From Russia, With Love
Posted by: Loren Coleman on May 9th, 2006
Message from Russian Hominologists to Malaysian Colleagues
Dear Vincent Chow,
May I warmly congratulate you and your Malaysian colleagues on a marvelous, most important and long expected achievement — getting clear photographs of what we call homins (our technical,”professional” jargon term for relict hominids). Back in 1963, my teacher of hominology, the late Professor Boris Porshnev, proposed and urged the use of photography as a means of solution of the relict hominid problem.
I followed his advice and argued for this method in the book To Kill or To Film? The Problem of Proof, 2000, against those who insist on killing a specimen. Currently we are in contact with several persons in different areas who interact with homins, and these people do not reveal their names and addresses to the outsiders and the world for fear of endangering their “furry friends”.
I’ve been telling them of two Priorities: Number One — to obtain good photographic evidence, Number Two — describe in writing their observations and experiences. Now I tell them: follow the example of the Malaysian researchers — they have successfully pursued Priority 1 and Priority 2. And this despite the tremendous difficulty of photographing such elusive beings as homins, the difficulty which Professor Porshnev could never imagine.
We are most grateful to Peter Loh, who interviewed you, and to Loren Coleman who [also interviewed you and] broke the news to us. After getting two last reports from Malaysia, I explained to my colleagues here my confidence in the veracity of your information as follows. I said that Vincent Chow is “passionate about wildlife and conservation” and “has a deep respect for nature”. He says his colleagues “had spent 11 years protecting the creatures”. He “believes this to be surviving members of Homo erectus“. And this despite their Bigfoot size. This shows his deep insights in the matter of hominology. He says “they are genetically very close to us”, judging by DNA analysis of their hair, which coincides with the results we get from analyses of sasquatch hair. He is prepared to “challenge conventional ideas and hypotheses about Homo erectus” and “finally open the eyes of the world…”. And he is not “in a hurry to please the skeptics and cynics”. He also says that folklore about these creatures “is a goldmine of information that cannot be ignored.”
These are the ideas, attitudes, and language that we fully share and support at our International Center of Hominology. That is why I fully trust your information, described by Peter Loh as “so incredible that it would take lots of faith to believe.” Naturally, I would like to ask you many questions, but, realizing how busy you are for the time being, I have patience enough to wait and see my questions likely answered in your book.
With warmest regards,
Dmitri Bayanov
International Center of Hominology
Moscow, Russia
The above is a sketch of Dr. Igor Bourtsev, sent to Cryptomundo by him. He writes: “Artist Lidia’s congratulation to me on my birthday in 2004. She drew my dream – to have an interview with [the Carter Family’s] Fox.”
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.
Maybe I’m missing something, but I wouldn’t think congratulations are in order until the project has come to completion. Jumping on something, pronouncing it genuine before the work is done — it seems that always turns out badly. The Sonoma video being just one recent example..
Until I see with my own eyes, I’m officially agnostic toward the Malaysian information. But my intuition is telling me we should watch where we step with this one. Something doesn’t feel right about the way this is coming out. Maybe there are legitimate reasons for the odd strategy of telling without showing, but that has rarely turned out to be the case in the past, has it?
“I followed his advice and argued for this method in the book To Kill or To Film? The Problem of Proof, 2000, against those who insist on killing a specimen. Currently we are in contact with several persons in different areas who interact with homins, and these people do not reveal their names and addresses to the outsiders and the world for fear of endangering their “furry friends”.
-Mr Bayanov
On one hand, there is Mr Bayanov who is pursuing an informal protocol of precautions to protect this “species” based on trust and confidentiality to responsibly shield these hominds from the unethical and profit minded among our own species. On the other, there is public disclosure regardless of who hosted the event,or the motivation, by Mr Chow who does not appear to share the same sense of reserve. Instead of announcing a book, if he feels somewhat confident of the evidence for his discovery, does he not share it with the scientific community below the public radar in order to gather support and funding for the protection and preservation of this species? Or has he done so already and we are unaware of this being so? This in of itself causes me some concern and the manner in which it was dropped into the public pool does not forbode well for this writer.
Say that it turns out not to be true, this sort of announcement will eventually build steam and coverage that could backfire into the sorry lack of credibility rightfully seen in the UFO situation. In this case, measuring twice and cutting once would have been prudent. Regardless, I am sure until events contradict me,I will entrust that Mr Chow has the best of intentions
in mind and has thought them through-one would only hope.
It would make my year if it was true. But finding it difficult to get enthusiastic, to be honest. Why can’t they just print the said photos? Or is there still work to be done on them using, good old photoshop?
What happened to the Mountaineer’s photo of the Yeti? I think his name was messenger or something.
Even if these pics are the real deal they don’t make Patterson’s cine film genuine.
Ian- are you referring to mountain climber Rheinhold Messner? He published a book “My Quest for the Yeti” in 2000 in which he set forth his theory that the yeti is just a very rare species of bear. With some bear photos.
I thought the book was ok, but it is far from a settled discussion: many people think that while bears may account for some yeti sightings, they do not account for all (or even much) of the yeti mystery.
I am trying to be patient by witholding a judgment about the Malaysian evidence until the photos are published.
Your right that is the guy.
I remember he did think it was a bear. The hype before his book was published, was that there was going to be an amazing, ground breaking photo.
It never lived, anywhere, near up to the hype. If I were a betting man, I’d put money on the ‘Malaysian evidence’ being the same.
That’s probably why Vegas doesn’t have a line on cryptids! (Actually, somewhere they probably do. Sigh.) I wouldn’t put money down myself, but I am looking forward to finding out more info. You never know…
yo Ian, if they turn out to be fake it won’t mean the Patterson film is fake.
I agree how can someone come out and say congrats on something that has nothing more than say-so attatched to it. My hope is that Mr. Chow is going about this very slowly as to make sure he himself is not getting caught up in a con or hoax. Rember guys if this is the real thing it will have been worth the wait. And yes even I would like to at least see one photo turned over to a third party to report back to the public on this. The UFO comment was right on the money.