Bigfoot: in Search of the Truth Essay

Bigfoot is, without a doubt, the most recognized mystery in all of North America. The apelike being has reportedly been sighted thousands of times since the beginning of the 19th century. According to eyewitness testimonies, Bigfoot, also known as Sasqautch, is a gigantic beast that towers in at eight feet tall and weighs as much as six hundred pounds. Reports also say that the monster’s form is well built and usually covered in a thick, brownish fur. Many have asked if such a creature could possibly be roaming through the wilderness of North America and around the world, and the answer is yes. The amount of evidence supporting such a creature’s existence is astonishing. From footprint casting and fur samples to video evidence and numerous human sightings, Bigfoot’s existence cannot be doubted. There are three pieces of evidence supporting the existence of Bigfoot, the first of which is the thousands of eyewitness accounts. The first recorded sighting occurred in 1870 near a small town in California. The town newspaper, the Antioch Ledger, reported that a â€Å"gorilla man† or â€Å"wild man† had been sighted in the woods near the town. The paper deemed it unsafe to travel outside unless absolutely necessary because of the beast. Next, in 1901, a lumberjack on Vancouver Island reported seeing a â€Å"man beast† washing itself in a river near his base camp. The courageous lumberjack decided there and then to approach the beast and confront him. The strange â€Å"monkey man† quickly fled, though, as the man approached the river. Upon examining the tracks left behind, the lumberjack concluded that the prints were almost identical to that of a human, except for the extremely large size. After the incident, many reports began pouring in from the Vancouver area of Canada. The residents of the area became well aware of the existence of a very elusive creature in the area, and it was they who first coined the term Bigfoot. By 1960, thousands of reports on the existence of Bigfoot flooded in from all over the United States. The sightings usually occurred in mountainous, woodland areas near rivers and streams. Many thought that those who claimed such things were crazy, but it was at this time that the inevitable happened: Bigfoot was captured on film. On October 20, 1967, Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin, two Bigfoot researchers, were horseback riding in the dried river bed of Bluff Creek in Northern California. It was an area with an extraordinary number of sightings, but the two did not believe what they saw next. There before them, kneeling in the dried creek bed was Bigfoot. The creature spooked the men’s horses which forced them to dismount. They quickly grabbed their video camera and started filming. The beast slowly stood up, looked around, and then proceeded to stroll off into the woods. The film was soon released to the press and caused quite a commotion around the world. Researchers quickly arrived on the scene and found that the sequence of events had happened just as the tape had shown. Studying the film, it was also concluded through the creature’s movements, that its neuromuscular system was of something not human. Furthermore, it was determined that human reenactment was not possible because a suit so sophisticated and detailed could have been made by only two manufacturers in the United States, but both companies denied all allegations against them (Bigfoot). After the study was concluded, there were still many skeptics on the whole ordeal. These skeptics have suggested that the first two pieces of the puzzle are not enough to prove the existence of a new type of creature. The numerous stories and reports are believed to have been made up and the video footage faked. There is evidence that cannot be ignored, though. That evidence is the physical remains that have been collected over time. This physical evidence includes footprint castings, and samples of fur and feces, all of which have been found to be something not known to modern science. According to many experts, including Dr. Henner Farenbach, director of the Oregon Regional Primate Center, the collected evidence supports the existence of an animal that has not been classified scientifically. He also states that every specimen from over the last 60 years is nearly identical to the next, making the theory of Individual pranksters responsible for a hoax nearly impossible (Sasquatch FAQ). Besides this fact, tracks studied by researchers from institutions, such as Washington State University, Ohio State University, Yale, and even the University of London, have been found to follow the law of the Gaussian Distribution of Weight. This means that the footprints have a life-like shape and the distribution of weight over the print is correct. All of these facts are bittersweet though, since sample specimens have nothing to be compared to since no actual creature specimen has been collected. It can be concluded, however, that these remains did not come from any animal currently known to modern science. Bigfoot’s existence can no longer be denied. No longer is it a question of Bigfoot being real, but rather a question of man’s capability in being able to believe the truth. The facts cannot be mistaken. Besides being seen time and time again, video footage has been collected. This alone is enough to make many believe, but for the rest, the physical evidence is unmistakably real. As the theory progresses, more and more credible researchers come forward to show support in such a creature’s existence. They do this at the risk of losing their own credibility. None, however, are capable of an explanation for Bigfoot’s uncanny ability to remain hidden from human observation, the nature of which remains to be a question. Perhaps, though, as more and more people start to believe in the truth, questions will be answered and the mystery solved.