Exploring Bigfoot: A Myth or Reality?

Kyle Risi: 0:01

Yeah. So they found this beetle by first checking its goods out and go, oh, we've never seen a dick like this before. It's a new species. What should we call it? Oh, his dick looks like a bottle opener

Adam Cox: 0:10

Carlsberg.

Kyle Risi: 0:36

Welcome to the compendium and assembly of fascinating and intriguing things. We're a weekly variety podcast where each week I tell Adam Cox a story from the darker corners of true crime, pages from mind blowing historical events, or from the who's who of incredible people. We give you just enough information to captivate your audience at any social gathering. I'm your host Kyle Risi.

Adam Cox: 1:01

And I'm your co host Adam Cox.

Kyle Risi: 1:03

So Adam, welcome to a new episode of The Compendium, where this week we will be looking into footprints, folklore, and the fuzzy lines between myth and reality. Fuzzy lines?

Adam Cox: 1:15

I've, yeah, I've got nothing on this one. What? Really?

Kyle Risi: 1:18

You, you, seem to have grappled onto fuzzy lines rather than the main thing at the very beginning of that clue,

Adam Cox: 1:25

footprints! Footprints, oh okay, okay, oh so we're hunting a monster this week? What do you think? Like footprints yeah,

Kyle Risi: 1:33

What is the most famous footprint that you know of?

Adam Cox: 1:36

Well, we covered the Loch Ness Monster and there was that footprint that they used. Oh,

Kyle Risi: 1:42

that's true, actually. Yes. There's a

Adam Cox: 1:44

hippo. So that one, that's the most famous.

Kyle Risi: 1:47

Yeah, but we're not actually revisiting the Loch Ness Monster, but you are very close because on today's episode of the compendium, we're actually diving into the legend of Bigfoot. Oh. And actually, our Loch Ness Monster episode a few weeks back, so many of you reached out to tell us how much you enjoyed the episode about how Marmaduke, Arnadel, Weatheral, fooled the world with his Loch Ness Monster Hulk. So, what a better way to continue our cryptid series then with the most renowned of them all, Mr. Bigfoot himself. More mythical creatures. And this one's an interesting one really, because the legend of Bigfoot has always been something that I've always been really fascinated with ever since I was a kid. And again, you know, I always say this, running wild on the African plains, but really I was. So it's really cool that we get to revisit this after all these years again, but the question we'll be setting out to answer today is just how credible is some of the evidence surrounding Bigfoot? So today we're going to be aiming to explore the varied stories, the theories, and the rumors about this ape man who's just roaming around the United States of America. But Adam, so as tradition, at the very start of every one of our episodes, what is it that you know of Bigfoot?

Adam Cox: 2:58

let me think. That's a thing. do you know what? I don't know if I know too much. I think what I do know of him Risi is from TV shows and films, right? Harry and the Hendersons, that's my Good old classic one, that one. That's like such a good 80s, 90s, I think it was a film and a TV show. And so they, I think some family are on holiday and then they're on the way home and then they crash into, Harry or the Bigfoot, right? And then they take him back and they end up keeping him hidden from people that would come over so he's like under the bed or in a cupboard and then he like accidentally sticks his head up and he's like through the ceiling and I remember him getting really, angry if he like saw something would scare him, right? I think someone drew a horrible picture of him once. And that made him really upset.

Kyle Risi: 3:43

as we all would. it's one of the greatest follies of like man is when you see a bad picture of yourself, it just makes you really angry.

Adam Cox: 3:52

Yeah, so he did not like that. but he was actually quite a real sweet and gentle creature, even though he was this towering ape.

Kyle Risi: 3:59

And is that what you think, the real Bigfoot is like? He's

Adam Cox: 4:02

probably more grisly than that, you reckon? Yeah. When you say grisly, you mean like ferocious? Ferocious, yeah, like teeth and Right. ripping some kind of animal's carcass around.

Kyle Risi: 4:12

we're gonna find out today, aren't we? Okay. But before we get started, I think it's time for All The

Adam Cox: 4:19

Latest Things! So my turn to go first this week. Um, so, you know how I like a story about people trying to smuggle stuff into the country through an airport?

Kyle Risi: 4:39

Um, do I know this about you? I don't know. It's not like we sit and talk about, like Well,

Adam Cox: 4:45

a few weeks back I talked about the woman who tried to smuggle in poo, and got it confiscated, right? I remember that,

Kyle Risi: 4:51

but it doesn't really equate to me going, Oh, do you know what? That's one of the things that Adam likes. Well, I

Adam Cox: 4:55

think, do you know what? It's come to my attention that this is the news stories that I appreciate. Okay, fine. Good. Good to know. So, um Recently, I think a few weeks back, a Taiwanese man was arrested in a Thailand airport for smuggling what in his underwear?

Kyle Risi: 5:11

I'm gonna say baby birds. Close. Um, I don't know. What was he smuggling? Balls. Meat and two veg.

Adam Cox: 5:20

Definitely smuggling that. Depends if it's not his. Yeah, it's fair enough. so this guy was caught by customs. trying to smuggle two otters and a prairie dog onto an aeroplane. Oh god. And this guy, he's 22 years old and he reportedly first put the small animals into his pantyhose. Now, I don't know if that's a translation thing or if he actually was wearing pantyhose.

Kyle Risi: 5:43

We have a guy with a serious fetish here. That's all I can say.

Adam Cox: 5:47

Fetish for pantyhose and otters.

Kyle Risi: 5:49

It's one of my favorite lines is when I see someone like with a really perked butt, and they're walking down the street and you can see their perked butt in their jeans, I always go oh that looks like two little piglets wrestling in there. And this brings new meaning to that. That phrase, I think, it looks like two otters wrestling around, trying to

Adam Cox: 6:05

get out of there. Um, so, yeah, he got arrested, so I think what happened, he had secured these pouches around his waist and used packing tape, and what caught the attention, as you might imagine, is There was some weird behaviour going around and some visible bulges in his pants. Yeah, too little piglets wrestling in there. Literally. So how did he think he was going to be able to get them through security? Unless he sedated them, they're going to be wriggling around, right? Oh

Kyle Risi: 6:33

damn, do you know what? I thought you were going to tell me.

Adam Cox: 6:35

Well no, he thought he could get away with it.

Kyle Risi: 6:38

Ah, he should have sedated them. He should have done. Oh, so I guess they weren't sedated by his, just his pure muskiness.

Adam Cox: 6:45

Well, though, he had to have the x rayed, when he was going through, and I think that's got really what drew attention. But yeah, these two otters wriggling around in his pants. They were taken off him, poor guy. I don't know why he was trying to smuggle them. Yeah, we don't know. Maybe they were his friends, but he didn't have a proper license.

Kyle Risi: 7:03

They're my best friends, don't take them away!

Adam Cox: 7:06

Um, here's the prairie dog that was seized. Oh my god. That's adorable. I know. But that's been stuffed out of man's pantyhose.

Kyle Risi: 7:13

Stop saying pantyhose! It's obviously a misprint.

Adam Cox: 7:17

And here's an image of, I think, what are the otters in his pants?

Kyle Risi: 7:22

Oh my god.

