Nexus - 0605 - New Times Magazine-pages

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Sasquatch or Bigfoot of North America, and Doolagar! or the ence in Australia. It is believed that Asian mice reached Yowie of Australia are all so similar that it would appear they are Australian shores in this way over millions of years and, once on all members of the same species, or are at least closely related.* land, diversified into endemic species.’’ Larger mammals would All appear to be extremely cryptic, solitary, nocturnal hunters that have enormous difficulties surviving such a voyage, adapting to have adapted to a wide range of different habitats, have naturally the new environment and arriving in large enough numbers to low population numbers and very large territories, as is typical of begin a genetically diverse population. However, an adaptable, many large carnivorous mammal species. Competition with semi-aquatic, carnivorous primate—humans—made the journey, another similar-sized bipedal hunting primate (humans) may have so perhaps a similar, though fur-covered, species could do like- been partly responsible for humans existing in large, diurnal, wise. Before human domination of Southeast Asia, the islands social populations, and Gigantopithecus existing as scattered, were thickly vegetated and richly populated with a diverse fauna. solitary, nocturnal, cryptic populations, so reducing competition. Riverside rainforest torn loose near a river-mouth during cyclonic The small bipedal primate was known to the Aboriginal people —_ weather to form rafts of trees that floated to Australia with a com- as Junjadee, Junjuddis, Dinderi, Winambuu, Waaki and Nimbunj, plement of animals preyed upon by a family of Yowie castaways, depending on their language group, and as Brown Jacks since could just be possible. European settlement. This smaller species made newspaper head- lines in March 1979 when individuals were observed on Tower any researchers of undescribed cryptic animals are not Hill at Charters Towers in Queensland. There have been many Mins s, and they often conclude that these animals reports of small bipedal primates from Africa, Asia and Sumatra, must be paranormal because they are so elusive and where they are known as Orang Pendek.’ impossible to capture. They state that the existence of the animal So how did these originally Asian animals get to Australia? can only be understood by looking for explanations beyond the The answer is evident in the documentation of sightings of these understanding of modern physics. These statements are absolute- and similar animals elsewhere. ly preposterous and show little understanding of physics, biology, In Australia, the large bipedal ecology or animal behaviour. It is primate has been observed swim- most unlikely that the entire under- ming in rivers and lagoons, and in standing of physical reality falls such situations has been called a . . apart whenever an undescribed ani- Bunyip. Sightings of seals far The small bipedal primate was mal is reported. It is also unlikely upstream in freshwater rivers and known to the Aboriginal people as that the only evidence of other billabongs, perhaps along with the dimensions intruding into our own last surviving aquatic megafauna, Junjadee, Junjuddis, Dinderi, is represented by a cryptic animal were probably responsible for most Winambuu Waaki and Nimbunj and by no other aspect of natural 3 3 Bunyip reports. . . phenomena. The Aboriginal people of the depending on their language group, It is to be expected that the gener - lower Murray River know of an A al public would have little knowl- ape-like creature that swims in the and as Brown Jack since edge of, or belief in, undescribed river, and have named _ it European settlement. fauna. Most people's experience Mooluwonk. On 18 July 1848, the with wildlife comes from museums, Argus reported the sighting of a zoos and the picnic areas of national huge humanoid swimming in the parks, so it is only natural that they Eumeralla River, Victoria. The would believe that if an animal has Melbourne Herald of 29 October 1849 reported the observation of _ not been regularly observed then it could not possibly exist. a Bunyip beside a lake on Phillip Island, Victoria. It was Field biologists, however, know from years of experience that it described as being half-man and half-baboon, and it dived into the is incredibly difficult to observe, trap, photograph or obtain any lake when it was shot at. The Sydney Morning Herald of 24 evidence for the existence of many species—at least until they August 1872 reported that a party of surveyors observed a Bunyip — come up with an innovative method to do so. This particularly swimming at Cowal Lake, NSW. It resembled a human but was applies to solitary nocturnal carnivores. covered with long dark hair, and it rose out of the water—so they The Eastern puma or mountain lion (Puma [Felis] concolor were able to see its shoulders—and then dived as if in chase of couguar), which ranged from New Brunswick in Canada to the fish.* A Yowie was observed wading ashore from Lake Dulverton Carolinas in the USA, has been considered extinct by all in Tasmania in 1987; Sasquatch have been observed wading in American state wildlife agencies and the US Fish & Wildlife Lake Winnipegosis and the Klamath River in North America.’ Service for most of the 20th century. Despite numerous fauna These reports show that the Yowie is an excellent swimmer in surveys, no evidence for its existence had been found in almost small bodies of water. Investigations by Bob Titmus, one of the 100 years, and yet dozens of eyewitness reports are made in very early Bigfoot investigators who operated from a boat among almost all eastern states every year. the islands and inlets of British Columbia over several years, A Canadian wildlife biologist, Bruce Wright, director of the proved that the Sasquatch was capable of swimming through Northeastern Wildlife Station of the University of New stormy seas. Fresh sets of tracks coming out of the water and into Brunswick, was convinced from sightings reports from the late the woods on small islands show that the Yowie is perfectly capa- 1930s that the Eastern puma had survived in cryptic, remnant ble of swimming across open seas to reach distant hunting populations, but he was never able to convince his fellow zoolo- grounds or to colonise new territory.° Yowies therefore appear to gists or provincial officials. After over 50 years of investigations have entered the Australasian region from Asia by swimming of Eastern puma sightings by biologists, fresh tracks in snow and from island to island. Accidental rafting could also explain this Asian animal's pres- Continued on page 88 ence in Australia. It is believed that Asian mice reached Australian shores in this way over millions of years and, once on land, diversified into endemic species.’ Larger mammals would have enormous difficulties surviving such a voyage, adapting to the new environment and arriving in large enough numbers to begin a genetically diverse population. However, an adaptable, semi-aquatic, carnivorous primate—humans—made the journey, so perhaps a similar, though fur-covered, species could do like- wise. Before human domination of Southeast Asia, the islands were thickly vegetated and richly populated with a diverse fauna. Riverside rainforest torn loose near a river-mouth during cyclonic weather to form rafts of trees that floated to Australia with a com- plement of animals preyed upon by a family of Yowie castaways, could just be possible. NEXUS -71 European settlement. Continued on page 88 AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 1999