Andrews AFB’s Two Mystery Cats

I must say, we didn’t have to wait long for some interesting new Mystery Cat reports, did we? On Thursday, April 27, 2006, FoxNews began reporting that two “wild cats” have been spotted at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland (home to Air Force One), according to media watchdog Bufo Calvin. One of the “wild cats” was later reported to be brown, and the other one, black, according to the media. Calvin mentioned that this was “somewhat reminiscent of a search on a military base that happened in my area (the Mt. Diablo region of the San Francisco East Bay) [...]

Increase in Mystery Cat Encounters?

Is there an increase in Cryptid Cat activity occurring in North America this spring? If so, local officials aren’t sure how to quite handle it yet – with humor or by setting traps. A video of a cougar or mountain lion taken in Willmar, Minnesota, lead to the capture of the animal on February 1, 2006. Most people didn’t believe the reported cat was anything more than a figment of people’s imagination before the video. On Wednesday, April 26, 2006, the mayor of Montgomery, New Jersey, cracked a joke, saying "We are the Land of the Cougars" (alluding to the [...]

New Coelacanths On Display

Two new exhibitions of coelacanths are worthy of noting. The celebrated story of the coelacanth has made it one of the darlings of cryptozoology. It embodies a true tale of a “living fossil,” not verified as a “real animal” by science for 65 million years, then discovered off Africa in 1938 and rediscovered, with great fanfare, again in 1952 (as shown above). The coelacanth was a fish known to the natives, and eaten, with some slight disgust because it was too oily. It was a part of the menu of fishing peoples for centuries off Africa, long before it became [...]

New Asian Species

More species are being found, anew, in south Asia. We can hardly keep up with the announcements. Here’s a quick overview with some photos and links to the source articles. A new species of freshwater stringray (pictured here) has been discovered in Thailand. One of the discoveries was the remarkable Himanturan kittipongi, a new species of freshwater stringray from Thailand. Meanwhile, in Laos, six new species of frogs have been found. One is shown. Laos is the least densely populated country in Asia and has produced a treasure trove of wildlife discoveries during recent years. Rana khalam is one of [...]

Not Good For Yeti-Hunting

Word out of Katmandu is that the US State Department today, April 24th, ordered all non-emergency US mission personnel and dependents to depart Nepal. This decision, made at the recommendation of the Embassy, was taken out of concern for the safety of US Government employees and their families. The US Mission includes the Embassy, its Consular Section and American Center in the Yak & Yeti Hotel, both of which have been closed until further notice. Ambassador James F. Moriarty, who informed the Mission community of the Embassy’s recommendation, also is recommending that all American citizens in Nepal should consider leaving [...]