Adam Cox: 7:24

yeah, he now faces a fine if found guilty. I think he's guilty of up to 30, 000. Why is he pleading not guilty? Um, yeah. And he could also face four to ten years in

Kyle Risi: 7:35

prison. Hey, don't mess with customs, man. Yeah, but he just wanted to

Adam Cox: 7:39

smuggle a couple of odders. I know, it's

Kyle Risi: 7:40

his friends. It's cute. I'll be watching you. I'll be like, oh yeah, we're leaving Mexico tomorrow. I just need to like, make sure Adam's not got any pantyhose that he's bought from

Adam Cox: 7:50

the pharmacy. Great for strapping down. But yeah, that's my latest thing this week. I love

Kyle Risi: 7:55

it. I have a couple of things really real quick. I was watching TikTok this morning and do you know, so You're the president of the United States, right? you want something to eat. And you have a private chef, and he says, Hey, what do you want to eat? What are you gonna go for? what would be your thing? first day as president, you can have whatever you want. Ooh, I reckon some sushi. You go for sushi, yeah? Yeah. And guess what? What? You get billed for that at the month as president. What? So you don't get, an allowance? No. You get your, obviously rent is free, and housekeeping is free, everything else you're billed for. In fact, it goes to the point, and this is Michelle Obama, in her recent book that she was saying that they will even count how many peanuts you eat, and they will then bill you for that at the month. Really? They charge that back, yeah.

Adam Cox: 8:38

You've had, 200 peanuts.

Kyle Risi: 8:40

I don't know. Yeah, and even if you don't eat them. if you've ordered them, or if you've requested them, and you don't eat them, you'll be charged for it. Yeah. she was like, Barack, you just said to him that you really like that fish, and like that fish was delicious. Don't say that. Because they will now bring thousands and thousands of them all, and we'll get billed for it the month. Because what happened last month is we got a bill for it, and they'd flown in a thousand of these fish from China. Even though they didn't ask for them? No, they just said, oh, that was really delicious, and then the chef was like, oh, they really liked that. We'll get more.

Adam Cox: 9:07

That's so weird. But surely, okay, fair enough, you can have your own shopping list, aren't you? but

Kyle Risi: 9:12

remember, it's yes, I get it. You are going to be billed for all the things that you have. I'm not expecting that, to not be the case. but the thing is, though, when you live in the White House, you are literally living in a five star hotel. And. if they provide you anything, it's five star quality. Yeah. So you can't say we really like this, uh, the sponge cake. Uh, it's really great. But can you get it from Lidl? Do you know what I mean? It's like, no, we'll get our, our, our chef to make it and he'll get all the finest ingredients. It's like, no, cause I have to pay for that. Yeah, exactly.

Adam Cox: 9:41

What you, there must be just like, Oh, can I just have a Boots meal today?

Kyle Risi: 9:45

Or whatever the equivalent is

Adam Cox: 9:46

in America. No, yeah, no way. I can't believe that.

Kyle Risi: 9:49

I'm shocked. But what I just love, like, I just love. The Obamas. I just think they're just incredible. They're incredible people to watch. They're so down to earth. They're just really genuine people. And like, she was telling the story on Oprah and everyone was like, what? Oh, no. And she's like, come on, guys. It's not. Uh, I live in the damn White House. And it was just like, yes, she lives in this luxury, but then she's able to always just bring it down to earth a little bit. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. And they're just such great people. I just love watching them. But my next All the latest things. Okay. Is squatter, squatter rights. Squatter rights? squatter rights?

Adam Cox: 10:24

Oh, if you squat in a house for so long, doesn't it then somehow

Kyle Risi: 10:28

become yours? Yeah, so I think after 12 years or something, if you are squatting on someone's land and the owner doesn't intervene, then you have some kind of claim to it. Let's say, for example, we were renting a house and someone wanted to evict us and we say, no, we are now squatting, we have technically, we have some rights and if you then as the owner want to get that person out, it's really difficult, you've got to jump through all these hoops. So as an owner, you have very few rights. And the thing is though, That's what happened to this woman. She was like in her 90s. She wanted to sell a house after her husband died She couldn't Sell the house because the people who were renting decided that they were gonna squat in the house and they couldn't get Them out right and in all the time She was now liable for the rent and the mortgage so she was gonna lose her place. But she managed to rent the house, regardless of there being squatters. How? To her son. And now because her son is not the owner, right? What he did is he waited outside for the squatters then to go to leave work the next day. Then he went into the house, changed the locks, put all this stuff outside and boom, that was it. And as the owner You're not allowed to do that, but as the legal tenant, you are.

Adam Cox: 11:31

Right. Isn't that incredible? That's a good workaround.

Kyle Risi: 11:35

And I mean, I get it, I get it, like, oh, down with the landlords, they charge too much rent and stuff like that, but this is a 93 year old woman. And you shouldn't be

Adam Cox: 11:43

like, squatting in someone, or taking advantage like that.

Kyle Risi: 11:46

No, you shouldn't, you shouldn't. But yeah, I just was amazed by that. So yeah. Yeah. That's all my latest things for this week. Cool. There's Baileys in coffee, it's good. It feels very Christmassy, doesn't it? It does. You're welcome. Very New Year esque. You're welcome. In the dreary January, where'd you get it from? Downstairs. Why, has it just been in the kitchen since last year? Yeah. Okay. Moving on. So Adam. Listen. Most of us are familiar with the legend of Bigfoot. Primarily, it's associated with the Pacific Northwest, more specifically like Northern California. When you were talking about Harry and the Hendersons earlier on, that's where they banged into him, right? Because that's, he is synonymous with the Northwest. Like the forests and stuff like that. Yeah, yeah, that's it. Kind of really south, close to the border of, Canada, et cetera. And the term Bigfoot is what is colloquially, known as the Sasquatch. Have you heard of that term as well, before?

Adam Cox: 12:40

Yeah, I've heard of the Sasquatch before, and Yeti. I feel like they're all similar, but are they from like different parts of the world?

Kyle Risi: 12:46

No, so Sasquatch and Bigfoot, they're the same things, right? That is the, that's the North American term for it, but you're right. Yeti, that's from a different part of the world, and the world actually has several different types of Ape Man, and they're called different things around the world, right? But Sasquatch, Bigfoot, typically the same thing. Didn't, um, when we

Adam Cox: 13:05

did the, Dyatlov Pass, Didn't they stage photos of like a Yeti or something like that?

Kyle Risi: 13:10

Yeah, I think they were just playing silly buggers, right? Because they were really fascinated with this idea of the Bigfoot or the Yeti anyway. So they were like, oh look, there's a Bigfoot in the distance, but it was just one of them. And actually that created this big old kind of conspiracy around were they attacked by? These Yeti. That was such a bloody good episode. Yeah.

Adam Cox: 13:26

And then I remember Hiro and Oda. So the guy that ended up getting Hiro and Oda, the last Japanese holdout. Yeah. he died looking for a Yeti.

Kyle Risi: 13:34

Ah, where was he? He was Indonesia, right? Yeah, he was in the Himalayas, I think. Oh, Himalayas. Or something like that. So that would have been, if it was Himalayas, that would have been The Yeti. Yeah. If he was in Indonesia, that would have been something else. Himalayas are really high up in the mountains, so I don't know if that's where Hiro Noda

Adam Cox: 13:50

was it? It was because, um, Hiro ended up climbing that mountain. Ah. Do you remember my episode? I

Kyle Risi: 13:55

do, I do remember. It was very good. Oops, I need to do my homework. Um, but So the word Sasquatch has its roots among the Salishan people, who are the First Nations people of the Pacific Northwest region of the USA, and this pretty much roughly translates to wild men. the legend of the Sasquatch isn't just rooted in modern times, it's a legend that spans literally thousands of years. and their descriptions describe the Sasquatch as an ape like being ranging in height from about six feet to kind of nine feet tall, which is huge. That's monstrous. Yeah. And their accounts say that this being is covered in thick hair that is typically black brown and some say it's reddish in colour. And the palms of their feet and the hands are described as a lighter kind of colour than their face. Exactly what you might expect from human beings, right? And its footprints are said to be Absolutely enormous. Over 24 inches long and 8 inches wide. So just in case you're in any doubt how big that is, that's the width of this door. What?

