cryogenic-cryptid

[cryogenic-cryptid]

Cryptid Profile: Bray Road Beast / Wisconsin Werewolf

The state of Wisconsin is no stranger to “werewolf” sightings and encounters. Although it seems impossible, a number of bizarre encounters in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s leaves us pondering the very idea of Dog-men. There had already been encounters with what some believed were werewolves in Wisconsin in 1936, 1964 and 1972 respectively, but there had been nothing like the reports that came out of the area near Delavan, starting in 1989.

Wisconsin Werewolf Sighting #1 Year: 1936  Location: Jefferson County, Wisconsin Mark Schackelman was driving along Highway 18 just outside of Jefferson, Wisconsin when he noticed something digging in a field off the side of the road. The site was a location where a Native American burial ground was believed to be. When Schackelman slowed down to get a better look, the “man” turned around and faced him. It turns out that it was a hairy creature that stood on two legs, which Schackelman described as looking like a mix between an ape and a dog. The creature had the general shape of a large man, with opposable thumbs and everything. 

Wisconsin Werewolf Sighting #2 Year: 1964  Location: Jefferson County, Wisconsin Dennis Fewless was driving along Highway 89 around midnight when he saw a figure running across the road. When his headlights caught sight of the creature, it was eerily similar to a werewolf seen in 1936, just a couple of miles away. Large and muscular, stood around seven feet tall, covered in dark brown hair, with a dog-like face. Fewless saw the creature run across the road, jump over a barbed-wire fence, and disappear into a corn field.

Wisconsin Werewolf Sighting #3 Year: 1972  Location: Jefferson County, Wisconsin A woman (name unreported) called 911 when she heard someone trying to break into her rural home in the middle of the night. Upon further investigation, it appeared that it was not a person, but a large animal that had tried to get in. A few weeks later the creature returned and again tried to forcefully enter the house. This time the woman saw the creature. She described it as around eight feet tall, covered in dark brown hair, and it stood on two legs. It had long arms with hands that had long, sharp claws on them. When the creature couldn’t get inside the house, it went out to the woman’s barn and attacked a horse. The horse was alive, but had a deep cut across its back. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources investigated, finding a foot print that was said to be over a foot long. 

Wisconsin Werewolf Sighting #4 Year: 1989  Location: Elkhorn, Wisconsin The town of Elkhorn, about an hour south of Jefferson County, had its own reports of the Wisconsin Werewolf. The first werewolf sighting occurred in 1989, though it wasn’t reported until another sighting was reported 10 years later. A woman named Lorianne Endrizzi had seen a large figure on the side of the road. As she got close she realized that it was not a person but a tall beast, covered in gray/brown hair, with a dog-like face featuring fangs, pointed ears, and glowing yellow eyes.

Wisconsin Werewolf Sighting #5 Year: 1989  Location: Elkhorn, Wisconsin A dairy farmer named Scott Bray owned a cattle pasture near his family’s namesake street, Bray Road. He reported seeing a dog, larger and taller than a German Shepherd, in his pasture one night. The creature was muscular and heavy, covered in gray/brown hair with pointed ears. Bray was able to find footprints, larger than any known dog or wolf, in the pasture the next day.

Wisconsin Werewolf Sighting #6 Year: 1989  Location: Elkhorn, Wisconsin Russell Gest saw a large, dog-like creature in Elkhorn close to the time of the previous two reported encounters. He described the creature in a very similar way to the other reports, stating that it stood on its hind legs and began to slowly approach him before he ran away.

Wisconsin Werewolf Sighting #7 Year: 1990  Location: Elkhorn, Wisconsin An 11-year old girl named Heather Bowey saw what she thought was a large dog stand up on its hind legs and run away. She lived near Bray Road, which would become part of the famous nickname for this werewolf.

Wisconsin Werewolf Sighting #8 Year: 1992  Location: Elkhorn, Wisconsin Tammy Bray, the wife of Scott Bray, was driving back to her home on Bray Road when she saw the creature. She also described a tall, broad shouldered, and muscular beast covered in dark brown hair. The dog-like face and glowing yellow eyes match the previous descriptions of the Wisconsin werewolf, though at this point, the other sightings had still not been widely reported.

