Large Reptilian 'Dinosaur-Like’ Creature Reported on Umbungi Island in Papua New Guinea

(Click image for larger version)

Since the 1990s, a large ‘reptilian’ creature has been sighted occasionally on Umbungi Island in West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Umbungi Island is located on the south coast of West New Britain between Kandrian and Gasmata. The creature has also been sighted on Alage Island, about 1km to the south of Ambungi Island.

I interviewed a young man on Umbungi Island, Robert, who sighted the creature around 2005/2006. The creature was also sighted at the same time by Tony Avil, who was not on Umbungi Island when I was there. Robert does not speak English, so an interpreter was used to translate Pidgin to English.

The creature was described as having a long tail and a long neck and was 10–15 metres in length, with an appearance like a ‘very large wallaby’ and having a head like a turtle’s head.

It walked slowly on two legs and had smooth, shiny brown skin. The top of the head was estimated to be as high as a house and the underbelly of the creature was as high as an adult.

The creature was described as being fearful-looking, with the sighting being made from a distance of about 50 metres. The sighting was made in the late afternoon and was observed for a considerable length of time (not sure of the exact duration of time) and the creature was eating vegetation. Robert and Tony followed the creature from a distance and watched it go into the water after it finished eating.

When shown the handbook by Hazel Richardson, Dinosaurs And Prehistoric Life, Robert identified a picture of a Therizinosaurus as closely matching the animal he observed, with the exception of one feature, i.e. the creature’s head.



Artist’s reconstruction of a Therizinosaurus on p. 114 of the dinosaur handbook shown to the people of West New Britain who witnessed a large ‘reptilian’ creature in recent years. (click image for larger version)


The animal that Robert saw had a head looking more like a turtle’s head as opposed to the horse-like head shown in the theropod dinosaur reconstruction on page 114 in the book. Should one wonder at this? Actually, paleontologists are reported as acknowledging that the fossil remains of Therizinosaurus are incomplete. So incomplete in fact that:

‘The feeding habits of Therizinosaurus are unknown, since no skull material has ever been found that could indicate its diet.’ So it doesn’t surprise me that the artist’s reconstruction of the head of a Therizonosaurus doesn’t fit with the ‘like a turtle’s head’ observation of Robert and Tony. (For a creature that appears to spend much time in the water, I would think that a turtle-like head makes good design sense, too!)

Nine people have seen the ‘reptile’ since the early 1990s, with sightings occurring every 4–5 years, usually around Christmas time. Perhaps the creature is primarily nocturnal, which might account for the small number of sightings. Two women from Umbungi Island observed the creature from a boat on the south (unpopulated) side of the island as it was standing on some rocks at the bottom of a cliff.

The animal has also been sighted swimming between Umbungi Island and Alage Island with its head above the water. I drew the outline of a three-toed foot of a dinosaur in the sand and Robert said that this was similar to the foot of the creature, with the feet being similar to that of a duck. About 90 people live on Umbungi Island, and 2-3 families live on Alage Island. The reptilian creature must be a good climber because Robert showed me the steep rock entrance from the sea to the land on the south side of Umbungi Island that the creature used when he sighted it.

I did not have the opportunity to travel to Alage Island to interview the local people there about the ‘reptilian’ creature, however I met a guy named Michael Atung from a logging company on the New Britain mainland near Abungi Island who was from Alage Island. Michael had heard that it had been sighted on Alage Island, but had not sighted the animal himself.

Sauropod sighting near Gasmata
Simon Patolkit (lay preacher for the Catholic Church on Awirin Island) and his wife Margaret described their sighting of the reptilian creature to me through an interpreter who translated from Pidgin to English.

The creature had a long neck and a long tail and had a total length of about 20 metres and a width of about 2 metres. The head was described as being ‘like a dinosaur’ with an ‘oval-like face’.

The top of the legs of the animal were visible above the water, with the water being used to support the weight of the animal’s body. The skin of the animal was described as being ‘like a crocodile’ and was khaki green in colour. Dermal frills (possibly indicating the animal is a male?) could be seen on the creature’s back, extending to the back of the head. Something was observed protruding from the back of the creature’s head. The creature’s neck was almost horizontal during the sighting. Details of the creature’s eye and mouth could not be determined, as the observers were about 30 to 40 metres from the animal.