Adam Cox: 15:00

Hang on. What? That's huge! So 24 inches, so how big is that in comparison to a regular man sized

Kyle Risi: 15:08

foot? I would say, well, a man sized foot is probably like Twelve inches? Twelve

Adam Cox: 15:13

inches. So we're talking about Double a man's foot. That's, that is pretty

Kyle Risi: 15:16

big. Yeah, actually that still doesn't feel like the width of a door.

Adam Cox: 15:20

No, that's not. Maybe a narrow door.

Kyle Risi: 15:22

Yeah, a really narrow door.

Adam Cox: 15:24

You know what they say about big feet, or big foot with big feet? BIG MONKEY DICK! Well, that was aggressive.

Kyle Risi: 15:30

Sorry. What's particularly intriguing about these footprints, aside from their size, is the evidence of scarring which people have noticed within the footprint cast that they've created, which I personally find interesting because if these footprints are a hoax, then it's interesting that the detail that someone would go to, to factor into those footprints, do you know what I mean? Okay. So I think that's quite impressive. Also, records show that their big toe typically aligns with the others, making their feet remarkably like ours. So, the creature's head is said to be crested, similar to that of a male gorilla, and sasquatches are also described as having large eyes with pronounced brows, a bit like yours, And just like cats or owls, their eyes reflect in the dark. And those who say that they've seen a sasquatch will often talk about how bad they smell, which I guess is a given? Because, like, put a human out in the wilderness for its entire life, they're not really going to smell that great, are they?

Adam Cox: 16:23

Yeah, because what do they eat? And are we talking like BO or like wet dog

Kyle Risi: 16:26

smell? Probably a combination of all of it, right?

Adam Cox: 16:30

So dead animal carcass with BO and

Kyle Risi: 16:34

I don't know, Adam. What would you smell like if you were out camping for a whole weekend and then multiply that by a thousand days? Yeah, not good, Kyle. And I mean, some days you do shower and you still stink. Um,

Adam Cox: 16:46

carry on with your story.

Kyle Risi: 16:48

So some people have claimed that the creature communicates through various pattern knocking, like tapping on rocks and logs, specifically on hollowed items, because they've come to learn that the sound pretty much can travel long distances. Which I think implies a certain degree of intelligence, do you not think? I guess so,

Adam Cox: 17:03

yeah, they're communicating, but with who?

Kyle Risi: 17:06

I guess with other Sasquatches.

Adam Cox: 17:08

So they're like knocking on

Kyle Risi: 17:09

a wood. Yeah, and just going, I'm, I've got the groceries. did you need butter? did you need liver from an otter? There's no otter liver, but there is a guy who has some otter in his pants and it smells like his musk. Should I pick those otters up? And then there's a knock back and he's like, Oh, that's affirmative. And then just like rips the otters out of his pants.

Adam Cox: 17:29

So How far is this message supposed to travel, then?

Kyle Risi: 17:32

Oh god, I don't know, but I guess depending on the frequency of the sound, it can travel long distances. Okay. But it's implied that they can communicate over long distances by knocking on selected items, and the intelligence there is that they can distinguish between these different items in order to make this communication. That's quite clever. I think so. They're also said to communicate through howling, screeching and various whistling. Screeching. I can understand the small Bigfoots howling and screeching, but the big ones, because they're so big, I just imagine them to be quite Steep. Yeah. But you screech like Barry White Screech. Yeah, but I'm little But I imagine like someone like Barry White, imagine him trying to Screech. Yeah, Yeah. So they're also said to construct these structures in wooded areas, often added twigs and branches, often lining these structures with tufts of hair and grasses, and because these structures seem to be too large to be made by a typical woodland animal, many speculate that these are the nests or the shelters of the sasquatches that are roaming around the forest. Now, I don't know about you, but for most of my life, I always thought of Bigfoot as a singular creature, like just one Bigfoot. like all of the sightings that have been reported, I always just thought there was just one.

Adam Cox: 18:40

it sounds singular, doesn't it? Bigfoot.

Kyle Risi: 18:41

Yeah, exactly. Not Bigfeet. It's not Bigfeet. Ah, there's a, I heard a Bigfeet coming at me. But yeah, I just thought it was just one Bigfoot. But every single state in the USA has claimed to have seen Bigfoot. So unless Mr. Bigfoot is traveling around the United States on his holidays, then we are literally talking about an entire species of creatures here. Which, that's news to me. Yeah,

Adam Cox: 19:04

you're not gonna get, especially because the temperature varies so much, right?

Kyle Risi: 19:07

Exactly, exactly. Well, I mean, California and Washington pretty much, they have the bulk of the sightings, but there are also sightings in Oregon including like footprint casts that people have found. Florida has reports of this skunk ape that is seen across the swamps of the Everglades. Ohio has the Grassman along with sightings in Texas, also known as the Lake Worth Monster. And the list just goes on and on. And if I had to make one observation about this list of notable sightings, they all seem to have been first round about between the 1950s and 70s, which makes me wonder if that is important as part of the story. And I think what we'll probably find is that it might be. Okay. Yeah. What do you think? Like, when there's a cluster of them, why would it be centered around a particular time if it wasn't just a little bit of hysteria. Do you know what I mean?

Adam Cox: 19:59

Yeah, because it makes me think now I don't know what decade it was, but you used you have those old horror movies like Godzilla and King Kong but I don't know if they feel like they were earlier like 20s or 30s But maybe it was people that were brought up on that if we're saying it might be a hoax He's used that to kind of create

Kyle Risi: 20:17

this. Well actually Well, we know about the Loch Ness Monster, that the form of the Loch Ness Monster, as we know it today, came from the King Kong movie Skull Island. When was that film released? I can have a look. Because if it was the same time, then hey, the other thing that spurred from this would have been Bigfoot, because King Kong is a giant gorilla, right?

Adam Cox: 20:38

So, I think the first King Kong movie was in 1976? I feel like there's older than that.

Kyle Risi: 20:45

Way older than that. Because the surgeon's photograph from the Loch Ness Monster, I'm sure that was like in the 30s. Yeah, there must be a Ah, maybe one of our listeners will write in and let us know. If you remember from the Loch Ness episode Let us know. We'll discuss it next week. Can you fill in the gaps? Yeah. So basically my question is, if the Sasquatch is indeed a species, how have we not spotted more of them More frequently, considering we now like living in a world where we have access to more cameras and video cameras yet the amount of new physical evidence. really hasn't grown over the years. Kind of like it's more concentrated around about the 60s and 70s. But then after that, there's just a few sightings every year, Yeah. It sounds a

Adam Cox: 21:24

little

Kyle Risi: 21:25

suspect, doesn't it? It does. and also when we do get evidence, which we'll go through some of it today, the quality is just always really horrendous. So yeah, I don't know. I was looking at when the most recent footage that was captured, And that was actually from October, 2023. So only just like a few months ago. Yeah. And this guy was traveling on a train in Colorado. A lot of people grab this train to go elk spotting. And as they were driving along this train, they see something walking along the fields, and this is that footage. A couple was on that sightseeing train between Durango and Silverton. They were trying to spot elk when they saw this creature that they could only describe as bigfoot six, seven feet tall. They say camouflaged now. Okay. if you really look closely. I don't know what else to describe it as. Look, that is crazy, right? It's time to go. Someone's in a costume out there freaking people out. It's a comedian. I don't care, either way, it's time to go. I think it's a prankster. The train's conductor tried to say, you know what, we've seen footprints in the snow before. Some people thought it was a hunter, but I don't see a weapon on that. I believe it's Bigfoot. What do you think? Do you want to describe what you've just seen?