Wisconsin Werewolf Sighting #9 Year: 1999  Location: Elkhorn, Wisconsin This is the sighting that first got everyone talking. It was the night of Halloween 1999, and an 18-year old woman named Doristine Gipson was driving along, you guessed it, Bray Road, when her car suddenly jerked as if she had hit something. She got out of the car and walked back along the road, straining to see. Then she caught sight of what she had hit. A huge, dark, hairy figure began rushing toward her. Gipson ran back into her car and began to drive away. The beast reportedly jumped up onto the trunk of the car, but due to the wetness of the rain-covered car, it could not hold on and fell to the ground. Gipson said she drove back to the location that same night with a young trick-or-treater, and they both saw a large figure laying on the side of the road. They didn’t stay long. Gipson reported the sighting the next day, which is what brought the other witnesses to share their tales. At this point, no one was sure what the creature was, so they dubbed it “The Bray Road Beast”. 

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[cryogenic-cryptid]

Just some line work for The Beast of Gevaudan, an elusive creature that one stalked the French countryside back in the 18th Century, attacking and killing hundreds of people, mostly women and children, leaving corpses of the victims only partial eaten with their necks torn apart and their entrails wide open. No one knows for certain what this creature was, descriptions of the creature varied ranging from the size of a large dog or wolf to the size of a cow, with either black, coffee brown, or red fur with a white stripe on it’s belly or a black or even hazel stripe on it’s back, either usually ending with a tuft of fur on it’s tail; some saw it had claws like a man’s hand, others say it had cloven hooves like a deer or a pig, some say it had a dog or wolf-like face with pointed ears and all, others say the ears were shorter and round and the snout was more like a pig with boar-like tusks. Some even say the tail itself could have been used as a weapon, strong enough knock grown men off their feet. Some even said it could rear up and even move around on it’s hind legs. Because descriptions of La Bete varied, some were lead to believe there would’ve actually been more than one o these creatures… or maybe the beast in itself was even a more supernatural being, a demonic penance of some sort. In spite of these varying claims people usually associated the beast with a wolf, since the beast may have been wolf-like to some degree and wolves of course were common in France and the people likely went into conflict with wolves on more than several occasions; and indeed since the beast’s reign of terror, dozens or even hundreds of wolves were hunted and killed, ending with hunter Antoin de Beauterne’s prize, a large wolf more than six feet long and weighing around 250 lbs. Surely to them that must’ve been the beast, it had to have been, since after that the killings have stopped… but a couple years later the killings resumed! It only ended when a farmer named Jean Chastel shot Le Bete, and indeed upon dissecting the creature they found human remains, guts and all. But because the beast’s corpse was so rotting they either burned it or buried it somewhere, leaving us with no remains of The Beast to solve just what type of beast it exactly was. But it probably was not a wolf; surely there was conflict between wolves and humans but very rarely do they hunt and kill humans, in fact for the most part the usually try to steer clear of these naked bipedal apes baring sticks that shoot metal. The perhaps it was a dog?! Dogs and wolves are closely related after all, so a feral dog probably could’ve been seen as a kind of wolf to ordinary bystanders, but there’s a problem, wolves and dogs usually hunt in packs, and the predator was (for a lack of a better term) a lone wolf. Some believe the animal may in fact have been a lion, which could explain the animal’s great endurance and agility, after all King Louis the 15th kept a zoo, which would’ve included a menagerie of animals from African and Asia, including lions, tigers, and other big cats. Lions, while normally social animals, can also do just fine as solitary hunters, and lions do typically for the the throats of their prey, and of course unlike wolves or dogs, lions have a record of being man-eaters; as are tigers and panthers! (I’m aware of the accounts of man-eating wolves but again it’s quite rare, especially compared to accounts of other man-eating animals) However there were no accounts of lions or other big cats having escaped from the private menagerie, and lions were actually fairly recognizable (unless it were a subadult male lion but they can’t stay that way for years) and the varying descriptions of Le Bete, usually as something canine, did not match anything feline. Perhaps a bear? Probably not, bears weren’t common in France, and while bears are pretty big animals, and can certainly make formidable predators, and of course rear on their back legs, The Beast in itself was described as having a long tail and bears of course barely (bearly, ha) have tails at all. Another theory may be that it could’ve been a wild boar, hence why The Beast was sometimes described with pig-like features like hooves and tusks, but boars rarely eat meat, and while they are certainly capable of attacking, maiming, and even killing people any pig-related attacks in the wild aren’t usually to the same degree as wild carnivore attacks, and besides boars like bears barely have any tails. Another possibility was that the beast may have been a hyena; hyena were actually pretty popular as pets for the wealthy, and an