Sasquatch Tracks – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode of Sasquatch Tracks, the team is joined by Gary Opit, an Australian expert on the continent's indigenous fauna, and a longtime researcher of Australian cryptozoology.

Opit is an environmental consultant and scientific member of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales for 48 years. He is also a radio broadcaster, teacher, and author of books that include Australian Cryptozoology. Opit has created courses and lectured to university, TAFE and high school students on ecology, botany, zoology, biogeography, anthropology, geography, microbiology, evolution, Australian prehistoric plants and animals, Aboriginal ecology, permaculture, and much more. 

Gary has appeared in several North American produced cryptozoological documentaries on Yowies, Thylacines and Giant Goannas, including Monster Quest, Finding Bigfoot and Bogyman. He was also the first person to be interviewed on Yowies by Dean Harrison, and since February 1997 he has undertaken a citizen science wildlife study using a weekly live-to-air wildlife identification radio program, now in its 27th year. The broadcast is entitled ‘Wildlife Weekend’ and can be heard every Saturday morning at 6.50 am on Australian Broadcasting Corporation North Coast New South Wales Radio 94.5 FM and on their internet site. More about Gary and his work can be found in the links below. 

Stories and other links discussed in this episode: 

• Australian Cryptozoology Gary Opit
• Australian Cryptozoology at Amazon.com

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In the summer of 1978, a strange series of events began to unfold for rural residents of northeastern Ohio. While enjoying a quiet evening at their rural home near Minerva, the Cayton family and their grandchildren witnessed a large, hairy, bipedal creature peering through their kitchen window. This creature, described as standing over 7 feet tall with glowing red eyes, sparked fear and curiosity, prompting the family to report their sightings to local authorities.

Following the Cayton family's report, the Minerva area became a hotbed of Bigfoot research and investigation. Numerous additional sightings were reported in the surrounding woods and hills, with various tracks and other physical evidence purportedly found. However, that isn't all that this "classic" case appears to have entailed, as a deeper look into the story reveals sightings of mysterious large cats alongside "gorillas" in Ohio's history, as well as alleged connections to UFO sightings made by some area residents, and much more.

In this special installment of Sasquatch Tracks, the team takes a deep dive into the story of the Minverva Monsters, which we affectionately refer to in the plural since, according to eyewitness reports, there appeared to be more than one of the creatures observed by the Caytons... but what were they, and what can we uncover about the case after all these years? 

Stories and other links discussed in this episode: 

• The Akron Beacon Journal: Thu, Aug 24, 1978 ·Page 1
• What was it? Man talks about ‘Minerva Monster’ mystery 40 years later

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In this installment of Sasquatch Tracks, we catch up with primatologist Esteban Sarmiento, an expert in hominid evolution and researcher renowned for his interest in the speculative side of vertebrate zoology, particularly when it comes to Sasquatch. 

Sarmiento is a primatologist and vertebrate zoologist whose main area of focus involves the skeletons of both extinct and living hominoids. He heads The Human Evolution Foundation, whose main goal is to understand humanity's place in nature and fight to end racial discrimination at Public Universities. However, Sarmiento is also renowned for being one of the few primatologists who has been willing to look at the question of relict hominoids.

Stories and other links discussed in this episode: 

• How a National Aviary researcher's 5-year slog proved ivory-billed woodpeckers aren't extinct 
• Cat's out of the bag: DNA test confirms 'big cats are on the prowl' in the British countryside 
• Chimpanzee ‘language’ deciphered by scientists 
• Orcas have sunk 3 boats in Europe and appear to be teaching others to do the same. But why?

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In this installment of Sasquatch Tracks, the team is joined by Lailani Upham and Carrie Lynn Bear Chief, Blackfeet Tribe members and creators of the Pikuni Bigfoot Storytelling Project.

Lailani Upham is a member of the Blackfeet Nation, and is president and lead creative of Iron Shield Creative. A journalist by trade, she loves adventure and exploration, along with photography writing, and storytelling, which she often does while traveling throughout Montana sharing stories from an Indigenous perspective. Her production studio is based on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana.

Carrie Lynn Bear Chief of the Blackfeet Tribe, who currently resides in Browning, Montana where she works for the Rocky Boy Veterans Center. She is also the Associate Pastor at Faith Dominion Center, and loves being outdoors. And I also hear that Carrie is quite the Bigfoot enthusiast. 

Lailani and Carrie Lynne share their numerous stories and perspectives on Imoiitapi, the "Hairy Man," and much more on this installment of Sasquatch Tracks. 

Stories and other links discussed in this episode: 

• Scientists Found a Snake That Cartwheels Away From Danger
• Legend Meets Science II Film Sequel - A Bigfoot Documentary
• Iron Shield Creative
• Pikuni Bigfoot Storytelling Project on YouTube

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In this installment of Sasquatch Tracks, the team is joined by anthropologist and Sasquatch researcher Kathy Strain, author of the book, Giants, Cannibals & Monsters: Bigfoot in Native Culture.

Kathy Strain is the Heritage Resource and Tribal Relations Programs Manager for the Stanislaus National Forest in Sonora, California.  She has a M.A. in Anthropology and conducts research on native cultures and their traditional bigfoot beliefs.  Her book Giants, Cannibals & Monsters covers the Sasquatch subject in depth, including 154 stories from 57 tribes from throughout North America. 