The sighting occurred for less than 30 seconds, until the reptile sunk into the water. No sound could be heard from the creature by the observers. The creature has not been observed since this sighting in 2005.

The only known animal that fits the description of this animal is a sauropod dinosaur, such as an apatosaurus.

Concluding Remarks
This is not the first time that dinosaur-like creatures have reportedly been sighted in Papua New Guinea—see e.g., A living dinosaur? If ever a ‘living dinosaur’ is found and confirmed to the satisfaction of the scientific fraternity, many people would be astonished, given the prevailing evolutionary view that dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago. Christians, however, should not be surprised, as the Bible teaches that God created the dinosaurs only around 6,000 years ago. (See also The ‘Lazarus effect’ : Rodent ‘resurrection’! and ‘Coelacanth’ yes; ‘Ancient’ no.) So we needn’t be too taken aback if a theropod or sauropod dinosaur is ever confirmed to be living in the world today.

Brian Irwin, Creation on the Web

Large ‘Reptilian Dinosaur-Like’ Creature Reported on Umbungi Island in West New Britain, Papua New Guinea
Large ‘Reptilian Dinosaur-Like’ Creature Reported on Umbungi Island in West New Britain, Papua New Guinea

UFO Video: Multiple Witnesses - Dundee, Wisconsin - August 6, 2008

Several UFO's sighted over Dundee, Wisconsin with multiple witnesses.

UFO Video: Multiple Witnesses - Dundee, Wisconsin
UFO Video: Multiple Witnesses - Dundee, Wisconsin

Ghostly Apparition Photographed at National Waterways Museum at Gloucester Docks

Staff at the National Waterways Museum at Gloucester Docks believe recent refurbishment work has disturbed a ghost.

Their proof? See left. In the bottom right hand corner of the photo, you can just make out a ghostly arm draped across the display.

A closer examination reveals more shaded areas, and what could be a whole body.

The photo was taken by a 13-year-old museum visitor Abigail Williams, whose family only realised what she'd captured when they got home and downloaded the photo.

Her father, Mark, said: "We just kept staring at it and couldn't believe it."

Chris Hayes, general manager of the museum, said: "We were amazed when we saw the photograph. In the past visitors have told us about seeing a man dressed in black and museum staff have heard footsteps when the museum has been empty. Our curator has also heard a voice, even though she was the only person in the building at the time, but this is the first piece of evidence of an actual ghost."

The museum has called upon the expertise of Lyn Cinderey, a member of The Myers Paranormal Society, who runs ghost walks around the docks and the city.

She said: "I am really intrigued by the photograph. When I visited the museum I discounted a number of possible explanations such as patterns in the wood and while I didn't manage to capture the arm in my photographs, I did record lots of orbs around the barrels."

The museum is housed in an original dockside building, Llanthony Warehouse. The warehouse was built in 1873 and was originally used by Wait James & Company, corn and building merchants.

Ghostly Apparition Photographed at National Waterways Museum at Gloucester Docks
Ghostly Apparition Photographed at National Waterways Museum at Gloucester Docks

Haunted Waverly Hills Sanatorium May Become Hotel

The rooms may be standard, and the location is a bit out-of-the-way, but Charlie Mattingly thinks his planned hotel in southwest Jefferson County will have a unique draw

It's a creepy, old, five-story building with a morgue, a "body chute" and guest rooms where people once lay dying of tuberculosis.

Mattingly and his architect, Kevin Milburn of Urban Designz, are dead serious about turning the old Waverly Hills Sanatorium into a 78-room boutique hotel with a spa, fitness center and meeting space for business groups.

The former hospital off Dixie Highway already is a mecca for ghost hunters, who come by the thousands each year to search for paranormal activity. A film crew from the Travel Channel was there last month, and talk-show host Maury Povich sent a crew this week.

Its haunted history was the focus of a six-hour special on the Sci Fi Channel last fall, and the property regularly turns up on lists of the nation's most haunted places. Web sites dedicated to the property feature photos of people who mysteriously appear in windows, and audio files of unexplained noises.

Mattingly, who bought the 30-acre property for $225,000 in 2001 with his wife, Tina, said preserving the site's haunted character will be a key part of what he estimates will be an $18 million renovation. Project details were to be announced to local officials and the media at 4:30 p.m. today.