Adam Cox: 22:42

I mean, it's So, the video is of, I guess like this kind of desert, it's brown sort of field. And you see what looks to be like, an ape or Bigfoot type creature. He's blending in with the surroundings, almost like camouflage. With the kind of shrubbery and everything like that. And he just kind of crouches down and yeah, it generally does look like a Bigfoot. But then equally, it's so far away that is it a man in a costume?

Kyle Risi: 23:08

I don't think it is a man in a costume because they did say that a lot of people grab that train to go elk spotting. And someone also said that it was a, probably a hunter hunting for elk. And he was so perfectly camouflaged. Ah. So I googled, Colorado, hunting suit camouflage. Yeah. And then I typed in like grass and things like that. And they exist, look. Look at this outfit. You can buy this. I think it's called a ghillie suit. Basically, we're talking about someone who was stalking deer. Oh, geez. So it's like a fully, it's like a fully strawed

Adam Cox: 23:43

outfit, right? Yeah, I mean, the colouring, I can, I can see how that could be that. I can't believe it could actually be a guy that's hunting. Yeah. And now he's been caught on the news and people think he's big for it. So we're like, no, not again. Um, but yeah, no, I can totally see that.

Kyle Risi: 23:58

Incredible. We'll include that video in the show notes. It's just great. So it's just mind boggling to think that considering its size, these creatures have just somehow managed to stay largely hidden, especially if we're not talking about just one Sasquatch, but like potentially an entire society of them. Fascinatingly, most Sasquatch sightings are typically reported to happen at night, which suggests they might be nocturnal, which means that if this is true, then this would set them apart from most ape species because most Apes are awake during the day, right? I think they're called diurnal or something like that, but it's the opposite of nocturnal. But the Sasquatch just isn't confined to the main North American mainland because for thousands of years, similar creatures have also been reported worldwide. So, for instance, as you said earlier on, with, Hero Anoda, the Himalayas, they have the Yeti. Famed kind of like Bigfoot creature that we all know about. So hairy creature that lives up in the mountains, and then Indonesia has tales of the Abugogo, I think. Now, similar to the Sasquatch, but known for its speed and having its own unique language, and then Australia They have the Yowie, which is described as being just really ferociously aggressive, which I mean, it's Australia So Most animals there are aggressive. Exactly, it's just, it's just

Adam Cox: 25:08

blending in! I didn't realize they had one, a Yowie.

Kyle Risi: 25:11

Yeah, pretty much every single continent on the planet has rumours. I mean, obviously Africa's got most of them because that's where gorillas and apes come from. So the fact that there is such a prevalence of sightings across the globe must suggest that they could be their own species, and a species that may have even migrated and evolved over time alongside Homo sapiens, us, and maybe even migrated along the same migration path. out of Africa, into Europe, then Asia, Australia, and then into, North America via the Bering Strait. it's genuinely eerie to think that a hidden hominid is silently living alongside us, which I just think is just so captivating.

Adam Cox: 25:52

Well trying to think if that Is that even possible? But then I guess in the UK, at least, you hear these things of like big cat sightings. And there's even one that was on our estate. So it was like a panther and, or it was a very big domestic cat, there are, there is this out there, I guess these kinds of sketchy images and stuff like that. And so it's totally possible that there's big cats in the UK.

Kyle Risi: 26:18

Um. But why are they so hidden? That's the

Adam Cox: 26:20

thing. Yeah, it was like, but surely someone would be able to, like, find get like a really clear shot of them one day. And I'm just trying to think of these, the big feet, big foot

Kyle Risi: 26:29

even. technically big feet.

Adam Cox: 26:31

Yeah. Plural. there must have been more sightings, but the fact that there's these creatures that are all over the world. I wonder if it's a bit of a folk's tale that's got spread around and around.

Kyle Risi: 26:41

I agree, I think possibly it could be that really and as you'll see as we're going to some of the evidence that might become more of the case. I don't know what you're gonna make of this evidence. Okay. But we'll see I guess. So let's talk about some of the historical accounts with the Sasquatch. So the first and probably the earliest account comes from the Lumni people. who for generations have passed down stories of large ape like creatures that roam around the Mount St. Helens area which is kind of Washington state. And the tales talk about how this creature would torment the locals and was known for its aggressive and sometimes cannibalistic kind of nature. So for hundreds of years these accounts were unknown to pioneers right up until 1924 when a group of miners claimed that they were attacked by a group of ape like creatures who allegedly hurled rocks at their cabin and tried to break in in the middle of the night. And this incident was so widely reported in the 1920s that this area became known as Ape Canyon. Really? Yeah. So this brings us to an intriguing theory because if the Lumni are correct and these creatures are in fact cannibalistic then it could potentially explain why we haven't encountered any dead Sasquatches because they may be eating their dead right down to the bone, discarding Literally everything leaving nothing behind.

Adam Cox: 27:55

Yeah, that's a good point because we've discovered dinosaurs and fossils and all sorts No one's going. Oh, this is a fossilized

Kyle Risi: 28:01

Bigfoot. Exactly. Mm hmm. Where's the big monkey man? Yeah, hang on a minute. But if they are cannibalistic and they're eating their death, then maybe that explains it. They don't like to leave waste they're very resourceful So here is another story that takes place also in 1924. This time it's a man called Albert Ostman and he's a Canadian prospect and he claimed that he was abducted by Sasquatch and held captive for six Held captive?

Adam Cox: 28:26

Yeah. Hang on, are we suggesting there is like a gang of Sasquatch out there? That are like putting humans in cages

Kyle Risi: 28:34

and holding. no, he's not putting him in a cage What's really interesting about this is that according to Ostman he was sleeping in his sleeping bag When he suddenly got picked up and carried for several hours by this large creature Eventually found himself in a remote area with a family of them a male a female two younger ones and Ostman talks about how he Observed them for days noting their behavior and characteristics and according to Ostman They were these big hairy creatures with the adult male standing about eight feet tall and he describes in detail how they seem to interact as a family and they would sleep during the day and at night they seem to eat just mostly plants and roots which they attempted to share with Osman. and he talks about how they didn't seem to kind of use any tools or make any fires but they did seem to be pretty smart in their own way. They also communicated through chattering. But they also demonstrated a unique curiosity about Osman's things in particular. And the big male was particularly fascinated by Osman's snuff tobacco box that he had. I get it. I love a box. I really love boxes and containers and shit like that. So I get it. I'm just a big Sasquatch. Like shiny things. So what's interesting though, is this fascination with his snuff box is actually what helps him escape because Osman says that he gives the large male a big wad of the snuff. Which makes him sleepy, and it just allows him to then gather his things up slowly, and then just make his escape. Mmm. What do you think of that? I don't

Adam Cox: 30:00

know, I kinda feel like What? I don't know if I buy this. Why? He just happened to get, dragged from his tent

Kyle Risi: 30:09

no, he was just sleeping on the ground, he's a prospector, so he just came across, saw something on the ground, You picked him up from the ground.

Adam Cox: 30:15

Picked him up from the ground and then he got taken. They it sounds like they didn't really want to harm him because they're like giving him food and stuff like that.

Kyle Risi: 30:23

So why would And you don't, you find that bit non believable. You're like, it was a yeti, he would want to kill me. that's, it just seems a bit

Adam Cox: 30:29

odd.

