CRYPTOZOOLOGY ONLINE: Still on the Track: 12/23/10

Thursday, December 23, 2010

I have been saving this nice little titbit for Christmas Eve. Whilst in India the team examined the pelt of a red panda shot in the Garo Hills during the 1960s. This is particularly interesting because there are none of these animals known nearer than Bhutan. At the very least this is evidence for a marked extension of their known range.

However, it may be even more interesting. Compare the tail with the animals pictured here. This may of course be due to bleaching from the sun or a similar cause but samples have been sent to Lars Thomas, who is working through quite a backlog of CFZ related stuff at the moment.

Watch this space.

ODDS AND SODS FROM CHAD ARMENT

Markus Hemmler notes a collaborative bibliographic database for cryptozoological publications and articles by two sites, Kryptozoologie-Online and Kryptozoologie.net. The database can be viewed in German at:

http://www.kryptozoologie-online.de/bibliographie/index.php
Or, in English at:http://www.kryptozoologie-online.de/bibliography/

Young female chimpanzees appear to treat sticks as dolls
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-12/hu-yfc122010.php
Meat-eating dinosaurs not so carnivorous after all
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-12/fm-mdn121410.php
Infant mammoths kept on mom's milk longer to stay safe: Study
http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Infant+mammoths+kept+milk+longer+stay+safe+Study/4010009/story.htmlColorado ski group wary of possible reintroduction of wolverines with protected status
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16907832

ABSOLUTELY DREADFUL NEWS

The charity Booktrust is to lose all its government funding for schemes that promote reading by providing free books to children in England. The charity said it was "immensely surprised and disappointed" to hear it would lose £13m of annual Department for Education funding from April 2011.

Read the full story

NIGEL HERWIN: Enquiry Unlimited

Attached is the comic strip Enquiry Unlimited from the TV Express Annual 1962 (London: TV Publications, 1961), with art by Cecil Orr. It's a rather charming skim through the realms of Forteana, with some interesting conclusions. A bit of research has revealed that Enquiry Unlimited was an actual TV series, which ran for a couple of series between July 1960 and April 1961, where children's questions were answered with the aid of guest experts. Interesting that the strip in the annual opts for "the world's great mysteries and legends". Makes me wonder what other Fortean features could be lurking in children's annuals. I'm sure I have an old Eagle annual with a piece about UFOs. By the way, Howard Williams from the Enquiry Unlimited strip apparently later went on to partner British TV's anthropomorphic superstar, Basil Brush! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the strip.

Hope you're well, and best wishes to all at the CFZ.

As Redvers and Howard say at the end of the strip:

Cheerio!

Nigel Herwin