"My intent is for this to be first class all the way," Mattingly said of the hotel, which he said could open in early 2010 -- assuming financing is arranged.

Mattingly, who grew up in Shively and until recently worked at Ford Motor Co., said that banks "more or less laughed at me" when he first began applying for loans to renovate the property.

But after seven years of upgrades, historical research and architectural studies, he said conversations about financing now are under way with Porter Bancorp, StockYards Bank & Trust, Republic Bancorp and JP Morgan Chase, and he's confident he'll be able to start construction late this year.

Milburn said the project should qualify for federal tax credits because of its historical significance. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places, though it remains heavily damaged by years of vandalism and decay. Already, Mattingly has had dozens of windows replaced, rooftops and mortar repaired and ceilings insulated. And Milburn said they soon will select contractors to oversee further construction.

Chris Poynter, a spokesman for Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson, called the project "exciting for south Louisville and for the entire city."

Mattingly, 49, said he wasn't a believer in Waverly Hills' haunted reputation until he bought the place and began recording video inside. He said his films show streaks of light and glowing orbs at times when footage of the surrounding neighborhood was perfectly normal.

For the last year, the Mattinglys have lived on the property, where Tina Mattingly runs the nonprofit Waverly Hills Historical Society. The couple has relatives on both sides of the family who were treated for tuberculosis at the sanatorium.

The main hospital building, with 160,000 square feet, was built in 1926. It sits on a ridge just a few hundred yards from the bustling auto dealers, apartments and restaurants of Dixie Highway, but is shrouded in trees and dense undergrowth.

Signs posted at the entrances warn trespassers, and cameras mounted on the hospital's exterior are there to catch would-be vandals.

The hotel plans call for a solar-powered electric system, floors made of sustainable materials such as cork or recycled rubber, and a geothermal heating and cooling system.

A parking structure would be built in front of the hospital, with a rooftop garden visible from the long concrete sun porches where patients once spent their days lying in bed. The infamous body chute is an underground steam tunnel that hospital officials used to remove bodies on gurneys, out of sight of the surviving patients.

About 3,000 people tour Waverly Hills annually, with most of them paying a $20 donation. Ghost hunters also can pay $100 each to roam the hallways all night in search of spooky noises and paranormal activity.

Jim Wood, president of the Louisville Convention & Visitors Bureau, said ghost tours are a growing tourism draw, and he called Waverly Hills "an architectural wonder."

But since haunted hotels cater to a niche market, Wood said Waverly Hills may need to attract a wider audience to be a viable business.

That's the approach at The Lemp Mansion, a bed and breakfast in St. Louis in a home where three members of the Lemp family committed suicide between 1902 and 1949. About two-thirds of the mansion's guests today come for the haunted history, but spokeswoman Mary Wolff said the property also holds wedding receptions, private parties and other events.

Haunted Waverly Hills Sanatorium May Become Hotel
Haunted Waverly Hills Sanatorium May Become Hotel

David Wells of 'Most Haunted' at Haverhill Burial Grounds

If you plan to search for paranormal activity in the city's oldest burial ground, who you gonna call, Ghostbusters?

Probably not. A better choice would be David Wells, a psychic and astrologer from the British paranormal television show "Most Haunted."

Wells will be in Haverhill on Saturday to look for ghostly goings on at the old Pentucket Burial Ground on Water Street, talk about his experiences on the show and chat about ghost-hunting techniques. He will be assisted by Welsh medium Gavin Cromwell, as well as Ron Kolek and trance medium Maureen Wood, who are both members of the New England Ghost Project — a paranormal group that investigates haunted locations throughout the region.

Those who register for the ghost hunt seminar, which takes place at 6 p.m. at Buttonwoods Museum, will experience what it is like to be part of the kind of investigation on "Most Haunted."

Local historian and amateur ghost hunter Thomas Spitalere said the group chose to hold this seminar at the museum because of the paranormal energy in that part of town, especially inside the old burial ground.

"It's great for the community and the nation to have people like David Wells and Gavin Cromwell come here and use their skills to help us understand what's going on in Haverhill and across the region," Spitalere said. "I'm looking forward to see what kind of paranormal energy they detect at the burial ground."

After the seminar, participants will gather at the Pentucket Burial Ground to conduct research into any paranormal activity that may be present there. Wells will use the same methods that he uses to amaze his television audience.

