Well yeah, could be people of course, but why? Unless maybe they thought there was some dope stashed under the quarter-panel or something. It really looks like some kind of big animal or animals gnawed on that car, looking at the ragged edges and claw marks.
Yeah, I also don’t think it was the work of people unless they went through a lot of effort to make it look like animals did it. Once again, coyotes I think we can probably rule out, but it definitely could have been large dogs. I still think bear is most likely and I still find it odd that this much damage was done in a reasonably quiet, stealthy fashion.
Mnynames- I just think if a bear wanted something bad enough to trash the car like this to get at it, I think it is strange that it would do so quietly. I certainly don’t think it would be consciously aware of trying not to wake the neighbors. Oh well, maybe they are deep sleepers. 🙂
Maybe the owners wanted a new car. Maybe insurance scam?
Those fenders are made of some kind of fiberglass reinforced plastic. Tough to break, and very unpleasant to handle when shredded like that, even by calm humans. Nasty sharp points and jagged edges everywhere. I can’t imagine anything but a very hungry bear with a meal cornered under the fender sustaining such an attack. There was apparently enough fresh DNA left behind to make the identification pretty easy.
It is also very hard for me to imagine any creature doing this without making an impressive racket.
How could an animal do that much damage without flattening the tire?
Well, I think slow and steady wins the race, as they say. I don’t think the bear would consciously try to be quiet, true, but I have seen them just plop themselves down and lazily pluck away at something until they get it, and that certainly could be the case here…
I sure hope it doesn’t turn out to be some kind of stupid insurance scam. I don’t think it is though; the damage looks too much like damage done by animals teeth and claws.
That kind of damage could be done by a big dog. I had a big German Shepherd Dog once who refused to be confined alone. He was fine when he had the company of another dog or human, but when left confined by himself, he tore chain-link doors out of block walls, tore a door facing off my back porch, and tore steel doors off kennels. On one memorable occasion when I had to leave him at the clinic to go out on an emergency call, I locked him in a large room, thinking that he would be satisfied there and not feel too confined. Wrong! He tore the bottom half of the room’s wooden door off. Just ripped it in half, pretty as you please. He was sitting in the front waiting room wagging his tail when I returned. I have no doubt that he could have torn off a fiberglass quarter-panel from a car if he was sufficiently motivated. (Thank goodness he wasn’t a destructive dog :D)
So a dog or dogs could have done the kind of damage shown here. I still think a bear is the more likely culprit though.
This took place in NY, correct? Well, iirc, the coyotes over here are a little different (ie bigger) than the western variety.
What does the other side of the car look like? If it was a couple of dogs, wouldn’t they split up and some try to get through on the other side?