British Bigfoot is Extinct, but Nessie is Alive & Well

Toying with Nessie!
Snapped during the biggest hunt for Nessie in 50 years in 2023!

As a hopeful ‘believer’ in the existence of Bigfoot, I had always assumed that it was a creature of faraway places, like the mountain steppes of the Himalayas or the impenetrable forests of the Pacific Northwest, or some uninhabited, no man’s land, where large, ape-like creatures could plausibly remain undetected.

However, when I began researching this phenomenon, I was shocked to discover that there were also numerous reports from Britain dating back 100s of years and that they even had Modern-day reports of Bigfoot-like creatures across the country.  

Many of these accounts described a tall, bipedal, muscular and hair-covered, wild man, with a domed head and a face something resembling something like that of a ‘caveman’, or chimpanzee, with a flat muzzle and a human-like nose.

Of course, my first instinct was to seek out witnesses and see if there was any historical evidence to back up these modern-day sightings and what I found was a creature called the Woodwoose, a mythical creature whose popularity seems to have become prominent in Europe from the 12th century onwards, where they are depicted as wild, hair-covered men, upon the architectural adornments of cathedrals, tapestries and in heraldic coats of arms of prominent European families.

So far, so good… it’s not often that one finds such corroboration in history, especially one so closely related to other mythical entities in Europe, such as the Satyr, Faun, Ogre, and Leshy, which are similarly described as shy, forest-dwelling, hair-covered beings who are not beyond carrying off the occasional maiden, from time to time! Could this be the key to the unravelling of the wildman mystery, I thought?

Were scenes such as these commonplace during medieval times?

Sadly, no! After 6 years of searching the length and breadth of the country for this creature, I have found scant evidence that it still exists in our land. Undoubtedly, there are more than a few eyewitness reports, but these are notoriously lacking in attribution, often being 2nd or even 3rd hand reports and too often emanate from sources who have a ‘skin in the game’ or at least something to gain from this legend!

My sad conclusion is that even those 12th-century carvings that feature so prominently upon the holy houses of Europe are themselves a form of inherited folklore, a memorial in cloth and stone to the stories of a bygone era and that although they may have once existed in Europe, they were probably extinct by the time these carvings and tapestries were created.

But that doesn’t mean that Britain does not have any cryptid creatures in its midst. Indeed, my ‘faith’ in one of these ‘cryptids’ in particular was recently revived when I had the privilege of documenting the biggest search for Nessie in 50 years for a new TV series – Weird Britain.

WEIRD BRITAIN
a new television series investigating the mysteries, histories, 
folklore & fables of teh British Isles!

Our team, equipped with Thermal drones, ROVs, Hydrophones, Sonar, and Night Vision technology, worked closely with expedition organiser and founder of Loch Ness Exploration – Alan McKenna to document his crowd-sourced observation of the waters of Loch Ness and finally find proof of the elusive beast!

And although definitive evidence was not obtained, there were many triumphs throughout the expedition weekend, such as; hydrophone ‘bloops’ which were obtained aboard the vessel Deepscan while we filmed Alan McKenna and our expert guest – Ken Gerhard listening to the sounds of the loch, interviewing Matty and Aga, two wild swimmers who had come to lend their aquatic expertise to the hunt and filmed a three humped object near Fort Augustus; and speaking with Japanese-born translator, Chie Kelly, who snapped 61 photos of the beast from the shores of Dores Beach in 2018, but did not share the pictures for five years for fear of being ridiculed until being overwhelmed by the spirit of the most extensive search for Nessie in half a century realised that she could no longer keep them secret, causing Veteran Nessie-hunter and Guinness Book of World Records holder - Steve Feltham to declare them: “...the most exciting photographs ever taken of the Loch Ness Monster!” 

Hanging out at Urquhart Castle a Nessie Hotspot!