escaped hyena would’ve certainly faired fine on it’s own as opportunistic carnivore. Hyenas also have a somewhat wolf or dog-like appearance, (even though they are more closely related to cats) and some artistic depictions of the animals do look somewhat like a stripped hyena in particular… again there’s a problem; the stripped hyena is a scavenger, only the spotted hyena hunts and The Beast was not usually said to have had spots. Some cryptozoologists of course think it may be possible that The Beast was a relic, a through back to prehistoric times; something like a sarkastodon, a creodont or hyaenodon, or a prehistoric hoofed carnivore like an andrewsarchus, an entelodont, or mesonychid, since the beast was sometimes said to have had hooves; or more recently a bear-dog like amphicyon, the hyena-like pachycocuta, or a borophagine canid like epicyon? All interesting theories except for one problem… all those guys are extinct, literally gone like the dinosaurs, dead as the dodo! But you wanna know the biggest problem with any of these theories? The Beast’s record of killing is not naturally synnonymus with any animal; in fact Le Bete seems to have acted more like a serial killer than any predator, why else would The Beast attack humans and not any other animal, or go directly for their throats or entrails, in fact it’s a common survival strategy among carnivores to eat as much of their kill as they can to leave nothing behind for other scavengers as potential competition; (especially wolves and hyenas who can also eat through bone) it could also explain why most of the beast’s victims women and children? And who’s even to say it was an animal at all?! Maybe it was a werewolf?! The myth of werewolves was practically as common as the appearance and conflict of real wolves in France, and werwolf hysteria was rampant in some areas… but I doubt that any normal could literally change into a wolf, most likely they were just mentally unstable and they’d just think they were a wolf. So maybe it was a human serial killer, a murderer disguised as some kind of animal, attacking people with artificial claws and fangs, coming and going as they please while also laying low to resume the onslaught (so almost like a werewolf) …Or perhaps used an actual animal as the murder weapon?! See there is one theory that perhaps The Beast may have been a hybrid, a wolfdog cross, with the father being a tame wolf, and the mother a large breed of dog like a mastiff, in fact Jean Chastel himself owned a mastiff so it’s possible he may have been involved in the killings in some shape way and form, the result would be a large animal with the appearance of a wolf and the trainability of a dog, in tern giving the beast a reasonable size as well as a fair feat of endurance, cunning, and tenacity; and the usual descriptions of La Bete, apply the signature stripe along the back or belly and the bushy end of the animal’s tail are usually associated with wolf-dog hybrids. In fact there was even speculation of the animal wearing boar’s hide as a kind of bullet prof vest, hence the accounts of bullets usually bouncing off the animal or at least injuring it not but fatally killing it. (that could also explain the exaggeration of it’s size and details of pig-like traits) One likely suspect was Count Jean-Francois-Charles de Moragnies, a wealthy but somewhat sadistic man who also had a beef with French royalty at the time, most notably with The King. What was the motive exactly is uncertain, but if he was involved he probably would have acquired Jean and his son Francois to train The Beast and orchestrate all the killings and eventually The Beast’s own shooting. This is a definitely sound theory… but there is yet another problem here… See Wolfdogs are actually the most dangerous breed of dogs, because of this add mixture of wolf-like tenacity, and dog-like aggression and lack of fear of humans, should The Beast acquire a taste of human flesh or blood, it could go out of control and eventually turn on it’s master(s). We may never know exactly what The Beast of Gevaudan was, but what we do know was that based on all the records of the descriptions and the killings and the actual people involved, that whatever beast Le Bete was… it was definitely real… and it may not have been the only beast after all. There was The Beast of Indre, which had very similar descriptions the Le Bete du Gevaudan; in fact it may have been the same creature hence why the killings in the Gevaudan region was on a hiatus, (which would also mean the beast may have actually attacked and killed even more people) and outside of France, in Switzerland in fact, as recently as 1946 there was The Beast of Valais, which was probably a large wolf, and back in France in the 19th Century there was The Beast of Cevennes, or The Beast of The Gard and The Beast of Vivarais, both of which behaved very similar to The Gevaudan Beast. Now that raises yet more questions, just how many Beasts are there in or around France? What were they exactly? How many people did they kill? And if The Count and The Chastels were responsible for The Gevaudan killings… who was responsible for all the others?! For my take on the beast I decided to mix up the different descriptions, I gave this one a somewhat wolf or dog-like appearance with a pig-like snout and tusks, claws on it’s front paws like a bear and hooves on the back, a mane like a lion, and a long tail which ends with a furry tassel, which exactly covers half of the tail which is formed like a stiff club-like rod similar to how the tails of ankylosaurid dinosaurs had evolved. (minus the actual club itself) Anyway, what do you think the beast was and why do you think so? I’d be delighted to hear your thoughts!