Kyle Risi: 30:29

He just wants to be famous. Do you think? Yeah, it could be. It could be. I don't know the media attention around the story, but It was pretty much one of the earliest famous stories. Sure. From around this time. But fast forward to 1941, almost two decades later We have our second encounter. We're around about 3 p. m Jeannie Chapman's son tells her that one of their cows was seen fleeing from the woods near Ruby Creek in California naturally worried about the cow, Jeannie goes outside to investigate and immediately she sees a creature about 7. 5 feet tall, which she initially thinks is a mangy bear, but very quickly she realises it's an ape like creature with a barrel chest and a very small head and it's covered in hair and appears to kind of like be brownish and black in colour. So frightened for her children's safety, Jeannie decides to flee with her children to a nearby town and when her husband George returns home His family are of course just not there But he finds these large footprints around the property and notices that a barrel of salted fish Which had been bear proofed had been opened and raided by the creature and for seven days after that, after the family returned, the creature came back for up to a week and just tried to scavenge food around the house. Looking for more fish and things. Yeah, and they were so freaked out by it that they ended up just moving away because they were really disturbed by it.

Adam Cox: 31:52

Well, okay, I mean, Well, it sounds believable, but that could be like a bear. I know they said it wasn't, but maybe it was some other kind of animal.

Kyle Risi: 32:00

But you're really spot on there, because a lot of these accounts to Bigfoot. This is an interesting one, because initially they go. Oh, we thought it was a bear first, and then we realized, hang on a minute, that's not a bear. This is unique in that sense, is that they immediately just assumed it was a bear, but a lot of these Bigfoot enthusiasts are so quick to just jump to, oh, it's a Bigfoot. Yeah,

Adam Cox: 32:22

yeah. And what's like the chances of these, even men dressing as Bigfeet, just going around to steal stuff and, I don't know, creating more to this story? Well, we're gonna

Kyle Risi: 32:32

come on to that. Okay. So, 1958, Jerry Crew discovers a set of large footprints that he believes might belong to a creature that he had heard so much about over the years. So, these stories range from miners around Ape Canyon and, of course, as we've just mentioned, the Chapman family near Ruby Creek. Now, Jerry decides to create A set of plaster moulds from these footprints that he's found, which draws in huge media attention, which marks the first major surge of the legend into the mainstream, Because this, at the time, was considered the first tangible piece of evidence for the existence of the Sasquatch from that Lumley folklore story that we talked about earlier on. so amidst all this attention, the footprints become known as the Bigfoot casts, which is the first time that this term is used in connection with the Sasquatch. And that's how we got Bigfoot.

Adam Cox: 33:30

Oh, really? Okay. So at the moment they hadn't been calling it a Bigfoot. No. It was just the footprint.

Kyle Risi: 33:37

Yeah, exactly. So the entire legend is based on these footprints. This is the first bit of tangible evidence that kind of gives birth to The legend as we know it today. Fascinating. Here's the intriguing twist in the story though. Because what has been hailed as the first tangible piece of evidence for the existence of Bigfoot Evidence considered as the cornerstone of the modern Bigfoot legend that all future sightings and all subsequent evidence would be based off, turned out to be an elaborate hoax. So it was discovered that the person who made these footprints was a local lumberjack called Ray Wallace who had made a set of crude wooden feet which he then used to stamp numerous sets of imprints. around the area. Just like Loch Ness Monster. Exactly! Now the idea was that someone would stumble upon them and be freaked out and that person was of course Jerry Crew. But I guess that Ray had no idea how huge the story had become and the hoax ended up being hidden. until Ray Wallace's death in 2002. Really? Yeah, that's when his family then contacted the media but by then of course the legend of Bigfoot had already deep rooted itself. In popular culture, and it makes you wonder about what other seemingly innocent pranks have quietly woven themselves into our collective consciousness, and it's very similar to the Loch Ness Monster story, that famous surgeon's photograph, which at the time people were like, this is definitive proof that the Loch Ness Monster exists. But then, like years later in 1994, a deathbed confession, we find out That is all just one big massive hoax by a guy called Marmaduke Weatherall Ardenal in his plan to extract revenge on the Daily Mail. So, guys, if you haven't listened to that episode, then we'll link to that in the show notes. Or you can just browse through our back catalogue. It's just such an awesome story, but the question is How many other things are there out there that we believe to be facts are just one small Deathbed confession away from being revealed as a massive hoax because that's two stories now. Yeah, like

Adam Cox: 35:51

the moon landing, gravity but, you're right though like Like, you think of, um, when we read the history books now and you'll read about what people did in the Tudor period or whatever, and there's like these myths or things that they generally believed in that actually we think now go, how do they believe that? That's so stupid, right? That's such a great point. So what do we know right now, even like in the news stories from the 90s, the 2000s, what is made up that we actually believe right now?

Kyle Risi: 36:19

I reckon the next big thing will be that boobs aren't real. Boobs aren't real? Yeah, they never were real, they never will be real. They're just straw stuffed in there. Maybe. So Adam. We now come to what might be the most famous Bigfoot encounter of all time, and it's a brief moment that takes us right back to 1963 in Northern California. if you know anything about Bigfoot, then you know that this thing is probably the one that stands out in our minds the most. It is, of course, the iconic footage of what some say is a female Bigfoot, just casually strolling, you know, along the riverbank, minding his own business. where we see her just casually looking back over her shoulder to the camera just like, like a waspy crunchy mum, right? Waspy crunchy mum? Yeah, like I'm busy, just get out my face, right? I've got chores to do. Do you know which footage I mean?

Adam Cox: 37:10

Um, I'm trying to think, is it? I'm guessing it's grainy. I'm guessing it's from a distance, and I'm guessing it could or couldn't be someone dressed up.

Kyle Risi: 37:18

Accurate! So, um, this footage is known as the Patterson Gimlin film, and the story goes like this. So while riding on horseback through the Sixth River National Forest in Northern California, two guys called Roger Patterson and Bob, uh, Gimlin encounter what they believe to be the Bigfoot. Walking alongside the stream when they see it, Patterson grabs his camera, and he starts filming and the footage is very shaky, but the resulting images are the iconic images of that large bipedal hairy figure with very perky breasts, supple breasts, walking away from the camera into the woods, famously turning and glancing over its shoulder. So I've got two videos to show you. I've got the. Genuine footage and then I've got some stabilized footage to show you. So let's start with the actual footage first

Adam Cox: 39:39

I mean, I can barely make out anything. Can

Kyle Risi: 39:41

you, well, because it's so shaky.

Adam Cox: 39:43

It's so shaky. I mean, I know there's, there's something

Kyle Risi: 39:46

there. You can definitely make out boobs, though.

Adam Cox: 39:49

Yeah, they are perky.

Kyle Risi: 39:50

They are so perky, aren't they?

Adam Cox: 39:52

She knew what she was doing.

Kyle Risi: 39:53

She knew.

Adam Cox: 39:54

I guess she's, she does look like she's nonchalantly just taking a walk. You're just chilling, man. She just walks over and she's like, Oi! What are you looking at? Yeah, what is it?

Kyle Risi: 40:03

Take a picture, might last longer.

Adam Cox: 40:05

yeah, I do wonder, would a bipedal animal walk? as similarly to us in terms

Kyle Risi: 40:13

of the scripting. It's so eerie and similar to us, isn't it? Yeah, it's just too human. Yeah, exactly. Do you want to see the stabilized

Adam Cox: 40:20

version? Yes. Oh yeah, that's just, oh that's a man. That's a man and a female. Bigfoot

Kyle Risi: 40:27

costume. Why can't it be a female in a female Bigfoot costume? It's just

Adam Cox: 40:31

got a bit of a swagger and kind of a, more of a kind of I don't know, the shoulders and stuff like that. Yeah. It looks more masculine kind of walk. But yeah, that's uh So you don't

Kyle Risi: 40:41

buy it? I don't buy that. Interesting. Interesting.

Adam Cox: 40:45

Because I also think if you do see a sighting of a Bigfoot, right, you'd be chasing it down going, I'm going to get the best footage of

Kyle Risi: 40:50

this animal and sell it. Yeah, where is it? Where's all that footage? Everyone has a camera in their pocket now.

