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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Wednesday, February 17, 2021

BIG CAT ROUND UP

The hunt for British Big Cats attracts far more newspaper-column inches than any other cryptozoological subject. 

There are so many of them now that we feel that they should be archived by us in some way, so we are publishing a regular round-up of the stories as they come in. 

The worldwide mystery cat phenomenon (or group of phenomena, if we are to be more accurate) is not JUST about cryptozoology. At its most basic level it is about the relationship between our species and various species of larger cat. That is why sometimes you will stories here that appear to have nothing to do with cryptozoology but have everything to do with human/big cat interaction. As committed Forteans, we believe that until we understand the nature of these interactions, we have no hope of understanding the truth that we are seeking.

THE LAST WEEK AT THE CFZ-USA BLOG



  • TERRIFYING HORNED PIKE
  • DID USA KEEP TABS ON YETI AND UFO SIGHTINGS IN NEPAL?
  • CON-RIT: BIZARRE SEA CREATURE
  • WHAT WAS THE MYSTERY CEBUANO BIRD?
  • BIGFOOT IN MARYLAND
  • PIGS CAN PLAY VIDEO GAMES
  • DID NAZIS BUILD 'FLYING SAUCERS'?
  • SEA CREATURES FOUND BENEATH ANTARCTICA
  • WINGED HUMANOID IN ENGLAND
  • KURREA - LEGENDARY SNAKE
  • BRITISH BIG CATS
  • MOTHMAN ENCOUNTER
  • THE OHIO GRASSMAN
  • ENCOUNTERS WITH MEN-IN-BLACK?
  • BIGFOOT AT ROADSIDE
  • TINY MAN SEEN
  • POGEYAN - MYSTERY INDIAN BIG CAT
  • TOYGER - A CAT THAT LOOKS LIKE A SMALL TIGER
  • TREE PEOPLE
  • MARINES REPORT BIGFOOT
  • 1924 BIGFOOT ABDUCTION
  • MANDE-BURUNG
  • AJAJU - TERROR BEAST OF INDIA
  • UNEXPLAINED BEINGS IN CHICAGO
  • PHANTOM KANGAROOS OF JAPAN
  • GIANT SNAKES AND SEA MONSTERS
  • MISSING TOURISTS VISITING DIATLOV PASS
  • DOES CADDY REALLY EXIST?
  • GWYLLGI - BLACK HOUND OF WALES
  • MICHIGAN DOGMAN
  • POT-POURRI OF THE UNUSUAL
  • LOST TIME INCIDENT DURING FLIGHT
  • OCTOPUS-LIKE CREATURES IN STATE STREAM
  • HOULT RIVER MONSTER
  • CHUPACABRA? GIANT MOUSE? OR WHAT?
  • LAKE AND SEA CRYPTIDS
  • BIGFOOT IN MICHIGAN
  • SEA-SERPENT, MERMAID OR GHOST?
  • BIGFOOT IN CALIFORNIA
  • ALIEN ABDUCTION OF NEW YORKER
  • APE-MAN: SCIENCE AND FICTION
  • OREL BEAST
  • DOLPHINS RETURN TO POTOMAC RIVER
  • PORTAL TO ANOTHER DIMENSION?
  • UNIDENTIFIED FLYING HUMANOIDS
  • IS BIGFOOT A FOREST SPIRIT?
  • WHAT MANNER OF CREATURE IS QUICKFOOT?
  • SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES IN ADVERTISING
  • HYENA-LIKE CANID
  • PYGMY BROWN BEAR
  • HARRUM-MO
  • BIZARRE CREATURES
  • BIGFOOT IN THE BAYOU
  • PERCY FAWCETT ON MAN APES
  • DRAGON OF THE ISHTAR GATE
  • BLACK HOLES....DO THEY EXIST?
  • TRASGU: HOUSEHOLD SPIRIT
  • MAINE UFO SIGHTINGS
  • SEARCHING FOR SASQUATCH
  • BLACK SHADOW OVER UKRAINE
  • THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN RANTS