The burial ground was established in 1660 by Haverhill's earliest settlers. Notable names in Haverhill's history who are buried there include the Rev. John Ward, who died in 1693, Nathaniel Saltonstall, who died in 1707, and Abigail White, who died in 1730.

Cromwell and members of the New England Ghost Project will add their own special talents to the mix as the team tracks down evidence of the spirits using the latest scientific equipment.

"While at the burial ground, we'll get impressions from Wells, Cromwell and Maureen Wood, who are psychics and ghost hunters," Kolek said. "They will be using electromagnetic field meters, which are used to detect paranormal activity, and temperature sensors. Usually when paranormal activity occurs, there is a drop in temperature."

Kolek's group and Wells have been visiting haunted sites throughout New England in search of paranormal activity.

"We visited America's Stonehenge in Salem, N.H., where we detected a lot of Native American spirits," Kolek said. "We visited the Windham Restaurant where we detected a boy's spirit and a man's spirit, and we visited the Tenney Gate House in Methuen (the home of the Methuen Historical Society), where we made spiritual and psychic contact with Charles Tenney, Fannie Tenney and a brother named Nicholas."

Haverhill is a good location for hunting ghosts, Kolek said, especially the Pentucket Burial Ground. He hopes his group will detect paranormal activity there during their ghost hunt Saturday.

David Wells of 'Most Haunted' at Haverhill Burial Grounds
David Wells of 'Most Haunted' at Haverhill Burial Grounds

British Woman Claims Orgasmic Extraterrestrials Increased Her Sexual Energy

A former policewoman says she has been contacted by an alien race who give her orgasms at any moment.

Stephany Cohen, 42, of Lancaster Close, Bromley, says an alien race from a distant planet have chosen her and her plumber partner Michael Williams, 57, to help the human race increase their knowledge.

She says “Grays” from the planet Cirus D have been helping out humans from the Egyptians to the Aztecs for thousands of years but now we are ready to take the final step of spiritual and intellectual fulfilment.

The spiritual healer says Grays, who communicate through telepathy, can take on the form of humans as does “Linda” a spokesman for the Cirian Senate Committee.

Miss Cohen has been speaking to Linda through the mind of Mr Williams, who is also a medium.

She said: “I don’t know why they have picked me. But they are not to be feared. They are very loving, intelligent and will only present themselves to those who accept them.

“Sometimes you get raptures like strong orgasms and you don’t know where it comes from. It is energies being passed down to their children on Earth. They are a good race who only like to help others.” “Linda” told Miss Cohen she was the child of “Grays” who came to earth thousands of years ago.

Speaking through Mr Williams, Linda said other Earthling children of Grays have included William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Nelson Mandela and Jesus Christ.

On Cirus D, according to Miss Cohen, “Grays” reproduce without intercourse but the sexual energy which is produced is 10 times that which is produced by humans on Earth.

Mrs Cohen and Mr Williams attend West Wickham Spiritual Church, in Surrey Road, West Wickham.

10 Gray facts according to Miss Cohen:

Grays come from the planet Cirus D which circles a bright blue star which can be seen first thing in the morning and late at night. According to Grays, the planet is 150 light years away. A Cirian senate committee consists of 50 male and 50 female Grays. You have to give Grays permission to let one use your body. Grays procreate by mixing male and female energy together. Pregnancy lasts three months and within six weeks of birth the young Gray is running around like an adult. Grays do not eat but drink a herb and spice drink which they grow on Cirus D and has the consistency of runny yoghurt. They have a stomach but no other organs and can take on human forms when they are on earth. Grays have been coming to Earth for thousands of years and some so called humans are the sons and daughters of these aliens. Grays are the only race on Cirus D.

British Woman Claims Orgasmic Extraterrestrials Increased Her Sexual Energy
British Woman Claims Orgasmic Extraterrestrials Increased Her Sexual Energy

Ghostly Voices at East Bridgewater Town Hall

An investigator of paranormal activity plans to do a “spirited” investigation of Town Hall.

Resident Colleen Beltramini, the director of the New England Society of Paranormal Investigators in Hyannis, is seeking permission from selectmen to access Town Hall at some point this month to conduct electronic voice phenomena work.

Beltramini said that recording EVP is done by the use of a small voice recorder that can “hear noises not heard by the human ear.”

According to Beltramini the sounds captured could range from music to voices.

