WELCOME TO THE CFZ BLOG NETWORK: COME AND JOIN THE FUN

Half a century ago, Belgian Zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans first codified cryptozoology in his book On the Track of Unknown Animals.

The Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) are still on the track, and have been since 1992. But as if chasing unknown animals wasn't enough, we are involved in education, conservation, and good old-fashioned natural history! We already have three journals, the largest cryptozoological publishing house in the world, CFZtv, and the largest cryptozoological conference in the English-speaking world, but in January 2009 someone suggested that we started a daily online magazine! The CFZ bloggo is a collaborative effort by a coalition of members, friends, and supporters of the CFZ, and covers all the subjects with which we deal, with a smattering of music, high strangeness and surreal humour to make up the mix.

It is edited by CFZ Director Jon Downes, and subbed by the lovely Lizzy Bitakara'mire (formerly Clancy), scourge of improper syntax. The daily newsblog is edited by Corinna Downes, head administratrix of the CFZ, and the indexing is done by Lee Canty and Kathy Imbriani. There is regular news from the CFZ Mystery Cat study group, and regular fortean bird news from 'The Watcher of the Skies'. Regular bloggers include Dr Karl Shuker, Dale Drinnon, Richard Muirhead and Richard Freeman.The CFZ bloggo is updated daily, and there's nothing quite like it anywhere else. Come and join us...

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Thursday, August 30, 2012

HAUNTED SKIES: Daily Mirror 13.3.68


DALE DRINNON: Yeren, bigfoot, laos skull, prehistoric rock art

New at Frontiers of Zoology: Bigfoot Evidence on the Yeren plus a related item:

I'M YER GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN

For the second day running I have the lovely Jessica Heard as my helpmeet in the office. Today she has brought her middle aged cocker spaniel 'Teal' with her. It is the first time Prudence has been confronted with another female doggie, and the subtle battle of the bitches is an ongoing delight to watch.

Starting off with another visit to the singular universe of Thom the World Poet.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/08/thom-world-poet-daily-poem_31.html

Erik Norlander's intricate compositions and exquisite musicianship is making him loads of new friends.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/08/link-erik-norlander-review_31.html


I am very proud of the work I did on Dan Wooding's biography of Rick Wakeman. Herewith another great review..
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/08/link-rick-wakeman-book-review.html


Now't to do with Gonzo, but a new project from legendary Santana trumpeter Bill Ortiz seems very promising.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/08/santana-trumpeter-bill-ortiz-celebrates.html


I once met the legendary B.P Fallon, king of the press officers. I'm sure that he doesn't remember me. However here - from his blog - is a scrapbook of piccies of Michael Des Barres through the years.
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/08/michael-des-barres-and-legendary.html


The legendary Jefferson Starship are set to headline a Beatles-related rock festival
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/08/link-jefferson-starship-headlines-this.html


The Gonzo Daily is a two way process. If you have any news or want to write for us, please contact me at jon@eclipse.co.uk. If you are an artist and want to showcase your work, or even just say hello please write to me at gonzo@cfz.org.uk. Please copy, paste and spread the word about this magazine as widely as possible. We need people to read us in order to grow, and as soon as it is viable we shall be invading more traditional magaziney areas. Join in the fun, spread the word, and maybe if we all chant loud enough we CAN stop it raining. See you tomorrow

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today


Yesterday’s News Today
http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1997 Pricess Diana died in a nasty accident, which was probably due to the combination of a drunk driver being chased by idiot photographers on motorbikes but conspiricy theorists have different ideas.
And now the news:
She, aparently, lived her life like a candle in the wind:

VILE PORNOGRAPHY FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC

It all started with the following email from Richard:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Geographic-NO-to-Melissa-Bachman-Series/473459186017914

National Geographic are doing a series on a girl who hunts and kills animals for fun and has pigtails and pink weapons. No joke!!! We need to do somethng about this we need a posting. I can't belive Nat Geo would do this!

I don't always agree with Richard. I am not even anti hunting per se. But to put it in this form, all pretty in pink and girly, complete with expansive amounts of cleavage on a TV Channel targeted at animal lovers is nothing short of grotesque. Shame on everyone involved.


LINK: My Coworker's Sea Serpent

By 2002, word had got around my workplace that I was interested in mystery animals, so one of my colleagues, Toni Womal approached me about an experience she had had as a little girl.

Our interview took place on 8 August 2002, but the events in question occurred when she was about ten years old, so it was probably 1974, during the summer school holidays ie about January. The presence of a king tide may help to localise it further in time.

