Pop Culture

Yeti Hunter Sir Edmund Hillary Dies

Sir Edmund Hillary, one of the first two men to climb the world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest, has died at the age of 88, on January 11, 2008, local New Zealand time. He climbed the 29,035 ft (8,850m) peak with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, reaching the top on May 29, 1953. Hillary’s health had reportedly been in decline since April 2007, after a fall while visiting Nepal. He suffered a heart attack in hospital on Friday morning. Sir Edmund’s fellow climber, Sherpa Tenzing Norgay (right), died in May 1986. Born July 20, 1919, in Auckland, New Zealand, Sir Edmund Hillary began [...]

Yeti At McGill

The Year of the Yeti continues. Amazingly, my last Friday introduction of the classic film The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas and the new hardbound release of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Abominable Snowmen: Legend Come to Life at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City, is being mirrored (skeptically) with something quite similar occurring tomorrow in Quebec. At McGill University, in Montreal, Quebec, there will be a screening of the same film, preceded by an intriguing lecture. Here’s the announcement from McGill: The Redpath’s ever-popular Freaky Fridays series hits the New Year running, or at least ambling with a [...]

Lake Khaiyr Hoax & More Otter Nonsense

Karl Shuker has written an article that is meant to finally sink the oft-repeated story of a watery Siberian cryptid. Additionally, Darren Naish seems to have missed the otter sensitivity, nonsense and humor in some thoughts about the Loch Ness Monster here. As Darren Naish writes: “One of the most interesting lake monster accounts in history was N. Gladkikh’s sighting of 1964 from Lake Khaiyr, Siberia. Gladkikh’s sketch of a long-necked quadrupedal reptile with a fin along its back has to be one of the most-reproduced lake monster illustrations. Alas, as Karl explains in the new issue of Fortean Times [...]

Hot or Not Zoo Whites

Seven albino alligators were stolen from the only zoo run by the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT) in Brazil as last year came to a close. Biologist Itamar Assumpcao, who is in charge of the administration of the zoo, told the media during the first week of 2008 that the alligators were last seen on December 31, 2007. The federal police are investigating whether any staff member was involved in the theft. The alligators are suspected to be stolen for trade abroad. The total value of the animals, approximately two years old, was estimated to be 119,000 reais (68,000 [...]

Year of the Yeti Begins Now!

This Friday will be the official launch of the new publication of the reasonably-priced hardback edition of Ivan T. Sanderson’s classic book, Abominable Snowmen: Legend Come to Life, from Cosimo Classics. This new printing contains a new preface I’ve written, and I will have a few copies, hot off the press, literally, for sale at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. I also will have copies of two other books I’ve written that contain large sections about the Yeti: Tom Slick: True Life Encounters in Cryptozoology and The Field Guide to Bigfoot and Other Mystery Primates Worldwide [...]

Beyond Loch Ness

Coming to the Sci Fi Channel this coming Saturday, January 5, 2008, this film may be the answer to those who are suffering from cavities due to any sweetness overloads from The Water Horse. Beyond Loch Ness appears to be cable television’s contribution to the B-movie horror fare for lake monsters. So Nessie is a killer, humm? Get your popcorn ready, if you live in North America. Screenings in Scotland may have to wait until after the natives burn down the Sci Fi offices. Who do you think will survive at the end of the movie?

The Top Cryptozoology Books of 2007

The Top Cryptozoology Books of 2007 by Loren Coleman, Cryptozoology A to Z, Bigfoot!, and Tom Slick It is time for my annual top picks for the best cryptozoology books of 2007, with attention to each book’s individual achievements noted in recognition of its unique niche within the cryptozoological literature for this year. Since 2000, I have published my annual “best of lists” in cryptozoology, regarding books, events, and people. Please visit the list for the top books of 2006, for example. Each year has been different, and 2007 is unique, as well. In 2007, there was a good crop [...]