[cryogenic-cryptid]

The Beast of the Land Between the Lakes is a creature that supposedly resides on a peninsula between Kentucky and Tennessee. It is typically described as a wolfman - it stands 7 feet tall with sharply clawed hands. Most witnesses vividly remember its glowing red eyes. According to reports, there is also a rotting sort of smell that accompanies it. Its loud and eerie howl reportedly gives the feeling of intense dread and causes dogs in the area to cower in fear. The beast has many stories and reports attached to it - even some attacks where its victims have escaped with large bleeding gashes on their legs or arms. 

[cryogenic-cryptid]

The church grim usually takes the form of a large black dog and guards churchyards from those who would profane them including thieves, vandals, witches, warlocks, and the Devil himself. For this purpose it was the custom to bury a dog alive under the cornerstone of a church as a foundation sacrifice so that its ghost might serve as a guardian. (click for better quality)

[cryogenic-cryptid]

Cryptozoology As A Pseudoscience: Beasts In Transition

Cryptozoology, the pursuit of wildlife ignored or discounted by mainstream zoology, emerged as a separate discipline from zoology in 1955 with the publication of Bernard Heuvalmans’ book On the Track of Unknown Animals. Although it is typically associated with pseudoscience, many of the discipline’s advocates assert that cryptozoology should be recognized as a legitimate science. This has proven difficult because of the nature of the discipline and its inability to provide falsifiable evidence. This paper examines crytozoology’s dichotomous separation from zoology; its search for hard evidence to support the existence of obscure creatures including hominids, sea serpents and lake monsters; and its efforts to document in a clear and objective way the existence of such creatures so as to distance itself from paracryptozoology as well as both the media and public’s distorted understanding of the field. This paper argues that by its nature cryptozoology is bound to remain, at worst, a pseudoscience and, at best, a transitional field of research. The example of the discovery of creatures like the giant squid, which left the realm of mythology and became a recognised species of zoology in 2004, provides evidence of both the promises and the inherent problems of the field of cryptozoology.

This study was conducted under the supervision of Professor Sofie Lachapelle, Department of History, College of Arts University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

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[cryogenic-cryptid]

The Michigan Dogman is a humanoid dog-like creature found in Michigan. The Michigan Dogman is said to be a large wolf-like creature with dark shaggy fur, glowing eyes, and a very muscular body. The Michigan Dogman is said to have first been sighted in 1887 there have even been Native American legends about the creature. The Michigan Dogman is said be a werewolf regadless of what it is it is said to be very aggressive and is known to attack on sight.

[cryogenic-cryptid]

Elk Hunters Capture Video of a Sasquatch?

In Big Sky, Montana, a group of Elk hunters were driving down a dark, snowy road when they noticed a dark figure just off the side of the road. The passenger was able to capture this video of their sighting. The group pulled over to get a better look, but the creature quickly disappears into the thicket.

As much as I’d like for this to be a real Bigfoot, I’m highly doubtful that it is. Unfortunately, it seems a bit too coincidental that a Bigfoot appeared just as the camera started rolling. 