We have to remember that the Loch Ness Monster, unlike the British Bigfoot, has 90 years of continuous sightings and even has older sightings dating back to 565 AD, with corroborative reports being made by eyewitnesses from every walk of life and from 100s of countries around the world. Whereas the British Bigfoot is a feature of the High Middle Ages and disappeared from our histories until the advent of yeti mania in the early 20th century and again later when bigfoot mania reappeared on the media scene with the hugely successful – Finding Bigfoot!

Written by Andy McGrath

Based upon excerpts from Beasts of Britain by Andy McGrath

available from all good online retailers: 

Photos/Artwork

Toying with Nessie: Photo by Andy McGrath 2023

Wodewose surrounded by dogs: from the Queen Mary Psalter, England, c. 1310–1320, Royal MS 2 B VII, f. 173r

Weird Britain Logo: designed by Matt Everett

Hanging out at Urquhart Bay: Photo by Andy McGrath 

MONKEY MONSTERS!

Gosainkunda Pass lies directly north of Kathmandu and is a popular trekking route for tourists due to its close proximity to the capital and the popular pull of Gosainkunda Lake, which draws Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims from far afield to see the place where Shiva pierced a glacier with his trident to obtain water after swallowing a poison that threatened to destroy the world, thus, parenthetically creating Gosainkunda Lake in the process. Nepal is a well-traveled country that has been on the Western bucket list of must-see nations since the late 19th century, and its many legends, including that of the Yeti, are well known. And yet, this mysterious nation may also harbour another mystery species in the form of a ferocious, giant monkey the locals call, Kra-Dhan. And, although sightings of these terrifying creatures are seemingly rare, what is certain, is that those who survive an encounter with this imposing primate are left convinced that they are lucky to have escaped with their lives!

What’s in a name? The name Kra-Dhan name comes from a Bahnar word whose origins are uncertain. Also known as Bec-boc, Bekk-bok, and Con luo iuo i.

Monstrous Measurements: Resembling a large, upright monkey. Approx. 5 ft. tall. Black face. Yellow eyes. Long, yellow fangs. Well-built but sinewy, grey-haired body. Long-tail. Long, thin legs.

Terrifying Tracks: Large tracks – 18 inches long, 8 inches wide, with a 4ft. stride.

Beastly Behaviours: Walks on its hind legs. Very aggressive. Reputed to be able to change colour like a chameleon. Has a ferocious call that sounds like an insane laugh, a raucous roar, or aggressive chattering. Organised. Groups are led by a large dominant male and consist of several individuals of mixed ages and genders. Territorial. Ambushes humans and animals in groups of 7-8.

Hairy Habitat: Gosainkunda Pass, Nepal; Annam Highlands, near Kon Tum and Pleiku, Vietnam.

Scary Sightings: 

1953: Entomologist George Brooks and Physician George Moore were ambushed by seven to eight hairy, five-foot-tall, upright, monkey-like creatures while travelling through the Gosainkunda Pass, Nepal, en route to Kathmandu. Moore, who at the time had assumed that they had encountered the infamous, Yeti, recounted their harrowing experience in the article titled, “I Met the Abominable Snowman” (A True Story) in the May 1957 issue of Sports Afield, where he described himself and Brooks, being assailed by the animals after becoming separated from their porters, who were further back along the trail. Moore said of the creatures that were led by a large male, who announced his presence with a raucous roar, accompanied by the angry chattering of the group: 

“…a hideous face thrust apart the wildly thrashing leaves and gaped at us. It was a face that seemed to extend from ear to ear, and long, yellowish teeth were chattering. But those eyes, beady, yellow eyes that stared at us with obvious demoniacal cunning and anger. That face!!!… A hand pushed through the leaves. Then a quick movement and a shoulder… As the creature emerged through the dark leaves, we strained to make out his form…The creature was about 5 feet tall, half crouching on two thin hairy legs, leering at us in undisguised fury. Claws or hands seemed dark, perhaps black, while his bedraggled, hairy body was gray and thin. It shuffled along with a stoop the way a Neolithic caveman might have walked. Well-built and sinewy, it could prove to be the most formidable opponent. Teeth bared, it snarled like an animal. Two long fangs protruded from its upper lip… Suddenly, a sharp flicking movement behind it caught our eyes, a tail…Other figures were approaching now from several directions. We could make out 6 or 7 of them through the mist. One appeared to be carrying a baby around its neck. They seemed to mean business as they growled at each other. The one that had pushed through the foliage first was the leader. There was little question as to his authority as he led the attack…” 

