Sasquatch

A Sasquatch footprint was found in western NC a few months ago, near the Pisgah National Forest, and a separate sighting about 40 miles away.  Here's a link to the story from the local media: www.wsoctv.com/news/23937399/detail.html?hpt=T2

I believe Sasquatch exists.  Why not?  Are we arrogant enough to think that if we can't prove it, it must not exist?  Lack of Proof is Not Disproof.  African gorillas were not proven (to the outside world) until the early 20th century.  I believe Sasquatch is out there. 

In all honesty, though, I'm not so sure about this one.  These sightings are very rare in the east, much more so than in the Northwest.  I guess that if they did survive somewhere in the eastern parts of North America, the areas around the Great Smoky Mountains would be the most likely place to find them... from there up through the high mountains of Eastern TN and KY and southwestern WV. 

That conclusion creates more questions than it answers, though.  If these creatures do exist in the Appalachians, and have forever, then why aren't there more sightings and legends of them in the region, as there are in the Pacific Northwest?  You can't get much more remote and isolated than Magoffin and Pike Counties in KY, where my family has lived for the past 200 years.  Nevertheless, I have never heard of anything like a Sasquatch around there.

This Carolina news story provides a link to a serious scientific site dedicated to Sasquatch (or Bigfoot), www.bigfootencounters.com.  There you can connect with the 'Patterson film' - the 1968 film that claims to be a home movie of a Sasquatch walking in the woods.  I admit that even though I am not a disbeliever, I have always been skeptical of that film.  I have always thought that it looks too much like a guy in a gorilla suit.  But I don't think that any more.  This website has stabilized the video and used computer analysis to enhance certain images, making it much more natural and realistic.  The gait is natural, not awkward as it would be if it was a man in a gorilla suit.  There is a close-up of the hand, in which the fingers are relaxed and natural.  The final touch - an enhanced close-up of the face.  It both IS and IS NOT human.  It is eerie.  It seems real.  I encourage you to look at it.

If we ever prove these guys exist, will that be a good thing?  Or will that just make life worse for them?  Every zoo would want one to display, and every biologist would want one to dissect.  Would endangered species protections kick in?  My opinion: If they do exist - and you know I thnk they do - then they are already living on protected land (for the most part) and no one is killing them (obviously).  So to "out" them to science and the world at large, while it might increase our knowledge, would immeasurably damage the creatures.  It might even lead to their extinction. 

If I found a Sasquatch I would be inclined to talk about it, of course.  Even so, I would avoid delivering outright proof to outsiders.  There is value in letting these creatures (or are they people?) live on as they have for centuries.

Besides, if we go beyond the obvious ethical considerations, there is something to be said about preserving what remains of the mysterious things of our world.  The world of our ancestors was full of the mysterious and wondrous, or sometimes the mysterious and terrifying, or enchanting, or awesome.  I think we as human beings miss that.

Bottom line:  They deserve to live, and I would let them live. 

Having said that, I sure would like to see one.

Gryphem