The New World yeti, unlike its snowy counterpart from the Himalayan peaks, usually lives in the dense forests of the United States. Many a woodsman or hunter claims to have seen one.
Reports and photos of such an encounter with the mythical creature are often too beautiful to put into words, or too incredible to be true. Half hidden behind a tree, or hunched over in a riverbed, almost any animal could pass for a Bigfoot.
Convinced of existence
Although any right-thinking person would scratch their head, the tribes are convinced of their existence. In reality. The number of incidents involving this famous forest dweller is so great that one can expect to see it almost everywhere.
The reason why Joshua Stephen, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, mapped the distribution of Bigfoots. Anyone looking at his map of more than 3,300 places could come to no other conclusion: Bigfoot is everywhere. From the forests of the northern United States to the swamps of Florida.
Seen incredibly often
Stephen's map, in which he used reports from 1921 to 2012, shows a clear line. “There are areas where Bigfoot sightings are incredibly common, despite the small population.” This is in contrast to more densely populated areas. There, according to Stevens, Bigfoot rarely shows its nose.
Historically, there has been an increase in reported encounters throughout the 1970s. The fact that quite a few B-movies about Bigfoot were produced during that period may be a possible reason. The peak that occurred between 2000 and 2009 is difficult to explain.
'Unconvinced'
However, Stephen's scientific approach did not turn him into a believer. on the contrary. “I'm not ultimately convinced that there is a giant ape playing hide-and-seek in the northwestern United States,” he says.
However, Stevens realizes that his colleagues are not simply dismissing the Bigfoot myth. “Even primatologist like Jane Goodall thinks there's more to the legend. Reason enough to map this out.” A few academics agree, showing clear scientific interest in the creature.
Outright fraud
The fact that most documented encounters have to be dismissed as fake doesn't bother them. For example, pieces of Bigfoot fur had to be attributed to bears, deer, and cows. There was no monkey hair. The pictures, films and audio recordings were not convincing enough or were outright hoaxes.
Despite numerous encounters indicating the existence of hundreds, if not thousands, of Bigfoots, no one has found the remains of any of them. However, ardent Bigfoot seekers will not give up their quest. Thanks to Stephen's map, they now know where to look.
