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
No comments:
Post a Comment