Adam Cox: 40:56

And so I think. the reason they're from such a distance is because if you get too close you'll see that it's a costume, right? Yep. Or something else. Or something

Kyle Risi: 41:05

else. So of course I'll include both those links in the show notes for you to check out but following this Roger and Bob make casts of the creature's footprints and when the footage goes public it just blows up and attracts a huge amount of attention from scientists as well as hundreds of other bigfoot enthusiasts across the world. Now here's the twist that many people might not necessarily be aware of, right? This is as deep as my investigative journalism goes, right? My research. Okay. But Roger Patterson and Bob Gimlin They weren't just two regular guys who happened to stumble upon this creature unexpectedly. They were both, in fact, avid Bigfoot enthusiasts themselves. Right. They also actually had set out on that day with a specific intent on finding a Bigfoot. Also, Patterson had previously written a book about the Bigfoot legend. So to me, his background suggests the motivation, perhaps to secure proof, to back up his book and to give himself credibility. So as a result, many people do speculate that maybe he had faked the footage to do just that.

Adam Cox: 42:17

Maybe. Maybe he faked the

Kyle Risi: 42:19

footage. we don't know definitively because Sure,

Adam Cox: 42:22

but this is the first day I'm going to go Bigfoot hunting and oh, look, I found one. I

Kyle Risi: 42:27

must say though, the numerous Analysis of the footage The authenticity of it has never been definitively concluded But they do say conclusively, Conclusively. That the film was not tampered with. Which is a point that many used to kind of argue in favor of Bigfoot existing. But, to me, the absence of evidence of tampering doesn't necessarily prove that this isn't just someone in a suit. I know,

Adam Cox: 42:48

what does that even mean? It hasn't been

Kyle Risi: 42:49

tampered with. Yeah, so it's not been doctored, it's not been edited or anything. I mean, this is from the 60s anyway, so that wouldn't have been the case anyway. Yeah, exactly. The only option that you had was some guy in a suit, right? And

Adam Cox: 43:00

that's what you would say If you were trying to hide something, like give it some legitimacy.

Kyle Risi: 43:06

Now this leads us to August the 12th, 2008, where Matthew Witten and Rick Dyer, both from Georgia, issue a press release and appear on Steve Cole's radio show Sasquatch, or sorry, Squatch Detective I think the show's called. They have declared that they have found a body. of a deceased Bigfoot while hiking in North Georgia mountains two months prior. They show footage showing a huge creature encased in a solid block of ice. Now they say that after finding the body They assembled a team, including the well respected Bigfoot researcher Tom Biscali, to help salvage the body. And this took a total of six men a day and a half to move the body off of the trail, all while being followed by three other Bigfoot creatures trailing them. How fucking

Adam Cox: 43:57

scary! If it was real.

Kyle Risi: 44:01

Hey, you got to suspend your disbelief. Sorry. Yeah, real scary. So later Tom Biscotti endorses the fine. He says that he had touched it, feeling its intestines. And so following kind of Tom's endorsement, a bunch of organizations all want to buy the body. So eventually after several back and forths, they decide on a buyer. How much do you think they're paid for this body? What year was it again? 2008. Hmm. I

Adam Cox: 44:27

reckon It's gotta be several hundred thousands. Oh, shit. Okay,

Kyle Risi: 44:30

you spoiled it.

Adam Cox: 44:31

Oh, sorry.

Kyle Risi: 44:33

50k. Oh, that doesn't seem much. You don't think it seems like a huge amount?

Adam Cox: 44:37

This is supposed to be like a huge discovery, right? Yeah, I guess so.

Kyle Risi: 44:42

I guess maybe they were just desperate. Yeah, and the

Adam Cox: 44:43

first one The first Bigfoot to have been like Oh, do

Kyle Risi: 44:48

you know what? Do you know what? Your input there because like what if it was real it was genuine why they're selling for 50, 000, right? Yeah, but if they're just trying to swindle out for some money, I think this is a good foreboding Yeah, that's that it's what's coming exactly.

Adam Cox: 45:01

That's feels like they're trying to get what they can.

Kyle Risi: 45:03

You're gonna see you ready for this, huh? So the deal is finalized the money is wired And then all that's left to do is arrange for the delivery of the body. And when they receive the body, they have to literally defrost the thing, which is encased in a solid block of ice. And it turns out the body was just a giant ape costume that had been stuffed filled with dead possums and slaughterhouse entrails before being frozen solid in a block of ice. See?

Adam Cox: 45:31

What did I tell you? that's a good, selling price for that.

Kyle Risi: 45:35

yeah, you're right. otherwise, if it was genuine, it would be hundreds of thousands, right? Millions, potentially. Yeah. But apparently they purchased the costume from a website called thehorrordome. com And get this, When all of this unraveled, Matthew and Rick claimed that an anonymous government agency had seized the real Bigfoot body from them, FORCING THEM! To make the fake.

Adam Cox: 45:55

of course, because they had no other option. They didn't want to look stupid. No.

Kyle Risi: 46:00

But let's discuss some of the more serious scientific analysis and evidence that we have. Serious. Serious. So in 2004, a notable study conducted by researchers from the University of Oxford And the, Lusana Cantonal Museum of Zoology Involved basically, they got involved in genetically testing 30 hair samples that were reportedly from Bigfoots or yetis or sasquatches all around the world And the aim of the study was to apply rigorous scientific analysis to the samples that were all reportedly linked to this legendary creature, often obviously associated with myths and unverified eyewitness accounts. All but two of the samples were identified as being from just regular animals, mostly bears, wolves, cows or raccoons. So it's not looking good is it? It's not. First bit of DNA evidence that we have, nothing. So in a separate study led by Professor of Anthropology in Idaho. He studied a bunch of footprints that had been collected over the years, and he found that some of these casts indicated complex movements like running or turning, which he said would have been incredibly difficult to fake in a convincing way because of that. So what he is saying is that some of these footprint casts could actually be genuine, at least made by a creature with at least a 24 inch foot that resembles ours. So it could be like Lebron James with his giant man feet geoffrey also studied the Patterson Gimlin footage where he said that it was highly unlikely that whatever the creature in the footage was, that it was not a person in a suit. Mainly because of the visible muscle movements under the skin. So he is saying that when you watch someone moving their arms, or you see their back through their skin, you can see natural muscle movements. And he's saying that in the footage you can physically see this. So I looked at the footage again to see if I could kind of ascertain whether or not I could see any muscle movements. Okay. And I could. Really? Yeah. Have a look.

Adam Cox: 48:03

I think that's just the crease in the costume. Moving Really? That's not muscle. You don't find that convincing. That's not the rippling, shredded lady Bigfoot that's been working out her muscles. No, that's just a crease in the costume. I think she's been doing squats, man. She, she has, she has, she's got

Kyle Risi: 48:21

good squads. I mean, she's got some good juicy doubles on her there. But anyway, okay, so you're not convinced. Interesting. I thought that was quite compelling. Maybe it's because I have the desire to want to believe, I don't know. Yeah, but

Adam Cox: 48:33

didn't we just discover that the guy that created the Bigfoot was also a fake?

Kyle Risi: 48:39

I yeah, but Yeah. So now we come to Dr Melba Ketchum. So she's a Texas geneticist and a veterinarian. Now she claimed to have found DNA evidence proving the existence of Bigfoot. Now Ketchum, I love that name. Ash Ketchum. Oh yeah! Pokemon. Oh yeah! I was just gonna say, might as well just be Ketchup. Yeah. Big Ketchum. So she claimed that her Sasquatch genome study proves that Bigfoot is actually related to Homo Sapiens. And that is, obviously that's us, just in case you're in any doubt. And apparently this originates from the hybrid cross between modern humans and an unknown primate species around 15, 000 years ago. So wait, you ready? She's urging. That the Sasquatch be recognised as an Indigenous people and afforded their own set of rights. Okay. I mean, I say, let's do it. Yeah. If they can come forward and pick up the certificate to say they have rights, then I say, let's do it. Yeah. I

Adam Cox: 49:42

mean, if they could just show their face. Yeah.

