Oriental Yeti Not Found

I am amazed at the state of journalism today. Quite a few news sources covered the 'discovery' of what has been called the 'Oriental yeti' out of central China. Telegraph.co.uk simply presented the animal as if an over-exuberant cryptozoologist had written the press release. Others did the same.

I had to do a fair amount of digging before I found a proper write up. At last, the Christian Science Monitor had a proper treatment of this beast.

Sadly, it's no yeti. Bigfoot and Loch Ness Monster hunters can focus their energies elsewhere. We're most likely faced with a civet with the mange.

Instances of creatures caught or sighted with the mange have led to all sorts of speculations and myths. Most likely the chupacabra is nothing more than the occasional mange-ridden quadruped spotted in the distance.

Thanks for the Oriental yeti, Jade and Ida. I'd hate to see what Chinese officials did with me if they caught me in the hinterlands on one of my bad-hair days.

Ugdorable mutant

Is this the legendary chupacabra, finally captured alive? Wow, it's a lot cuter than I expected.

No, it's a hairless raccoon, found last week in Vero Beach, Florida. An officer of the local humane society says that the animal doesn't have mange or any other signs of illness. Apparently it's just a natural mutation, like the Sphynx cat or those hairless guinea pigs. And like those, isn't there something strangely appealing about it?

This wrinkled boy was found trapped in a trash can by sanitation workers, who called animal control to rescue him. There'll be no more dumpster-diving for this guy: From here on in it's room service, at a wildlife sanctuary located in the town of Jupiter. Seems like a fitting destination for this alien-looking critter.

You can see more pictures here.

-Wombat (No Relation)

Baldy Raccoon

You're looking at Baldy, a hairless raccoon living in Toronto. Though images that have surfaced of her prompted all sorts of speculation as to what she might be, she's definitely a female raccoon. How do we know? She's given birth to healthy raccoon babies. That's a pretty good clue.

Neighbors started noticing her losing her hair a couple of years ago, and she's somehow managed to survive a Canadian winter being totally bald (the dog food left out for her is helping). So, here's to Baldy, wishing her luck. May your mange or alopecia or whatever it is that has stricken you not cause you too much distress.

Thanks for the article, Alison.

Photo source: Colin Williams via TheStar.com

Sasquatch Follow Up

Last Halloween I posted on a photo taken by a motion sensor-driven camera of a possible Bigfoot in Pennsylvania, US. The debate was whether the creature really was Sasquatch, an escaped chimpanzee, a diseased bear, or my little brother (escaped from his pen beneath the stairs).


















Well, Ida has been doing some investigation. Check out the photo below. This is what a bear with the mange looks like. And although the bear below what photographed in Florida (Ocala National Forest), the similarity to the creature in the above photo is striking.

Besides, our login records show that my brother's alibi is tight.