This isn’t the first time a paranormal study has been performed on the 154-year-old building that served as a residence to the Hobart Family, all of whom are deceased.

Anne Kerrigan, production assistant at the town’s cable studio, and resident Michael Markowicz study paranormal activity. They claim their studies of Town Hall have yielded some interesting results, saying they have documented voice clips of men, women and children.

Kerrigan is the producer of the local show, “East Bridgewater’s Most Haunted,” which has featured the Town Hall.

Some town employees have reported strange activities inside the historical structure.

Karen Grabau, administrative assistant to the selectmen, said she was in the office alone one night making copies and she felt sure that someone was behind her, yet no one else was there.

Other people have reported strange activity coming from the elevator that runs between the first and second floors of the building.

The elevator is an access way to the police station that is located in the basement of Town Hall. Access is only possible through the use of a key that has been given to certain personnel.

However, the elevator has been heard at odd hours going to the basement level seemingly on its own.

When Kerrigan and Markowicz conducted their study of the building and elevator, they said the recording played back the statements, “Yes, I push buttons.”

They said they also captured a voice that said, “no more questions.”

Markowicz said they couldn’t tell whether the voice was male or female.

Ghostly Voices at East Bridgewater Town Hall
Ghostly Voices at East Bridgewater Town Hall

Investigators Request Permission to Probe Paranormal Activity at Fort Sewell

If there's something strange in the Fort Sewall neighborhood — who you gonna call?

No, not Ghostbusters. It's CPI, Crypto Paranormal Investigations, and its director of operations, Nicholas Smith. He's only 18, but he ain't afraid of no ghost.

On behalf of his organization, Smith is petitioning the selectmen for permission to investigate paranormal phenomena — that's ghosts to the rest of us — at the town's historic Fort Sewall. A resident of Queens, N.Y., Smith has been an annual visitor to Marblehead.

"My family has a summer house," he said.

He's already done a preliminary investigation of the fort, leading to some chilling findings.

Modern paranormal investigators use high-tech gear, Smith said, including infrared night vision cameras, monitors, audio recorders, motion sensors, thermometers and electromagnetic field detectors.

It's in the nature of things that go bump in the night that, at times, the bumps can only be heard later, on tape — or they can only be seen later, recorded on sophisticated cameras. For example, Smith's investigation of Fort Sewall has already revealed EVPs, or electronic voice phenomena. That's sound that eludes the ear, but can be picked up by an electromagnetic recorder.

At the fort, Smith conducted a test of his sound equipment, calling out, "Point one, point two, point three, point four." Listening later, he heard a voice asking in reply, "What's point four?" Evidently, ghosts can be as befuddled by modern technology as the living.

"Normally we're the ones asking the questions," Smith said.

On another occasion, Smith said, he heard on the tape, loudly and clearly, aman calling out, “Help.”

Later, he used a technique that included asking questions of any ghosts within hearing distance. “Are you British?” he asked. “Are you from overseas?”

In response, the tape reveals the sound of broken glass popping beneath Smith’s feet and then a poignant voice crying, “Help me.”

“That’s what persuaded me to write to the selectmen,” Smith said.

Pam Peterson of the Marblehead Museum and Historical Society is well aware of Smith’s activities, and while she isn’t a believer in ghosts, she’s impressed with his methods and serious sense of purpose. At some point, Smith will be asked to give a talk at the museum, she said. Moreover, she thinks there’s reason to believe that some at the fort would be calling out, “Help me.”

“Prisoners were held at Fort Sewall during the War of 1812,” she said. “In the cells.”

Conditions for prisoners of war in those days were notoriously unsanitary and harsh.
The fort looked different then, too — its current stone dimensions reveal only the foundations of a defensive structure in existence since the 1600s. In its prime, the fort included wooden walls on top.

Up to six people are part of Crypto Paranormal Investigations, Smith said. Ordinarily, they are called by clients to prove or disprove claims of ghostly activities.

“Ninety-eight percent of paranormal phenomena can be explained scientifically,” Smith said. “We do not use mediums.” Even so, he’s prepared for the fact that some will ridicule his efforts to seek out life after death.

People joke a lot about the “Ghostbusters” movie, he said. They ask if he has a vacuum cleaner to suck up all the ghosts. “I do have a vacuum cleaner,” he joked. “I use it to clean.
Smith’s father, a composer and New York City school teacher, helped him purchase his gear and initially joined in the hunt for the paranormal. CPI came into existence when Smith was only 14.

