I CANNOT WORK OUT WHETHER THIS IS A COMEDY OR NOT

RICHARD FREEMAN: The Monster of Pembroke Dock

A few months ago Lindsay wrote a blog about the Pembroke Dock sea monster. I have just unearthed Richard Freeman's article about the beast from the 4th issue of the late and unlamented Tropical World magazine back in 2004. As no-one ever read the damn thing at the time, mainly because it was being used for nefarious purposes by the publishers, here is his article:

In the spring of 2003 cryptozoological news groups received a report of a sea serpent seen in the River Cleddau off Pembroke Dock, Wales. The reports spoke of a creature with a long row of humps, or loops, much like a type of sea serpent christened the “Many Humped” by Belgian Zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans.

Earlier this year I travelled to Pembroke Dock to interview the witnesses. What I found was a case of Chinese whispers and a story more interesting than I had ever anticipated.

It was 1pm on March 5, 2003. Lesley John, the barmaid at the Shipwright Inn on Front Street, was pouring a pint when she looked out into the river and saw something strange. “It was a big black fin moving slowly through the water and drawing ripples after it.” The landlord David Crew and three regulars rushed out to get a closer look.

One man, Peter Thomas, was having a meal by the window at the time. He was one of the first out. “I saw a diamond-shaped, snake-like head lifted a couple of feet clear of the water. It was gliding along smoothly, without moving side to side, or up and down. It swam against the tide and caused turbulence. I love the river. I spend most weekends on it but I have never seen anything like this before.”

David Crew added, “It moved smoothly and I felt that it had limbs below the surface that it propelled itself with. A car ferry goes across this part of the river regularly. The monster was about five times as long as a car.”

As well as the people in the pub there was a crowd milling around outside whom all saw the monster. A few days later a photo was anonymously dropped into the pub. It shows a long, dark form in the water visible between the old sea fort and a dock wall. In the foreground is the beach and a long outcropping of rocks. By using the outcropping as a frame of reference I estimated the object in the photo to be 60ft long.
It does not resemble the description that did the rounds on the internet, the “Many Humped” animal Dave Crew says “It didn't look anything like the classic Nessie with a row of humps or a long neck.”
Dave, Lesley, and Peter say that the photo exactly matches what they saw. The witness descriptions sound very different from the Internet description as well. It has a largish head on a relatively short neck. A long, wide body, and a long tail. It more closely resembles a type of sea monster Heuvelmans calls the “Marine Saurian”. Alun Lewis runs a dive boat called the Cleddau Queen. Pembroke Dock is the world's second- deepest natural harbour. The waters are far warmer than they should be at this latitude and attract marine life usually found further south. Ergo it is popular with divers. Alun has his own idea about the monster.

“A couple of weeks after the sighting I saw a Ministry of Defence ship a few miles down river (Pembroke Dock is nine miles inland from the sea). A number of big Chinook helicopters were coming and going from it. One of them had a mini submarine strapped to it. It was about 40ft long. I think that is what they saw.”

I put this to the witnesses but they were adamant that what they saw was a living creature. Peter saw it raise its head up. If the Pembroke Dock monster was an actual animal what could it be? Heuvelmans postulated that the “Marine Saurian” was a giant sea-going reptile, possibly a descendent of the mososaurs (a group of vast aquatic lizards) or the thalattasuchian, finned sea dwelling reptiles of the Mesozoic era. Unlike the popular plesiosaur theory, this idea involves animals with close living relatives, varanid lizards and modern crocodiles respectively.

Quite how the Pembroke Dock monster was transformed into a long necked humped animal by the media is unclear. Perhaps it was something to do with preconceptions of what a sea serpent should look like. Sadly the negatives from the photo were never sent to Dave and his friends; so once again we are left with a fascinating picture and compelling eyewitness accounts but no hard evidence. I think the people of this sleepy little Welsh town did see something strange in the waters of the Cleddau but as is mostly the case in cryptozoology I came away with more questions than answers.

If you are ever in Pembroke Dock do pop into the Shipwright Inn. They have kept the photo and you can examine it yourself. The three main witnesses are in there most nights and the steak pie is to die for.

KITHRA RISES TO MY CHALLENGE

Hi Jon,


After reading your blog post “What’s in a Name?” yesterday, about the word chupacabra, I was doing a little searching and I came across a snippet when delving amongst Google Books, at this link:


http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Tb1oAAAAMAAJ&q=chupacabra&dq=chupacabra&lr=&cd=364 where you can see the word chupacabra highlighted in yellow. So I went over to Amazon UK and found the title, listed as having been published in 1984: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Latin-America-Teaching-Cathryn-Lombardi/dp/0299097145/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271001185&sr=1-1


I don't know if the info is of any use at all, but thought I'd send it over anyway.