At the time, she was living at Bowen, North Queensland (20° 25' S, 148° 15' E), and went to the seaside with her eight-year-old brother, Stephen and her grandfather, Les Womal, now deceased. They had gone out to a rock, known locally as Womal's Rock, about 100 metres off shore, and while Grandpa was fishing from the rock, the two children amused themselves in a rock pool. It was only about 9 o'clock in the morning, so the weather was still a bit cool, although the day was fine, and would later turn hot.There was a king tide, and the water was choppy. Suddenly, their grandfather, without uttering a word, beckoned to them to come out of the water and stand beside him. He then gestured towards a creature about 100 metres further out. The sighting probably lasted only a few seconds, but it was very vivid. They were all mortally afraid of snakes, so they stayed on the rock all day, until the tide went out, and was about to turn. Then, their grandfather announced: "Get changed; we're going home", and he carried them back to shore. He didn't mention the animal again.

Read on...

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

MUIRHEAD'S MYSTERIES: Wild wallabies

I have recently been doing a bit of research into the Peak District (morespecifically The Roaches) wallabies, which escaped from a private zoo in1939/40 along with other species of animals, such as yaks.I have seen a web site - www.roaches.org.uk/memories5.html

which claims that a Mrs Pickford saw a wallaby in August 2011 in this area.
The Evening Sentinel, a Leek newspaper
ek newspaper dated June 23rd 1972 says:

"WALLABY MAY GO ON BRI
TI

abies from a private collection belonging to Sir Philip Brocklehurst, land-owner and former explorer, of Swythamley Hall,near Leek, may lead to this species being recognised as a British mammal.
SH LIST"
The roamings of some of the wall

It is believed that during the war years a number of wallabies escaped from Sir Philip`s land between Leek and Buxton which includes the Roaches, and settled in the Peak District where a large colony has subsequently developed...

[The population reached a maximum size of about 60 in 1975 according to Wikipedia.-R]

...It has been their survival there over the last 30 years during which there have been several severe winters which inspired research by zoologists who are expected to advance the theory that wallabies can now also be recog
nised as British. The reaction of Sir Phillip now 85, was mainly concerned with the welfare of the animals. He told The Sentinel:

"The wallabies in the peak district are certainly descendants of those belonging to me. It is all right so long as people leave them alone. Some members of the public try to chase them." Despite the number which left the Leek area wallabies - which are between 2 foot 6 ins and 3 foot in height are still seen on the more remote parts of Sir Philip`s land."(1)


In early Sept 1976 the Leek Post and Times published the following along with 3 accompanying photos:

"The N.Staffordshire wallabies are alive and well and Post and Times staff photographer Andrea Richardson has the photographs to prove it. Just where the wallabies are we are not - in the interests of conservation - able to say, but the photographs clearly indicate they are thriving - and they are still breeding.

When Andrea first discovered the animals two or three months ago one female had a baby in its pouch, and a couple of weeks ago a half grown specimen - presumably the baby in the pouch - was hopping about with three adults. The wallabies - red necked and on average about 3 feet in height - have been a source of wonder since the late Courtenay Brocklehurst purchased a pair from Whipsnade in the early 1930s. They were kept in captivity on the Swythamley estate until they escaped in 1936 [N.B. This contradicts other opinions, see above that say they escaped in 1939/40-R]

They then adapted very well to the local environment and bred freely and indeed all the members of the local group are descended from that original pair. Extremely timid - they leap at the slightest sound or movement - and blending in perfectly with their moorland surroundings , the wallabies are rarely seen, and so we are naturally glad to be able to prove that they are
still here and still doing well. (2)

In July 2012 I took 2 colour photos of "Wally", a wallaby stuffed and contained within a glass case in Leek Local Studies Library. He was found dead on December 19th 1993 by Mr Graham Ives of Gradbach as he walked through Lud`s Church,which isn`t a church but a rocky outcrop. It was stuffed by a professional taxidermist for £580. In Feb 2012 "Wally" re-appeared at the National Trust Education Centre at Illam who donated it to the Leek Library.

“A friend of mine,Darren, as a child in about 1979 saw an albino wallaby at a rocky outcrop, called `Lud`s Church` in the Peak District. I have a vague memory of seeing a letter in the BBC Wildlife magazine several years ago mentioning albino wallabies there in the 1950s. Inbreeding?

1. Leek Evening Sentinel 23-6-1972

2.Leek Post and Times Sept 1976