He is currently preparing to enroll at Green Mountain College in Vermont where he will study psychology and bioengineering.
He’s asking the selectmen for 12 to 24 hours at Fort Sewall with access at night — some of the cameras only work in total darkness. Further, he needs electricity to power them.

The prospect that ghosts might be dangerous leaves Smith unconcerned. He concedes that the paranormal is often found in the aftermath of “violent and traumatic events.” Some have warned of “demonic-style hauntings.”

Nonetheless, he said, “I’ve never heard of people being hurt or killed by ghosts. ... When things happen on a case — sometimes an object will move — it can be startling. But it doesn’t scare me. I’d be kind of ecstatic if I saw a full-blown apparition.”

Investigators Request Permission to Probe Paranormal Activity at Fort Sewell
Investigators Request Permission to Probe Paranormal Activity at Fort Sewell

Weird: Man Kills 400+ Cows in Brazil, Many Raped

Brazilian police arrested a man under suspicion of having raped some 400 cows, which he later killed after coitus.

The suspect, identified as Getulino Ferreira Paraizo, 53, was arrested after a cattleman from Aragoinania, in the heart of Brazil, caught him in the act of allegedly slaying three cows and a calf on his property.

In a statement to the police, Paraizo acknowledged that he was responsible for these crimes and explained that he was sexually abused at 13, which led him to have intimate relations with mares and horses, and later with bovines.

Police chief Alvaro Cassio dos Santos said that the suspect manifested having tried consorting with a prostitute during his adolesence, but found it "very frustrating".

The law enforcement officer, who has investigated the mysterious bovine deaths for a year, claims that they began to suspect that the sacrifices formed part of black magic rituals, which led them to refer to the perpetrator as the Chupa-Vacas.

A total of nearly 400 cows supposedly murdered by Paraizo have been discovered over a period of four years, and always in farms near Goiania, capital of the rural state of Goias, some 200 kilometers from Brasilia.

Weird: Man Kills 400+ Cows in Brazil, Many Raped
Weird: Man Kills 400+ Cows in Brazil, Many Raped

Large Bird Attacks Reported in Nova Scotia

Myles Rafuse carries a big stick on his daily walks after a "damn big bird" came at him during a recent stroll after church.

"I had quite an experience with it, I tell you," said the Crousetown resident who turns 80 in a couple of weeks.

In fact, he wasn’t the only one to have a close encounter with the jet black bird.

"It was enormous really," said Goldie Stewart, who said the bird barely missed her scalp as it swooped down at her while she was hanging out laundry.

"Maybe it was after my white hair," chuckled the 73-year-old.

Mr. Rafuse was the first to have a close encounter with the gargantuan bird about a month ago. He was walking on a dirt road near his home southwest of Bridgewater after church on a Sunday.

"I was going along and it got kind of warm so I took my jacket off and carried it over my arm."

Then he heard something in the woods along the side of the road. "This huge bird come at me on the road and made a rush at me."

He said it was black as coal and stood "at least two feet high and it was wide. . . . The only thing that saved me from not getting tangled up was I kept hitting it with my jacket." He said he ran backwards because he was afraid to turn his back on the bird.

He said the bird never flew, it just ran at him from the side of the road making a "howling like" noise with its wings partially out from its body. Then it suddenly turned and ran back into the woods.

"The damn thing could move quite swiftly," but Mr. Rafuse said in that moment he moved pretty quickly, too. "It was kind of scary for a while."

He hasn’t been up that road since and now carries a 1.5-metre-long stick with him on his daily walks.

About a week after that happened, Mrs. Stewart said she was in her driveway hanging out laundry when a massive black bird swooped down so close she felt the rush of the air from its wings on top of her head.

"If he would have put his claws down he would have struck the top of my head. I just stopped, it scared me so."

It made a crying-like sound, she said. "It was weird."

Initial reports were that it could have been a raven, a cormorant or a northern goshawk. Randy Milton is acting director of wildlife for the provincial Department of Natural Resources. He said it sounds too big to be a raven, cormorants do not go to inland wooded areas and a goshawk is grey.

Given its size and the fact the bird ran at him, Mr. Milton said it could be a turkey. "People have released turkeys in the province, not legally."

