rd & Inexplicable folder, they do recognize that paranormal sightings occur. I have a great deal of respect for researchers who take that attitude. I have little patience for the ones who simply throw away any sightings that don’t fit their preconceived notions.

Praying for Credibility

I've run across more than one Bigfoot site that says flat out if you've had a Bigfoot sighting that involves high strangeness, don't report it to us because we won't believe you. After all, they say, Bigfoots are giant apes and h

How far will researchers go to hide the truth?

If you browse the website of a Bigfoot or UFO group, you’ll probably find a listing of sightings reported to that group. What won't you find on most of those sites? Sightings that cross the boundaries between the two disciplines. A visitor to those sites would conclude that no such sightings get reported. Neither ufologists nor cryptozoologists want to poke one toe into the forbidden territory where Bigfoot, UFOs, and other phenomena merge.

Crossing the Line

In his book The Locals, Thom Powell reveals how sightings that mention high strangeness were "basically discarded" by the Bigfoot group that he had joined. High strangeness events include UFOs sighted with the creatures, a Bigfoot vanishing into thin air at the end of the sighting, or anything else beyond a Bigfoot traipsing past a witness. Witnesses who claim to have had repeated encounters with Bigfoot also fall under the same umbrella as high strangeness cases—meaning few researchers will believe them.

Numerous cases of high strangeness exist, though you have to read a book like Powell’s or the Bords’ Bigfoot Casebook to learn about them. In their book Hunt for the Skinwalker, renowned journalist George Knapp and scientist Colm Kelleher discuss the crossover problem as it relates to their research at a ranch in Utah. On that property, nicknamed the Skinwalker Ranch, residents experienced varied and numerous paranormal events—from glowing orbs to cattle mutilations to Bigfoot encounters—which often overlapped one another. Years earlier, a ranch in Colorado served as the stage for similar events, which included sightings of Bigfoot and UFOs together. Timothy Good wrote about that ranch in his book Alien Contact.

Books that deal with the crossover problem often get labeled "sensationalist" or "fringe." Yet the number of books that have dealt with the topic testify to the widespread nature of the phenomenon of crossover cases.

At least some researchers will acknowledge that such cases exist. While they prefer to file them away in the Weird & Inexplicable folder, they do recognize that paranormal sightings occur. I have a great deal of respect for researchers who take that attitude. I have little patience for the ones who simply throw away any sightings that don’t fit their preconceived notions.

Praying for Credibility

I've run across more than one Bigfoot site that says flat out if you've had a Bigfoot sighting that involves high strangeness, don't report it to us because we won't believe you. After all, they say, Bigfoots are giant apes and ha

In his book The Locals, Thom Powell reveals how sightings that mention high strangeness were "basically discarded" by the Bigfoot group that he had joined. High strangeness events include UFOs sighted with the creatures, a Bigfoot vanishing into thin air at the end of the sighting, or anything else beyond a Bigfoot traipsing past a witness. Witnesses who claim to have had repeated encounters with Bigfoot also fall under the same umbrella as high strangeness cases—meaning few researchers will believe them.

Numerous cases of high strangeness exist, though you have to read a book like Powell’s or the Bords’ Bigfoot Casebook to learn about them. In their book Hunt for the Skinwalker, renowned journalist George Knapp and scientist Colm Kelleher discuss the crossover problem as it relates to their research at a ranch in Utah. On that property, nicknamed the Skinwalker Ranch, residents experienced varied and numerous paranormal events—from glowing orbs to cattle mutilations to Bigfoot encounters—which often overlapped one another. Years earlier, a ranch in Colorado served as the stage for similar events, which included sightings of Bigfoot and UFOs together. Timothy Good wrote about that ranch in his book Alien Contact.

Books that deal with the crossover problem often get labeled "sensationalist" or "fringe." Yet the number of books that have dealt with the topic testify to the widespread nature of the phenomenon of crossover cases.

At least some researchers will acknowledge that such cases exist. While they prefer to file them away in the Weird & Inexplicable folder, they do recognize that paranormal sightings occur. I have a great deal of respect for researchers who take that attitude. I have little patience for the ones who simply throw away any sightings that don’t fit their preconceived notions.