Kyle Risi: 49:45

Just show up, just show up. Give me a call. I'll leave my number. give me a call. Yeah. The phone box down the road.

Adam Cox: 49:51

Not expect them to say anything.

Kyle Risi: 49:53

But ultimately she does struggle to find any scientific journal to publish any of her work. Oh really? That's surprising. And the feedback is that her work demonstrates the worst scientific bias in peer review that they've ever seen. Has she thought

Adam Cox: 50:08

about penguin publishing? That'd be a nice little story.

Kyle Risi: 50:11

She does think about something though. So eventually Ketchum does find a publication. With the courage to go against the grain and publish her work, and that is the De Novo Journal of Science, but it turns out that the De Novo Journal of Science only has one volume, one issue, and one article. And it was created nine days before her work was published. So essentially the accusation is that she invented this fake journal Just because no one would publish her work and she needed it published in order to come across credible So she just invented her own publication.

Adam Cox: 50:46

mean It sounds believable. Where's the

Kyle Risi: 50:49

evidence? I want this to be

Adam Cox: 50:51

real. And how's that journal doing now?

Kyle Risi: 50:54

Again, it's just one volume So yeah, So tell me, what do we have so far in regards to the evidence of Bigfoot? Um,

Adam Cox: 51:02

a bunch of lies.

Kyle Risi: 51:04

We have, we have two hairs. We have two hairs. Two hairs and a couple

Adam Cox: 51:07

footprints. A couple of footprints, some shaky camera

Kyle Risi: 51:09

footage. Yeah, of a really muscular, handsome woman. A

Adam Cox: 51:13

handsome woman. a fake journal, and yeah, I think that's just about it.

Kyle Risi: 51:20

So our final dive into some potential evidence of Bigfoot is with Grover Krantz. So he was, he is a renowned anthropologist who dedicated most of his career to studying the mastoid process. So basically this is the study in how the bones and the muscles in your head all connect together. The point is he's really well respected and he's a real credible kind of scientist, right? Basically, he knows a lot about how headaches work, which yeah, a lot of people think is pretty neat. Alright? Oh, that's cool. But anyway, his work finds him crossing over to the topic of Bigfoot, he is studying a bunch of footprint casts, and he theorises that Bigfoot might have previously been an extinct primate species called Gigantopithecus. And he thinks this because of some of the prints that he's studying seem to have very clear evidence of dermal ridges. Basically, these are the equivalent to human fingerprints and toe prints, right? So he's suggesting that if these footprints were a hoax, it would require immense effort to replicate these kind of intricate kind of patterns, especially in the consistent or inconsistent manner in which our fingerprints naturally form, right? So his work is then peer reviewed by another independent scientist. from the Netherlands, who concludes exactly the same thing, right? So we have two independent scientists that are in agreement with the findings and they also observe evidence of there being a capability of being able to spread the toes as well. And the reason for this is because there's variations between sets of prints in the way that the toes are splayed in some of the prints, which I think Is really credible and that potentially suggests that some of these footprints are real. So, to me, I think this is probably the most credible evidence on the account that there are two very respected scientists putting their reputations at risk by endorsing these observations.

Adam Cox: 53:26

I agree, I think they do sound believable and the thought I mean, there's definitely a possibility, that there perhaps was an ape like creature that did exist at one point in time. And maybe that story has maybe evolved or whatever, and people tried to recreate it. I feel like there's something there. But obviously some people have, jumped on the bandwagon a little bit and made up more this mythical creature, but it's probably rooted in some kind of fact,

Kyle Risi: 53:54

would think. Yeah. But, and I think the only thing that we really have that seems credible across all of this are these footprints. Everything else just seems a bit Hokemy, right? So also another reason why I think it's probably the most credible potential evidence is that these scientists are not saying outright That this is definitive proof. They are saying that this is what we have found and This is what they can ascertain from the evidence that's in front of them and they're saying that if it's a hoax It's the best goddamn hoax I've ever seen. Now this is in direct contrast to what others who are already existing Bigfoot enthusiasts are saying, who they find some evidence and they just try to make it fit. Instead, you have these two scientists crossing over into a new field in an unbiased way and making scientific observations. So to me, I think that should be respected. So, however. With all of that said, the overall prevailing theory is that, from within the scientific community, Bigfoot is nothing but a hoax, unfortunately. Which seems Logical given kind of the lack of substantial evidence, such as an actual body or any physical remains outside of just tufts of hair or kind of footprints. And then even with

Adam Cox: 55:08

the tufts of hair, have they not been like DNA tested or anything like that? Well they have,

Kyle Risi: 55:13

they have been DNA tested, but remember all but two of those hairs that they studied turned out to be, from other animals. Yeah. So those other two hairs are probably still up for question.

Adam Cox: 55:25

But I just feel like there must be some more evidence, think of all the species that we have discovered, even at the bottom of the ocean where people don't go very often, right? Right. So, to not know more, or at this point in time, there's possibly extinct species that might resemble these creatures or something in time, but right, living right now, I don't

Kyle Risi: 55:48

believe it. Now, that's not to say that people who have claimed to have seen Bigfoot are lying, because there could be a rational explanation for what these people have seen. And it could be a bear. Now hear me out. Specifically, I'm talking about a bear with mange. Mange? Yeah. Take a look at this picture first of all. this is a picture of a bear with a mange infestation Which is basically a mite infestation. Okay, it gets under the skin. It's extremely itchy The hairs typically fall out and they just look gross. There you go. Okay

Adam Cox: 56:25

oh, that

Kyle Risi: 56:26

poor bear, I know, right? Poor thing. So he's got mange and like, imagine, look at, look at the body. Look at the skin of that. Right. I mean, that's definitely not the woman walking down the river. No, this one's definitely more saggy. Yeah, and there's definitely more of an animal. The other one looks like someone in a suit, right?

Adam Cox: 56:44

Yeah, but can this bear walk on its hind legs?

Kyle Risi: 56:47

It can do. scroll down, you'll see two little boxes. The first one says, Bigfoot picture one. Have a look at that.

Adam Cox: 56:53

Oh, I see. So this one's in the dark, and I guess it's, it does look like a human kind of on all fours, if that makes sense. Yeah,

Kyle Risi: 57:02

it's creepy, isn't it? It's really creepy. But now open the second one, because this is the same footage, just a different shot. Oh,

Adam Cox: 57:08

that's weird. Now it's most definitely a bear. So it's just angles, isn't it? And it's got that reflection in its eyes, like we said before, like this Bigfoot has. yeah, it's the angle, whereas that does look like a much, the first picture looks like a much bigger bear with kind of really long, lanky

Kyle Risi: 57:26

legs. It's creepy. It does, I would be freaked out if I saw that. And you wouldn't expect that to be a bear. No. At all, until you see the second picture. We'll include these in the show notes, but bears, especially when standing up on their hind legs, they can appear quite large and imposing, resembling descriptions of the Bigfoot. And also remember, many of the sightings of Bigfoot typically happen at night, and bears are nocturnal a lot of the time as well, right? They roam around at night. So it could explain it. So in 2009, a study published by Dr. DJ Lozier found that there to be A direct correlation between Bigfoot sightings and black bear populations. which again suggests that bears, particularly with mange, could easily be mistaken for something else like a Bigfoot. So also recall when we talked earlier about how they analyzed those 30 unidentified hares. Well, the DNA profiles from them, some of those were obviously identified as being bears as well. Also, if Bigfoot was real and as prolific as some of these sightings are making out to be, there would undoubtedly be a notable ecological impact as well, right? Remember, Bigfoot is described as this huge creature, and ultimately, it would have left some kind of trace of destruction. Yeah. Like, whether it's vegetation, or whether it's animals that it's eating, Or poop. Or poop? where is all of that evidence? Where are those carcasses? Where are those broken down trees, etc? Where is the evidence? Yeah,

Adam Cox: 58:54

although you did say about the guy that got kidnapped, um, the Bigfoot family were eating vegetables.