Kathy is also the on the Board of Directors for the non-profit Alliance of Independent Bigfoot Researchers and a member of the North American Wood Ape Conservancy. She has appeared in numerous documentaries, television shows and radio programs discussing bigfoot. She is currently a regular on the History Channel’s “The Proof Is Out There.”

Stories and other links discussed in this episode: 

• Cannibals, Giants, and Monsters by Kathy Strain

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In this installment of Sasquatch Tracks, the team is joined by Australian researcher Buck Buckingham, who shares his knowledge about Australian Yowies, the purported relict hominoid that occupies the remote wilds of the Land Down Under.

Buckingham is a member of the group Australian Yowie Research, and has been hooked on Yowie studies ever since he came across Dean Harrison’s website in 2005.  It answered many questions about his own sightings and encounters when he was 15. Buck had been manning the thermal cameras one night while accompanying Harrison and several other members in Springbrook National Park when they captured images of what appear to be a very large, humanlike animal. 

Buckingham shares the story of how he captured this remarkable footage, and how the ongoing study of Australian Yowies is helping to expand our knowledge of the dispersion of purported relict hominoids all around the globe.

Stories and other links discussed in this episode: 

• Australian Yowie Research
• News7 segment featuring Buck Buckingham and Dean Harrison in search of Australian Yowies.

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Joining the team for this installment of Sasquatch Tracks is Gregory Forth, a retired professor of anthropology at the University of Alberta. He earned his PhD from the University of Oxford in 1980. Beginning in 1986, Forth was a professor at the University of Alberta for over thirty years. Forth is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and is a renowned social anthropologist, also known for his contributions to ethnoscience. However, tonight we will be discussing a slightly more controversial side of Dr. Forth’s work, which involves his new book, Between Ape and Human: An Anthropologist on the Trail of a Hidden Hominoid.

According to its publishers, "In Between Ape and Human: An Anthropologist on the Trail of a Hidden Hominoid, readers follow Gregory Forth as he explores the mystery of this hominoid, and the space they occupy in Lio culture as both natural creatures and supernatural beings. Forth’s narrative is filled with adventure, an exploration of Lio culture and language, and an examination of the island’s zoology and natural history." 

Stories and other links discussed in this episode: 

• Gregory Forth online
• Between Ape and Human: An Anthropologist on the Trail of a Hidden Hominoid

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As the team returns from a seasonal hiatus to officially kick off 2023, we are joined by Nathaniel Bronis, a Sasquatch researcher from Michigan's lower peninsula who currently resides in Idaho, and previously spent time in Washington. An avid outdoorsman, he has been collecting reports and conducting field research into the relict hominoid mystery since having his own daylight sighting in the summer of 2009, and now applies data collected through his studies, as well as through networking with fellow researchers, to help build a comprehensive view of the creatures, their behavior, and their habitat. 

In addition to a detailed recollection of his own sighting and how it propelled him into a decades long pursuit into deepening his understanding of the Sasquatch enigma, Nathaniel shares examples of additional sighting reports he has received from others over the years, along with details about his primary research areas in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest, current projects, research approaches and practices, and much more.

Stories and other links discussed in this episode: 

• Nathaniel Bronis on Facebook
• Nathaniel Bronis Blog

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In this edition of Sasquatch Tracks, the team is joined by Kentucky researcher Jeff Waldridge, who in addition to being an expert in the study of Sasquatch, is also one of the team members behind the annual CryptidCon event in his home state. 

Jeff Waldridge is a researcher of Sasquatch with an interest in cryptozoological mysteries and the unexplained. With more than two decades of experience pursuing his passion, his background in law enforcement draws on a combination of fieldwork and interviews with witnesses to possible sightings of Sasquatch and other phenomnea in the Blue Grass State. Jeff attempts to piece together a cohesive pattern of evidence in his investigations, a process that he shares with us in a wide-ranging discussion about his work in his home state. 

In addition to his research efforts, Waldridge is also a partner in the group that hosts the annual CryptidCon event in Kentucky each year, where researchers, filmmakers, artists, and enthusiasts from around the country gather to share experiences and information about their mutual interest in America's most elusive animal. 

Stories and other links discussed in this episode: 

• CryptidCon Official Website

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Have you seen an animal you can't identify? Submit a report here.

In this Halloween installment of Sasquatch Tracks, we are joined by Mister Sam Shearon, who in addition to being renowned for his unique cryptozoological artwork, presents an impressive knowledge of all-things Sasquatch, along with an assorted conversation about eerie cryptids in keeping with the season.

Along with his impressive horror art, Sam Shearon is known for his work in the field of cryptozoology, most notably for compiling artists impressions, of the Beast of Lytham[7] from eyewitness accounts. Shearon's cryptozoological art[8] was on display at the 2005 Weird Weekend, an annual conference at the Centre for Fortean Zoology. His work can be found in publications of the Fortean Times, Paranormal Magazine as well as the cover artwork for IDW Comics for the Angel[9] series, 30 Days of Night, The X-Files, Alan Roberts Wire Hangers, H.P.Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu, KISS, Mars Attacks, Judge Dredd, Hellraiser and Clive Barker's Books of Bloodand also horror magazine Fangoria's Trinity of Terrors.

Sam spends some time in this episode discussing everything from Sasquatch, to mysterious wolflike cryptids, and much more in a conversation curated especially for the Halloween season. 

Stories and other links discussed in this episode: 

• Mister Sam Shearon - Official Website

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