Praying for Credibility

I've run across more than one Bigfoot site that says flat out if you've had a Bigfoot sighting that involves high strangeness, don't report it to us because we won't believe you. After all, they say, Bigfoots are giant apes and h

es of high strangeness exist, though you have to read a book like Powell’s or the Bords’ Bigfoot Casebook to learn about them. In their book Hunt for the Skinwalker, renowned journalist George Knapp and scientist Colm Kelleher discuss the crossover problem as it relates to their research at a ranch in Utah. On that property, nicknamed the Skinwalker Ranch, residents experienced varied and numerous paranormal events—from glowing orbs to cattle mutilations to Bigfoot encounters—which often overlapped one another. Years earlier, a ranch in Colorado served as the stage for similar events, which included sightings of Bigfoot and UFOs together. Timothy Good wrote about that ranch in his book Alien Contact.

Books that deal with the crossover problem often get labeled "sensationalist" or "fringe." Yet the number of books that have dealt with the topic testify to the widespread nature of the phenomenon of crossover cases.

At least some researchers will acknowledge that such cases exist. While they prefer to file them away in the Weird & Inexplicable folder, they do recognize that paranormal sightings occur. I have a great deal of respect for researchers who take that attitude. I have little patience for the ones who simply throw away any sightings that don’t fit their preconceived notions.

Praying for Credibility

I've run across more than one Bigfoot site that says flat out if you've had a Bigfoot sighting that involves high strangeness, don't report it to us because we won't believe you. After all, they say, Bigfoots are giant apes and h

earlier, a ranch in Colorado served as the stage for similar events, which included sightings of Bigfoot and UFOs together. Timothy Good wrote about that ranch in his book Alien Contact.

Books that deal with the crossover problem often get labeled "sensationalist" or "fringe." Yet the number of books that have dealt with the topic testify to the widespread nature of the phenomenon of crossover cases.

At least some researchers will acknowledge that such cases exist. While they prefer to file them away in the Weird & Inexplicable folder, they do recognize that paranormal sightings occur. I have a great deal of respect for researchers who take that attitude. I have little patience for the ones who simply throw away any sightings that don’t fit their preconceived notions.

Praying for Credibility

I've run across more than one Bigfoot site that says flat out if you've had a Bigfoot sighting that involves high strangeness, don't report it to us because we won't believe you. After all, they say, Bigfoots are giant apes and h

rd & Inexplicable folder, they do recognize that paranormal sightings occur. I have a great deal of respect for researchers who take that attitude. I have little patience for the ones who simply throw away any sightings that don’t fit their preconceived notions.

Praying for Credibility

I've run across more than one Bigfoot site that says flat out if you've had a Bigfoot sighting that involves high strangeness, don't report it to us because we won't believe you. After all, they say, Bigfoots are giant apes and have nothing to do with that stupid UFO stuff. Those researchers also like to say that sticking to the so-called flesh-and-blood cases improves their credibility.

Last I checked, science still had not accepted the existence of Bigfoots—nor had the majority of scientists stopped snickering at the notion of hairy bipeds living in the woods. Disregarding strange sightings has failed to impress the scientific community.

What about the witnesses? Has the number of sightings reported each year increased due to the enhanced credibility brought on by tossing out data? Nope. When you look at the sightings, the opposite seems to be true. The number of sightings reported has apparently decreased since the Gigantopithecus theory emerged, and researchers began using the theory as an excuse to ditch crossover sightings. Many researchers essentially tell long-term and high strangeness witnesses to buzz off, a tactic that would seem to have paid off in the wrong way.

Could other factors have influenced the decrease in sightings reported? Of course. A change in the behavior or Bigfoots, media ridicule of the subject, and changing social climate could all play into the issue. But we can no longer pretend that the bad attitudes of many researchers haven't also affected the situation. You will never find credibility by stepping over a trash heap of inconvenient sightings.

Ridicule vs. Integrity

Does fear of the C word ("crazy") compel researchers to censor sightings?

If I came across a sighting that totally invalidated all my precious little theories, what would I do? I’d investigate it, assess the reliability of the witness, and then compare what I’d learned with what I knew already. Perhaps I’d need to change my theories. That would be fine with me. Learning is the goal—and the thrill—of any research.

So, when I get that first report of a Bigfoot living with a gaggle of gorillas, I might have to rethink my stance on the just-an-ape theory. Until then, I stand firm in my beliefs. Yet many researchers seem to have a phobia about evidence that contradicts their long-held be