Some speculate the figure was simply a man in a costume, while others think it could’ve been a Bear standing upright. What do you think? Does this footage show a real Sasquatch? Could it have just been a Bear? Or is the video simply a hoax?

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[cryogenic-cryptid]

This Bigfoot footage was taken by researcher and former US forest patrolman Paul Freeman in 1994. The film was taken near Washington state’s Blue Mountains. He described the creatures he saw as being about 8 feet tall with brown-ish red fur covering the entirety of the body. Many Sasquatch researchers believed this footage to be authentic but others thought Freeman was a hoaxer that was seeking fame. 

[cryogenic-cryptid]

Myths - A Vampire, The Beast of Bray Road, Lizardman of Escape Ore Swamp and The Mothman by 

[cryogenic-cryptid]

Snake-Headed Dog

This beast has only ever been spotted once and it was in Magalia California. The creature darted out in front of a car causing it to crash. Luckily no one was injured. Described as having a serpentine head with red eyes and shaggy black fur. The Snake-Headed Dog hasn’t had a reported sighting since this incident.

[cryogenic-cryptid]

*IMAGE NOT MINE*

LUSCA

Lusca is a fascinating cryptid. It it said to dwell in the blue holes of the Bahamas. Still and tranquil pools of blue but home to the most sinister of cryptids, Lusca. Some say Lusca is part shark-part octoptus. 

Some eye-witnesses say Lusca is around 200ft in length. Although there have been few survivors. 

The Island of Andros in the Bahamas is home to many of these blue holes and curious people have tested out a theory that they all connect to each other deep under the sea by using dyes. This means that Lusca may not be in one hole at one time, it can travel. 

For me this is one of the most terrifying of cryptids, able the strike from great depths and in complete silence, you never really know when Lusca may be coming for you. 

[cryogenic-cryptid]

The Devil Walks Among Us: The Myth of The Jersey Devil

Inhabiting the Pine Barrens of Southern New Jersey, United States, is a creature known as the Jersey Devil. This legendary being has been described as a kangaroo-like creature with the head of a goat, horse, or dog - depending on the source. It also has bat wings, horns, cloven hooves, claws, and a forked tail. It can move with impressive speed and emits a blood-curdling scream to make its presence known. In the beginning, it would feast upon cattle and sheep, then it moved on to terrorizing people with its unearthly scream in the surrounding rural area and beyond. According to legend, the appearance of this creature foretells disaster in the form of shipwrecks, war, crop failures, or other unfortunate events. However, no human has ever reported being directly harmed by the beast. Do you have any specific stories related to this terrifying creature? 

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[cryogenic-cryptid]

Beware the Snallygaster

The Blue Ridge Mountains area was settled by German immigrants beginning in the 1730s. Early accounts describe the community being terrorized by a monster called a Schneller Geist, meaning “quick spirit” in German. It has been suggested the legend was resurrected in the 19th century to frighten freed slaves. Reports of a strange flying beast known as the Snallygaster first appeared in Frederick County in early February, 1909. The story was carried prominently in Middletown’s Valley Register, a weekly newspaper, for about a month, when the story mysteriously died. In the early issues, the flying beast seemed to be everywhere at once: New Jersey, West Virginia, Ohio, and headed this way. It was reported to have created quite a stir in New Jersey, where its footprints were first discovered in the snow.

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[cryogenic-cryptid]

The Skeljaskrímsli (Shell Monster) is a creature that hails from Iceland. It is often described as having a stocky build, much like a bear, with brown or black fur. What makes it unique is the scales that act almost like armor along its back. The creature is said to be happy both on land and water and makes a unique rattling sound as it comes on shore.

[cryogenic-cryptid]

Cryptid hunting is not just fun and games - it can be very dangerous if the proper research and precautions are not taken. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened to Roquel Bain. Bain and her boyfriend were out searching for the legendary Pope Lick Monster on April 23rd, 2016, when the tragedy happened. The couple were in the area for a paranormal tour of the Waverly Hills Sanatorium and wanted to catch a peek at the fabled bridge as well. They decided to climb up on the bridge for a better look of the area, however just like them, most visitors to the area do not realize that this bridge is active. 