Kyle Risi: 59:01

Yeah, like the sweet grass they fed him. Yeah. Yeah. But still, is it just grass they're eating? I mean, there's a big animal, but then I guess cows are big animals and they eat just vegetation. Dunno. So in conclusion, the Bigfoot is probably just one big, giant fat hoax, but yet, despite most scientists refusing to acknowledge the existence of creatures like Bigfoot, the sheer volume of stories firsthand, encounters, sightings, footprints, and all the videos, they can't really be ignored. So these accounts exist worldwide, so they must. There must be something to it. Something to

Adam Cox: 59:32

it, but

Kyle Risi: 59:32

mistaken Identity? Yeah. This desire to want it to be real? I don't know.

Adam Cox: 59:38

Yeah, and then you've got all these people that are like, oh, jumping on that and creating these stories and things. So

Kyle Risi: 59:43

there is a theory that this is all just one huge governmental cover up. Of course. What are they covering up? there are people out there that believe that Bigfoot possesses such an advanced intelligence and possibly some kind of advanced technology that revealing this to the world would literally challenge our understanding of human history and evolution forever.

Adam Cox: 1:00:06

I mean

Kyle Risi: 1:00:07

you don't buy that. Might as well be aliens then Well, well you wait. You wait. So another more down to worth coverup angle is that the government is hiding its existence to avoid environmental protections that would impact industries like logging and hunting. So if they found, like in the American Northwest, oh there's a family of Bigfoot that's living there, then maybe they people wouldn't allow to be logging there'cause they would need to protect the area. Oh,

Adam Cox: 1:00:32

that's just rubbish. I think they'd be fine chopping down some trees.

Kyle Risi: 1:00:36

Yeah, exactly. And like, why are they going to change their tune all of a sudden when they've when they've displaced millions and millions of First Nations people? They didn't seem to care then, but oh, the Sasquatch is fine. in support of this theory, some do point to the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, where a bunch of witnesses claimed to see government helicopters carrying away what looked like charred human remains, speculating that they were Bigfoot bodies. not actual human bodies. There's no possibility it could have been human bodies. Right. Bigfoot bodies. Right. Also, in 1999, a bunch of wildfires in the Battle Mountains in Nevada. People say there were reports of Bigfoot like creatures being removed from the area after being injured but, one thing to also note is that there are public government records. of the government showing interest in unusual phenomena like UFOs and paranormal studies. And Bigfoot is one of them. It is in the public domain where there are records, where they've done research into it. And a lot of people kind of will, will use that as to say, well, see, it's real. The government even know about it and they're covering it up. So for instance, this guy called Jay Cochran, he was an assistant director for the FBI's laboratory division. And he tested Bigfoot hares only to find that they were mostly deer hares, right? but the point of this is that the government's acknowledged curiosity. doesn't imply that it's actually real, right? At all. Like, yeah, so what? We're interested, but if we find something, we'll let you know, but we haven't found anything. That's why I'm going to let you know anything. It's not a government cover up. They're probably just looking

Adam Cox: 1:02:11

for things to do. Bit like, oh, bit slow day. Should we go see if there's any big feet around? Yeah, let's

Kyle Risi: 1:02:17

test some heads. I get that. But a lot of conspiracy theorists use that to say, see, the government is covering something up. Otherwise, why else would they be looking into it? So, yeah. One last theory. Which I wasn't going to include because I wasn't sure if we had time, but we do. some people believe that Bigfoot might be a metaphysical time travelling being from the fourth dimension. And this theory actually feeds into what I've always believed about the Bigfoot until I started researching this episode. And that is that there's just the one Bigfoot. And that, to these people, this metaphysical angle answers why Bigfoot is so elusive and why there's scarce physical evidence about, his existence. And why capturing him on film is just virtually impossible. Because there's only one. There's only one, and he can time travel into the fourth dimension, back and forth. Yep,

Adam Cox: 1:03:10

that's possible. I think Bigfoot is actually Madonna. Oh, do you

Kyle Risi: 1:03:14

think? Yeah. It's possible. It moves like Madonna. Yeah, yeah, I know. I think it could be Roxy Andrews with those voluptuous big breasts. Juicy, juicy behind. Okay. I just love, I love that Bigfoot is the strong, powerful woman. Yeah. I just love it. So yeah, with big boobies. So after reading into this, yeah, all I can say is without a doubt I believe that there's nothing really tangible here at all, which I'm a little bit disappointed by. I think ultimately beliefs about Bigfoot reflect more on kind of the human psychology and I can draw upon myself in that sense as well because I do want it to be real and I, there's a disappointment inside of me that the logic and the evidence is suggesting that it's not. So yeah, that, that is the story of. The legend of Bigfoot.

Adam Cox: 1:04:05

Yeah, cool. I mean, there's some things that I didn't know about. so it was quite fun, even though obviously I was quite sceptical. And there is really no evidence. It's still quite fun going through those things, I think.

Kyle Risi: 1:04:18

Yeah, it was just a fun one, I think in my old age, I knew it wasn't anything there. Deep down, I knew. But a great opportunity to look into it a bit

Adam Cox: 1:04:27

more. And I think also at this point in time, we've discovered so much, right? We, we get excited when we find something new out and something new about the world or whatever. Yeah. So I think people are hanging on to that because they want to find a new species. They want to find a new planet, an alien or whatever it might be.

Kyle Risi: 1:04:43

Yeah. And to be fair, actually, we do find loads of new species. all the time. In fact, I was just reading today that they found a new species of beetle, and they called it the Carlsberg beetle. And the reason for that is because its penis is shaped like a bottle opener. And that's why? Yeah, that's why. In fact, this guy was saying that, you know what, um, if, when we find a beetle, the way that we are able to identify that beetle, Um, there's numerous ways that we can do it, but the first thing. That there's so much variation between beetle penises is, that's the first thing we look at Really is, is Beetle Cox.

Adam Cox: 1:05:19

wow. what a place

Kyle Risi: 1:05:20

to start. Yeah. So they found this beetle by first checking its goods out and go, oh, we've never seen a dick like this before. It's a new species. And they go, oh, what should we call it? Oh, his dick looks like a bottle opener

Adam Cox: 1:05:31

Carlsberg. Was it like a you, an English person that found it then? I

Kyle Risi: 1:05:37

think it was, I want to say it was like in Brazil or something. I don't know. Could be. Do you have Carlsberg there?

Adam Cox: 1:05:41

I felt

Kyle Risi: 1:05:41

like it was an English beer. Isn't Carlsberg I could be, I don't know. Yeah, dunno. Berg's from. But yeah. Should we run the outro? Let's do it. And so we come to the end of another episode of the Compendium and Assembly of fascinating and intriguing things. If you found today's episode both fascinating and intriguing, then subscribe and leave us a review. But don't just stop there. Please schedule your episodes to download automatically as soon as it become available. Remember, we are on Instagram at the Compendium Podcast, so stop by and say hi. Or visit us at our home on the web@thecompendiumpodcast.com. We always release every Tuesday, and until then, remember, not all who wander are lost. Some are just avoiding being caught on camera. See you next time. See ya.