Best wishes,



Liz

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1951 Peter Moffett was born. He is better known by his stage name Peter Davison and his role as vet Tristan Farnon in ‘All Creatures Great and Small’, he was the Fifth incarnation of The Doctor in ‘Doctor Who’ as well.
And now, the news:

Missing link between man and apes found in South Africa
Stuffed animals to be sold at auction

Some of the things being sold in that auction are the ‘stuff’ of legend.

NEIL ARNOLD: China’s Child-Stealing Monster

When your parents told you the bogeyman would come and get you if you misbehaved or wouldn’t go to sleep, and you sniggered into your blanket. It’s time to think again….

From the St Petersburg Times, August 25th 1947.

‘Chinese Claim Strange Monster Steals Children –
Shanghai – Villagers and peasants around Pootung, across the Whangpoo river from Shanghai, have established a day and night watch for an amphibious monster which they believe is carrying off children.

Descriptions of the alleged beast vary, some saying it is half-man, half-ape, others that it resembles a huge wild boar. Whether children actually have vanished is uncertain, but two sets of parents , both sampan dwellers, have told of snatching their children to safety in the past week when the monster grabbed for them.’

The Daytona Beach Morning Journal of the same day added, ‘The neighbourhood has no doubts about its existence, however, and had erected a bamboo watchtower which is manned constantly. Volunteers also patrol the creek banks.


The China Press, an English language paper, said a 30-year old woman was killed last week by a posse which threw her into a pound when she refused to confess to any knowledge of the monster. Reasons for suspecting her were not given.’

LINDSAY SELBY: The Creature of Bynoe Harbour

There is very little information about the Beast of Bynoe Harbour near Darwin in North Australia. It has been described as being like a plesiosaur. Sightings of the creature have supposedly taken place through out the area’s history. There are cave paintings said to depict the creature. A picture of a creature, nicknamed the Bynoe Harbour Monster, appeared in a Darwin newspaper after occasional sightings by fishermen. The newspaper is, I presume, the North Territory News but a search has not turned up the article. There were apparently reports claiming that a Mr Burge Brown saw three plesiosaurs swimming off Bynoe Harbour, but again I have been unable to trace the newspaper report.

An Anyuna native from the Northern Territories is said that after seeing the picture in the newspaper he realised that one of the drawings by the indigenous peoples looked like a plesiosaur. I have posted it here. The creature looks to have been disembowelled. Whether that is its intestines next to it or another creature I am not sure. Perhaps someone with more knowledge of the area and culture may know.

Without much evidence to go on I think we could mark this up to misidentification, though the cave painting is intriguing. There are sharks, crocodiles and various other large marine creatures in the waters around Northern Australia that could account for misidentifications. An unevolved prehistoric creature is a very unlikely explanation.

RYEDALE A.S. OPEN SHOW

Hey Jon

Will you, please, place part/whole of the following onto the CFZ blogs for me:

Ryedale Aquarist Society - 11th Open Show & Auction
Sunday 25th April, 2010

Old Malton Memorial Hall, Malton, North Yorkshire. Y017 7HD

Open Show exhibits - 20p

Schedule of Classes

1. Danio and Minnow
2. Rasbora
3. Rainbowfish
4. Guppy
5. Molly and Platy
6. Swordtail
7. A.O.V. Livebearer
8. AV Female Livebearer
9. Breeders - Livebearer
10. Matched Pair - Livebearer
11. Aspidoras and Small Corydoras (up to 5.5cm)
12. Betta splendens (Siamese Fighters)
13. A.O.V. Small Anabantid (up to 10cm)
14. A.O.V. Large Anabantid (over 10cm)
15. Small Barb (up to 10cm)
16. Large Barb (over 10cm)
17. Angel and Discus
18. Endemic Rift Lake Cichlids
19. A.O.V. Small Cichlids (up to 10cm)
20. A.O.V. Large Cichlids (over 10cm)
21. Albino and Xanthic
22. Fundulopanchax, Scriptaphyosemion, Archiaphyosemion, Aphyosemion and Callopanchax
23. A.O.V. Killifish
24. Scleromystax, Brochis and Large Corydoras (over 5.5cm)
25. Female Egglayer
26. Sharks and Foxes
27. Single Tailed Goldfish
28. Double Tailed Goldfish
29 A.O.V. Coldwater
30. Botia and Loach
31. Pencil Fish
32. A.O.V. Small Characin (up to 7cm)
33. Large Characin (over 7cm)A.O.V.
34. Small Catfish (up to 15cm)
35. A.O.V. Large Catfish (over 15cm)
36. A.O.V. Tropical (up to 15cm)
37. A.O.V. Tropical (over 15cm)
38. Matched Pair - Egglayer
39. Breeders - Egglayers
40. Junior


OPEN SHOW AWARDS;-

Y.A.A.S. AWARDS

BEST IN SHOW

BEST EXHIBIT

BEST GOLDFISH EXHIBIT

PRIZES FOR: 1st 2nd AND 3rd PLACE IN ALL CLASSES

JUDGES

Mrs. P. Jones
Mr. T. Douglas
Mr. K. Webb

BENCHING OF OPEN SHOW EXHIBITS - 10.00a.m. to 1.00p.m.