The two men, who were indeed in dire straits, decided to fire their guns over the heads of the enraged beasts in the hope of frightening them away, which, after three gunshots per man, seemed to have driven the creatures back, albeit temporarily. The two men could now hear the angry chattering of the beasts, hidden somewhere in the undergrowth, preparing for another surprise assault. Trapped, they knew that their only hope of escape lay in the arrival of their porters, which duly happened when Shiva (the Gurkha boss of the porters), having been panicked by the sound of gunfire, came hurrying along the trail, searching for his employers. 

“Similar in appearance to known species of platyrrhines and catarrhines, in some respects, though massively outsized. Standing from 5 – 6 ft. in height. These monstrous primates are usually highly aggressive and are just as comfortable on two legs as they are on all fours. Most types possess a tail. They have long, narrow, clawed feet.”

1943: A Kra-Dhan killed a man near Kon Tum, Vietnam. In his book Abominable Snowman – Legend Come to Life – Ivan. T. Sanderson writes of the incident: “There is a report that one of these creatures either committed murder or was responsible for a murder near Kontum in 1943. Unfortunately, the matter was tried by the local native court, of which no records were sent to the central French Authority.” He goes on to add: “This is not by any means the only report of these Kra-Dhan to be made to foreigners, and we have heard of similar entities in areas far to the west of Kontum.” 

Beastly Theories:

Extant Orangutan Population: Could a surviving mainland population of Orangutan, A species that is now limited to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, explain the legend of the Kra Dhan and Bekk Bok? It seems unlikely. Neither the physiological proportions nor the behaviour of the Kra Dhan matches those of the Orangutan, which, while not docile, is neither an actively aggressive species nor territorial, thus making an organised troop ambush on perceived intruders somewhat out of character. Orangutan fossils have been found in Laos, Vietnam, and China; however, not unexpectedly, there is no evidence of their presence in this region beyond the early Pleistocene. 

Giant Mountain Macaque: Abbe Pere David, the discoverer of the Giant Panda, noted that a giant mountain macaque (a baboon-like monkey) was believed to exist in eastern Tibet. Could a phenomenon like insular gigantism, wherein the pressure of an isolated and limited environment causes a species to become outsized, have taken effect in an isolated population of mountain macaques, forcing them to become large and more aggressive in order to survive in the unfertile mountains and foothills of Nepal? 

Could an unknown subspecies of giant mountain Macaque be responsible for the
legend of the Kra-Dhan?

Unidentified Giant Monkey: Loren Coleman and Patrick Huyghe write in ‘The Field Guide to Bigfoot and Other Mystery Primates’ of Giant Monkeys that may inhabit the temperate regions of Asia and the Americas. The Giant Monkey is described as being 4-6 ft. tall, with a doglike or baboon-like face and pointed ears. It has dark piercing eyes and shaggy black or red hair and would seem a perfect match for what both Brooks and Moore encountered in the Gosainkunda Pass, Nepal, in 1953.

Excerpt from Beasts of the World (vol.1) Hairy Humanoids

By Andy McGrath

Photos/Artwork:

Gosainkinda Pass, Nepal: By Ananda Raj Devkota - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40285490

Kra-Dhan Sketch: Mort Kunstler reconstructed the scenes from descriptions furnished by Dr. Moore.

Angry Rhesus Macaque: By Tapas Biswas - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=49727828