     The Gonzo Daily: Wednesday

    Ever since Corinna died in August I have, for reasons I don’t really understand, been working from the sitting room, and have had my monitor precariously balanced on a copy of the Gazetteer of the 20th Century, my keyboard on my knee, and my mouse on the arm of my chair. Last week, Louis told me that I was a complete idiot and could not possibly work under those conditions, and he bullied me into buying a computer desk. I was unconvinced, but went along with it and the desk arrived yesterday. And bloody hell it’s magnificent, and it is making my life much easier. Next, Louis tells me, I need a super duper monitor to replace the crappy one because I am going to have to up my game as far as editing On the Track is concerned, and I need a monitor that has the capability to show these new settings to the best advantage.
    ”But Louis, Louis”, I complain, “ I never wanted it to be like this now baby“. I suspect the only people who will get this joke will own a copy of Metallic KO. In the meantime he continues to drag me kicking and screaming into the 21st-century.
    I would like to say thank you to everybody who has bought my new book. For those who are unaware, ‘Wild Colonial Boy’ is the story of my early life in Hong Kong, and how I first became interested in Natural History, and more specifically cryptozoology, and there are several very little known cryptozoological mysteries discussed therein. It is very much like a darker analog of Gerald Durrell’s memoirs of his childhood in Greece, and I would’ve called it “My Family and other Sociopaths” if it wasn’t for the fact that I didn’t want to be sued either by Durrell’s estate, or my family. I sincerely hope that none of them are reading this blog post.
    You can find out more and buy it signed from the link below:
    C’mon, make an elderly hippy and his little dog a happy chappy and a waggy yappy (seldom snappy, occasionally crappy)…
    AND OTHER STUFF FEATURING VARIOUS GONZO CONTRIBUTORS:
    Our webTV show:
    And if you fancy supporting it on Patreon:
    And by the way chaps and chappesses, a trip to the Jon Downes megastore may seem to be in order:
    Meanwhile I continue to pretend that I am a popstar, because now I have sold eleven whole copies of my new album Coldharbour. If I continue at this rate I will get a silver disc sometime at the beginning of the next millenium. Coldharbour, by the way, can be found here: https://jondownes1.bandcamp.com/releases
    I think it is really rather good, but then again I would say that wouldn't I?
    AND THE LATEST ISSUE OF THE GONZO MAGAZINE:
    Gonzo Weekly #429/30
    THE MARINE ISSUE
    This magazine continues to go off on strange tangents that I never expect, but I am very happy to see it do so. What is in this week? Ooooh lots of things. Such as Ocean Aid, Bob Dylan, Covid Communications, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Uncle Mic Nitro and more....
    And there are radio shows from Mack Maloney and Friday Night Progressive, AND Merrell Fankhauser, and the Real Music Club, AND Strange Fruit, and Mr Biffo, there is a column from Kev Rowland, but C.J Stone, Mr Biffo, Tony Klinger and Neil Nixon, are on hiatus. There is also a collection of more news, reviews, views, interviews and dibblers who have got the blues (OK, nothing to do with tiny marsupials who are listening to the new Bob Dylan album, but I got carried away with things that rhymed with OOOOS) than you can shake a stick at. And the best part is IT's ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!
    ..And the last few issues are:
    All issues from #70 can be downloaded at www.gonzoweekly.com if you prefer. If you have problems downloading, just email me and I will add you to the Gonzo Weekly dropbox. The first 69 issues are archived there as well. Information is power chaps, we have to share it!
    You can download the magazine in pdf form HERE:
    SPECIAL NOTICE: If you, too, want to unleash the power of your inner rock journalist, and want to join a rapidly growing band of likewise minded weirdos please email me at jon@eclipse.co.uk The more the merrier really.
    * 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...
    * The Gonzo Daily is - as the name implies - a daily online magazine (mostly) about artists connected to the Gonzo Multimedia group of companies. But it also has other stuff as and when the editor feels like it. The same team also do a weekly newsletter called - imaginatively - The Gonzo Weekly. Find out about it at this link: www.gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk
    * We should probably mention here, that some of our posts are links to things we have found on the internet that we think are of interest. We are not responsible for spelling or factual errors in other people's websites. Honest guv!
    * Jon Downes, the Editor of all these ventures (and several others) is a recently widowed old hippy of 61 who - together with a Jack Russell called Archie, an infantile orange cat named after a song by Frank Zappa, three other cats, one totally coincidentally named after one of the Manson Family, purely because she squeaks, puts it all together from a converted potato shed in a tumbledown cottage deep in rural Devon which he shares with various fish. He is ably assisted by a motley collection of social malcontents. Plus.. did we mention Archie and the Cats?

    NEWS FROM NOWHERE: Wednesday

     ON THIS DAY IN - 1876 - Julius Wolff was credited with being the first to can sardines.

    And now some more recent news from the CFZ Newsdesk


  • BBC: Runaway emu rescued from busy A32 in Hampshire
  • BBC: 'Mammoth' fossil found on Isle of Wight beach

  • AND TO WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK... (Music that may have some relevance to items also on this page, or may just reflect my mood on the day)