They are not true wild turkeys, but a variant of a domestic turkey. "That is the only thing I could possibly think of that size," Mr. Milton said.

A goshawk has more stealth and would attack from the rear, and neither a raven nor a cormorant would come running at someone from the ground.

"Turkeys can run quite fast," and Mr. Milton said they can fly and do roost in trees.

For his part, Mr. Rafuse said the behemoth black bird hasn’t been spotted since Mrs. Stewart stood in her driveway and watched it fly off over a brook. But he hasn’t been back to that road since. "I don’t really want to unless I know it’s gone."

Crousetown is a small rural community about 15 kilometres south of Bridgewater.

Large Bird Attacks Reported in Nova Scotia
Large Bird Attacks Reported in Nova Scotia

The Lake Tahoe 'Elf' Photo: Possible Juvenile Bigfoot or Alien?

A Florida man vacationing at Lake Tahoe claims he caught a tiny, elf-like figure dubbed the "leprechaun-alien" on film as the creature was fleeing a forest.

The figure — who looks no taller than three feet — can be seen running from the trees just as 41-year-old Lloyd Deneau whipped out his camera to take a picture of the forest.

Deneau swears the image has not been doctored.

"When I took the picture I'm sure there was no one there," he said. "It was only when I downloaded it on my camera that I saw it. I showed it to my friends and family but no one can explain it. My kids coined it the 'leprechaun-alien.'"

He added: "I have a military background and don't really believe in aliens, but I can't explain this."

As well as an elf, leprechaun and alien, the figure has even been described as a baby Bigfoot.

The Lake Tahoe 'Elf' Photo: Possible Juvenile Bigfoot or Alien?
The Lake Tahoe 'Elf' Photo: Possible Juvenile Bigfoot or Alien?

Bishop Attacked By ' Masked Little People' Still Unresolved

For more than a year, speculation, rumors and mystery have surrounded the former leader of the Gallup Catholic Diocese, in Albuquerque, N.M.

Last July, Bishop Donald Pelotte sustained multiple injuries in his home. He said he fell down a flight of stairs, but a mysterious 911 call from Pelotte is casting doubt on his claim -- so are his injuries.

A Gallup police officer called to the hospital took pictures of the battered and bruised bishop. The pictures have recently been publicly released, reported TV station KOAT.

Reporters with the station asked Dr. Thomas Bennett, an associate state medical examiner and forensic pathologist from Montana, if the bishop's injuries could have been caused by a fall down the stairs.

"Sure they are, in that he's got impact on the checks, on the bridge of his nose, over his shoulder, over the backs of his hands and knuckles, and even down around his knees and his chins," said Bennett.

He said the injuries are more consistent with someone who stumbled and fell several times, but said he cannot rule out the bishop being beaten by someone else.

His questions come from the bruises on the bishop's knuckles on both hands. Bennett said the bishop may have been using his hands to defend himself.

And adding more mystery to his injuries was a bizarre call to 911.

A dispatch log from September details Gallup police were called to the bishop's home after he told operators "gentle little people about 3 to 4 feet tall wearing Halloween masks" were in his home.

"Can you tell me what happened?" the dispatcher asked.

"They're just moving. They've been quiet. They've been going upstairs in the bedrooms and hiding behind the artifacts. But they don't talk," said Pelotte, adding that they were wearing masks.

"What kind of masks do they have?" asked the dispatcher.

"Ma'am, I don't have the time to tell you. You'll see it for yourself. Please send somebody over here," said Pelotte.

He then told the dispatcher that the little people were gentle, but that he was going to hide in his bedroom.

In April, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the bishop's resignation. The bishop has been living in Florida.

Bishop Attacked By ' Masked Little People' Case Still Unresolved
Bishop Attacked By ' Masked Little People' Case Still Unresolved

Heirs of the Knights Templar Suing the Vatican

The Association of the Sovereign Order of the Temple of Christ, whose members claim to be descended from the legendary crusaders, have filed a lawsuit against Benedict XVI calling for him to recognise the seizure of assets worth 100 billion euros (£79 billion).

They claim that when the order was dissolved by his predecessor Pope Clement V in 1307, more than 9,000 properties as well as countless pastures, mills and other commercial ventures belonging to the knights were appropriated by the church.

But their motive is not to reclaim damages only to restore the "good name" of the Knights Templar.

