Tim Matthews is one of my best friends, and also - coincidentally - one of the most controversial figures in contemporary forteana. He has been involved with the CFZ for nearly a decade now, raising eyebrows wherever he goes.We are in new territory. The CFZ is making remarkable progress because we have been able to bring a diverse group of people together, get them working as a team and start to make a real difference not just within the cosy world of Cryptozoology but within local communities and beyond. Indeed, on the internet, we have the potential to reach anyone. And we are reaching new people all the time.
This has not always gone down too well with vested interests who want things to remain as they are, or have been, or who seek to make Cryptozoology their own personal cash cow. Others fear Cryptozoology becoming mainstream and seek to remain a big fish in a small pond. This selfish thinking has bedevilled this thing of ours since Heuvelmans first started writing about it….
It is fascinating to speak with people who are new to the subject because they approach it from so many angles. Often, because of his workload, Jon Downes puts the new people on to me to determine see where their interests lie - this is a vast subject - and how we can help them get the most from their involvement with us.
What emerges, through the long conversations I tend to have with “new recruits”, is that, despite all the information we put on the websites and blogs, there are serious misperceptions out there; about what we, what we stand for and what Cryptozoology is.
To an extent one has to generalise about this because it is impossible to include everyone’s comments, but many of my correspondents seem to believe that this subject is the “rare species version” of the X Files. They either hope or believe that we are, or should be, nattily dressed investigators in flash cars with the latest technology at our disposal as we intrepidly run through the woods chasing monsters with teams of supporters watching monitors in real time.
This, of course, is not the case, but when Cryptozoology is seen as an adjunct to science fiction we have more work to do than we might have initially expected. True, some of us initially became involved with the CFZ because we’d been done UFO or Paranormal research or had investigated or taken an interest in an unusual case involving animals (animal “mutilations”, “abductions” or big cat sightings for example). Happily, most of us (!) have grown up and our interests have diversified or, even, specialised.
What is the function of Cryptozoology? What is it for and what is the CFZ for? As the CFZ grows it is true to say that we speak for the vast majority of Cryptozoologists and are involved with the majority of active Cryptozoologists. Nevertheless, there are very few people actually out there doing anything. Much of the support for the subject is passive and fickle. A harsh lesson to learn but a realistic appraisal based on recent experience.
The CFZ website has an outreach and educational function which is why we do not spend the vast majority of time talking about Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster. Yes, these subjects are of marginal interest but the quality of evidence relating to them is poor. It is surprising that people are still so interested in them when we have so many stories available via CFZ and natural history websites that suggest that rare, little known and rediscovered species are found almost weekly and that there are new species being discovered as often. And yet, despite their importance, we are still fending off questions like, “what do you think of the Patterson Bigfoot film” or “what about Nessie?”
Sometimes, it is more interesting to ask why people are so interested in these things when we consistently show that Cryptozoology is much more than repeating and regurgitating questionable data about supposed “famous cases“. It seems that we have a job of education to do and the CFZ accepts this role. Ufology has Roswell, the Paranormalists have their medieval castles and hooded monks and, until recently, Cryptozoology has been tied to “Bigfoot and the Hendersons“. Things have now changed…
The CFZ is moving in a new direction. At heart, we are a community of amateur naturalists. That, of course, means we are a broad church, but looking at the subject in this way keeps us firmly rooted in reality and in science. Indeed, I suggest that we have little or nothing in common with Mulder and Scully and everything in common with Durrell and Attenborough. We probably always did. That is the key to understanding who we are and where we are going and this must be emphasised and repeated as often as possible. If you want to sit on a hillside looking at aircraft lights and pretend that you’re seeing alien spacecraft then please go elsewhere and leave us alone! If you want to chase ghosts then please sign up to Most Haunted and volunteer to be fooled at their next live TV show!
If you want to indulge your love for nature and all her mysteries then your place is with us. If you want to find the mysterious in the world around us you needn’t look far. If you want to understand about Life on Earth there is no better way to do this by joining the CFZ community.
If you want to be the person to discover a new species or uncover one of nature’s perfect aberrations then the CFZ is the first step on your road to salvation.
Meanwhile, the CFZ is a growing community not only in cyberspace but on the ground as we involve ourselves in all manner of campaigns, groups and causes. It might not be that racey, but you’re more likely to find a CFZ supporter doing a local nature watch, a bit of bird spotting, volunteer work at a local zoo or, even, helping toads across the road! When the CFZ gains charitable status, you will see moving further into community projects and developing the range of activities we offer to the Amateur Naturalist.
Times have changed and we have changed with them. It is more practical for us to be involved in real projects rather than dreaming about getting “that photo” of Bigfoot.
It is, perhaps, that simple……
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