AUCTION

LOTS TO BE TABLED BY 12.15p.m.

TO PRE-BOOK AUCTION LOTS PHONE 01751 472715

AUCTION BEGINS AT 12.30p.m.

AUCTIONEER: Mr. S. Jones

Please note that Ryedale A.S. will take a 15% commission on all auction lots sold.

Please label lots to assist the auctioneer.

Please make sure that all electrical goods are clearly marked with the name and address of the seller.

OPEN SHOW RULES

• Judging to Y.A.A.S. rules and standards. All exhibits to be shown in slab sided containers. All show tanks to have sufficient airspace above the waterline.
• Once benched, exhibits are not to be removed without the permission of the show steward. When de-benching is announced all exhibitors should remain within the show room until it is established that no exhibits are missing.
• To assist the public, exhibitors must name their entries.
• Although Ryedale A.S. will take all possible care of exhibits, and provide access to airpump facilities for use by exhibitors, no responsibility can be accepted for loss or damage to same. Non-exhibitors must gain permission from the Show Steward to take photographs (flash photography is prohibited prior to and during judging) within the showing room. Members of the Ryedale Aquarist Society will be present within the showing room at all times.
• Fish entered in Classes 8 and 39 are to consist of six fish, over four months old, bred by the exhibitor with the date of spawning/birth of the fry and breeding group clearly marked.
• Fish entered in Classes 9 and 38 must be true pairs.
• Entries in Class 40 are for Juniors only. Entries will only be accepted if the Junior, age limit 16, in whose name these fish are benched, is present on the day.

Classes 22 and 23 follow the current killie showing guide as laid down by the Y.A.A.S. Judges and Standards Committee.

The venue operates a strict NO SMOKING or CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL policy.

There is ample FREE PARKING around the venue. Refreshments will be available at the venue.

Further details can be obtained from

David Marshall Tel: 01751 472715

e-mail – aquariumgazette@yahoo.com

or visit our web site at http://www.ryedaleaquaristsociety.co.uk/

HOW TO FIND THE VENUE

From WEST YORKSHIRE, SOUTH YORKSHIRE, LANCASHIRE, THE SOUTH etc. – From Tadcaster follow the A64 onto the Malton by-pass. Branch left at signs for Flamingo Land and Steam Railway. At the roundabout take the 3rd exit (A1472) into Old Malton. Carry on past the Wentworth Arms (right-hand side) and the venue is on your left.

From the NORTH-EAST, CUMBRIA, SCOTLAND - From Thirsk (A1 or A19) - Follow A170 road towards Helmsley. Follow road down from Sutton Bank and approx. 2 miles from Helmsley turn right after bend taking the B1257 signposted Malton. From Stokesley go into Helmsley. Turn right at Church and at mini-roundabout turn right onto A170 signposted Thirsk. At top of hill branch left B1257 signposted Malton.
If using caravan route from Thirsk branch right onto B1257 and continue to Malton.

As you enter Malton turn left at first traffic lights and go past the industrial estate. Continue on (schools on right-hand side) down hill to mini-roundabout. Turn left into Old Malton. Church on right. Parking and venue on the right-hand side.

From HUMBER BRIDGE, DRIFFIELD, HULL etc. - Follow the B1248 into Norton turning left into the high street. Go past the swimming baths, turn right over the railway crossing and follow the bend to the traffic lights. At the lights turn right. Go up the hill and past a large glass building (RDC) on your left. At the mini-roundabout go straight over and past the Church. The venue is on your right-hand side.

SCARBOROUGH, BRIDLINGTON - Follow the A64. At the Malton by-pass take the exit signposted Old Malton (A1472) . 1st exit at roundabout. As you enter Old Malton go past the Wentworth Arms (right-hand side) and the venue is on your left.

From WHITBY - Follow the A169 Whitby to Pickering road into Pickering. Going past the cemetery carry straight on to the roundabout and take the 2nd exit onto A1472. Going past the turning for Eden Camp brings you to Old Malton roundabout. Take the 2nd exit.. As you enter Old Malton go past the Wentworth Arms (right-hand side) and the venue is on your left.


Thanks Jon

Regards David