Well, in the wake of the publication of my 2-part
article on the U.K.’s “Alien Big Cats” phenomenon, a number of people
have contacted me asking something along the lines of: “Does this mean
you think all creatures that fall under the banner of Cryptozoology are
supernatural?” The answer to that question is “No, I don’t.” As I
pointed out in part-1
of the ABC phenomenon article, there are valid, wholly down-to-earth
reasons as to why people are seeing Alien Big Cats in the U.K. But, as I
noted in part-2,
there are some cases that are much weirder and that are very difficult
to explain without bringing the world of the supernatural into the
matter. So, I think there are two issues here: one is that some ABCs are
supernatural and others are escapees from private enclosures, or pets
that got out of hand, etc. And, I see that “two sides” angle in relation
to other so-called “cryptid” creatures too. Let’s take a look at a few examples.
There are, in my opinion, what we might term “unknown apes” in various parts of the world. One of them is the Yeren of China.
It’s described as being a large, ape-like animal that even towers over
Bigfoot – and that’s saying something! Now, I don’t for one minute think
that the Yeren is a supernatural creature. I would not be at all
surprised (should we ever get the evidence, of course) that the Yerens
are actually surviving pockets of a massive ape known as Gigantopithecus. Up until its (presumed) demise hundreds of years ago, it roamed the very areas where the Yeren is seen to this day. The same goes for the Orang-Pendek of Sumatra.
It’s very much a scaled-down unknown ape; certainly nowhere near the
size of the Yeren. And, when it comes to the nature of the Orang-Pendek,
I see zero reason to suggest that it has even the remotest
supernatural aspect attached to it. Then, there is Bigfoot. Here’s where
my views change.
The overwhelming majority of all Bigfoot reports are of fleeting
sightings of the creatures. They are very often encountered late at
night, racing across roads, or roaming through vast woods. Most Bigfoot
reports (in fact, the overwhelming majority) don’t have even a single
supernatural component attached to them. But, here’s the important
thing: there are a small body of reports that are suggestive of
a paranormal angle to Bigfoot. The late Rob Riggs (the author of an
excellent Bigfoot-themed book, In the Big Thicket)
was someone who came to believe that Bigfoot was far more than just a
large, unidentified ape. Rob, who I got to know as a friend, obtained a
number of cases from Texas’s aforementioned Big Thicket which involved
Bigfoot creatures surrounded by strange, glowing, balls of light. There
are other cases from the Big Thicket of a Bigfoot quite literally
vanishing before the eyes of startled witnesses. In 1973, there was a
huge wave of encounters in Pennsylvania
in which Bigfoot creatures were seen at the same time and location as
UFOs. Even the Men in Black were on the scene in seventy-three.
Some might say that the Loch Ness Monsters are plesiosaurs or giant
eels. I say “Nope.” There is a significant body of high-strangeness at
the loch. Yes, people have seen – and reported – creatures that do
look like plesiosaurs or eels. Others, though, have described
camel-like animals, huge frog-type beasts, tusked monsters, and more.
There has been a significant amount of UFO activity at the loch.
Aleister Crowley had a home at Loch Ness (Boleskine House),
and performed all manner of rituals in its confines. Do I think there’s
a good chance the Nessies are supernatural shape-shifters? Yes, I do.
But, does that mean all lake-monsters are supernatural? Maybe.
Maybe not. I’m still in two minds on that matter. But, there’s no doubt
in my mind that the Nessies are not animals in the way we understand
things.
Finally, there’s the matter of the Dogman,
which is coming more and more to the forefront of Cryptozoology. Some
witnesses describe the creatures – often seen in Michigan, Wisconsin,
and Ohio – as resembling giant wolves. This has led to the suggestion
they might be surviving “Dire Wolves” of times long gone.
Maybe they are. On the other hand, though, some witnesses have said
that the creatures they encountered rose up onto their back legs, giving
them an eerie werewolf-like appearance. The Dogmen lurk around
graveyards, Native American land, cemeteries, old bridges, crossroads –
places that are all traditionally linked to paranormal phenomena. If all
that people were seeing were huge wolf-like animals, I might be
inclined to think that, incredibly, they really might be Dire Wolves and
nothing else. But, (a) the specific locations; and (b) the issue of the
creatures going from four-legs to two make me think that we’re dealing
with something supernatural. So, in conclusion, no I don’t think that
all Cryptids are paranormal. But, I do think that a hell of a lot of them are.
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