Reports say that they were 40 feet away from the safety of the bank off the bridge which was too far to outrun a train going 32mph. The conductor tried to break but was unable to stop the locomotive in time. Bain was struck by the train and plummeted 80 feet to her death. Her boyfriend managed to survive by dangling off the side of the bridge and climbing down to safety. 

[cryogenic-cryptid]

Bigfoot sighting along Neches River?

PORT NECHES, TEXAS February 19, 2013 — Chill bumps rise on David Arceneaux’s arms as he looked across Block Bayou at a line of trees about 100 yards away. “I’m not crazy. I don’t do drugs and I’m not a drinker,” Arceneaux said before telling his tale of seeing not one but two Bigfoot-like creatures huddled together one December morning. The Nederland native visits Oak Bluff Cemetery about once a month to clean the graves of a friend and a cousin, something he has done for years without incident. But on an overcast, windless day Arceneaux got the fright of his life. “I heard a blood curdling scream and a lady nearby asked me if I was OK. I told her it wasn’t me,” Arceneaux said as he stood, uneasily, at roughly the same spot where he saw the creatures. “We walked over to the water and looked to the left then straight ahead.” What he saw next amazed him. Two Bigfoot-like creatures who had been throwing rocks in the water looked across at him and the unknown female. One was standing next to a tree, arms around the trunk and the other was squatted down. As the second creature rose from the crouching position Arceneaux estimated the creature was about eight-foot tall. So he snapped a photo with his phone, he said. “All of a sudden they started walking then running through the woods,” he said of the bipedal creatures. “When they began to run, the lady said ‘I’m leaving’ and left. I stayed a few more seconds and then thought there may be a way for them to cross here so I left, scared.” Arceneaux said he could see the face of the creature “clear as day.” There was hair from the mouth down like a man and when the creature turned he could see hair hanging down its arm. Disturbed by what he saw, Arceneaux went home and watched an episode of “Finding Bigfoot” but had to change the channel when they played an audio recording of Bigfoot — it was too real. “This is my first time back here since December,” he said. Arceneaux said he spoke to a game warden, describing the situation, and was told there had been other sightings along the Neches River. Calls placed to a local game warden was not returned by Tuesday afternoon. There are a number of organizations throughout the state that researches and documents Bigfoot sightings. Groups such as Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy and Gulf Coast Bigfoot Research Organization. These groups strive to find evidence to scientifically prove the existence of the creature. Jerry Hestand of Texas Bigfoot Research Conservancy said there have been reports of sightings in the Big Thicket area and he has had personal experiences at the Lance Rosier Unit in the Thicket. Hestand said one of the creatures entered his camp and growled at one of the dogs. The dog, he said, growled back but by the time the men jumped up from their tents the creature was gone. Hestand said the group was part of an episode of a Travel Channel show called Weird Travels in which Bigfoot vocalizations were played. “There is a sound on the Internet called the Ohio howl,” Hestand said. “That’s exactly what we heard clearly and distinctly.” Arceneaux said he did not come forward with his story sooner because he worried about what others would think of him. He has shown this photographic evidence — which was taken at a far distance with a cell phone — to friends and family and only had one person scoff. He will continue to research Bigfoot, he said, but remains wary of returning to the spot where the encounter occurred.

Source:  Mary Meaux of The Port Arthur News panews.com/local/x2056620313/Bigfoot-sighting-along-Neches-River Cryptid Chronicles readers, what do YOU think??

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[cryogenic-cryptid]

Shadow people are supernatural entities seen mostly in peripheral vision. They are generally described as black silhouettes with no discernible facial features. They can be shapeless masses that sometimes change to human form. In many cases, they have been described as small, of the size of a goblin or a small child. In some stories, their eyes are glowing. Some witnesses have discerned the visible outline of a cloak or a fedora hat.

Shadow people are a widespread phenomenon, possibly related to hypnogogia, a physiological condition in which a person is part-way between sleeping and waking, or to the stimulation of the temporoparietla junction, a specific region of the brain. People experiencing waking-sleep commonly report a feeling of dread and the sensation of lights or shadows moving around them, as well as other visual hallucinations.