CRYPTOZOOLOGY ONLINE: Still on the Track

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...

Saturday, February 25, 2012

DALE DRINNON: Bunyips and Mound Builders

New on the Frontiers of Zoology, More on Bunyips, Australian Sea Serpents and Plesiosaur-shaped Beasts:
http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2012/02/wierd-australia-bunyips-sea-serpents.html:

And New on the Frontiers of Anthropology, another look at the "Lost Race" of Mound-Builders:
http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2012/02/american-cromagnons-archaics-and.html

BIG CAT NEWS: Slow day

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 in some way by us, so we should have a go at publishing a regular round-up of the stories as they come in.

It takes a long time to do, and is a fairly tedious task, so I am not promising that they will be done each day, but I will do them as regularly as I can. JD

University launches survey into sightings of 'big cats'
Evesham Journal
RECENT excitement over “big cat” sightings has prompted a university to carry out a survey. Since the mutilated carcasses of roe deer and three wallabies were found on farmland near Stroud, Gloucestershire, speculation that big cats have made a home in ...

There are actually only two stories today. The one above reprises the tale of the survey being carried out by the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) based at the University of Gloucestershire. The second story cannot really be accused of being up to date because it is covering a story that happened in 1750. It's not about a big cat either, but I thought it was sweet, and I am the editor so I am ruddy well posting it.

The Pet Museum: "monumental" mystery cat?

By curator

Shugborough Hall in Staffordshire, Britain, was until recently the estate of the Anson family, the Earls of Lichfield. It's now held by the National Trust. But back in the day around 1750, one of the Ansons had a cat he liked so much that he built a ...

BIGFOOT PRINTS IN OREGON

South of Eugene, over 120 footprint tracks were found in a clay-mixed substrate that was a perfect material to capture and record footprints. We believe the tracks were made as recently as Saturday February 11th, although the first few prints were not discovered until Sunday the 12th.

http://bigfootlives.blogspot.com/2012/02/oregon-footprints-discovered-and-cast.html

GOLLY, I WANT ONE OF THESE

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/120515/chupacabra-survive-the-night

WEIRD WEEKEND 2012 NEWS

So the Weird Weekend machine is trundling into action. Matthew and Emma Osborne came over on Saturday afternoon and bullied me into sorting out the Weird Weekend website, http://www.weirdweekend.org/ which I have to admit I had neglected for a couple of years.

Tickets are now on sale (see advert at the top of the page), and we are well chuffed to announce a new addition to the line-up: our old mate Neil Arnold who will be talking about the mystery animals of Kent and London.

We will also be seeing the world premiere of a film about The Hexham Heads - more details as we get them.

Many thanks to Matthew and Emma for their sterling work in getting sponsors for this year's event. However, there is always room for more. Please check out the sponsorship page HERE.

SPONSORS OF THE 2012 WEIRD WEEKEND

These companies and organisations are donating (or have promised to donate) money, goods or services to the Weird Weekend 2012. Everyone has been remarkably generous. Thank you, guys.