"We are not trying to cause the economic collapse of the Roman Catholic Church, but to illustrate to the court the magnitude of the plot against our Order," said a statement issued by the self-proclaimed modern day knights.

The Templars was a powerful secretive group of warrior monks founded by French knight Hugues de Payens after the First Crusade of 1099 to protect pilgrims en route to Jerusalem.

They amassed enormous wealth and helped to finance wars waged by European monarchs, but spectacularly fell from grace after the Muslims reconquered the Holy Land in 1244 and rumours surfaced of their heretic practices.

The Knights were accused of denying Jesus, worshipping icons of the devil in secret initiation ceremonies, and practising sodomy.

Many Templars confessed to their crimes under torture and some, including the Grand Master Jacques de Molay, were burned at the stake.

The legal move by the Spanish group comes follows the unprecedented step by the Vatican towards the rehabilitation of the group when last October it released copies of parchments recording the trials of the Knights between 1307 and 1312.

The papers lay hidden for more than three centuries having been "misfiled" within papal archives until they were discovered by an academic in 2001.

The Chinon parchment revealed that, contrary to historic belief, Clement V had declared the Templars were not heretics but disbanded the order anyway to maintain peace with their accuser, King Philip IV of France.

Over the centuries, various groups have claimed to be descended from the Templars and legend abounds over hidden treasures, secret rituals, and their rumoured guardianship of the Holy Grail.

Most recently the knights have fascinated the modern generation after being featured in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code.

Heirs of the Knights Templar Suing the Vatican
Heirs of the Knights Templar Suing the Vatican

Video: UFO Over East Yorkshire - August 2, 2008

Here is a short clip of the object from footage taken about two weeks ago, I also managed to film it again last night 2.8.08 at around 10.30 pm, and the accompanying frame captures are taken from that footage.

Please be aware that the 10 second clip is just a small part of the footage. These objects move to the right and left, disappear, then reappear.

I have been asked by Matt Arnold from G.M. TV, which is a national TV company here in the UK, if I would let a film crew come with me to the location. At this moment in time I am saying no to the offer for no other reason than I am gathering as much footage as possible without all the associated media attention.

They have been filmed on 3 separate cameras. This footage when shown, should cause a little interest.

The gentleman who informed me about them has been quietly filming them for months. On the films they travel to the left and stop, then they slowly move backwards and disappear. They are totally silent and well below cloud. I will update you on more news of these sightings very soon. The conditions last night 2.8.08 were very clear with a slight breeze. The object appeared stationary for a short time before moving backwards and disappearing. They were filmed at the same time by a permanently fixed camera that has markers set up so that in the night the gentleman filming can distinguish between land and sky.

He has observed them at close range and at distance and as the location is so remote, it's hard to find an explanation at this point. The fact that I have them on film traveling to the left then to the right rules out balloons of any kind. If they were flares they would also move with the following breeze, and I think would accompany some kind of aircraft activity.

The closest I can give to area at this point in time is the outskirts of East Yorkshire, UK. I realize this is very vague, but something is happening here that needs lots more observation. The footage is genuine and may be analyzed by anyone with sufficient interest to do so.

Video: UFO Over East Yorkshire - August 2, 2008
Video: UFO Over East Yorkshire - August 2, 2008

MUFON Report: Possible UFO Landing - Western Maryland

Statement by witness:

I live in a somewhat rural part of Western Maryland. We are on a 2 acre lot and there is another field beyond our property of at least 2 acres or more.

About 1:30am, just before I went to bed, I noticed 3 circular lights in the field beyond our property that I'd never seen before. Because it is so dark around our homes, it was hard to tell exactly where the light were situated. I went out on to our deck to get a better look, but I still could not determine the distance or the source of the lights. They seemed to be all the same size and equally spaced apart. I took several pictures with a digital camera and using my computer software, I tried to make the image more clear and/or more detailed, but I really couldn't see anything else. I thought perhaps you could shed some light on this incident or perhaps you have the type of equipment to analyze the photographs in more detail. By the way, I have not seen the lights since.

Because I was not sure that what I was seeing was anything out of the ordinary, I took the pictures and went to bed. They seemed to be stationary and were not moving or pulsating. In addition, there was absolutely no sound. (I noticed this when I went out on to the deck) It wasn't until I started showing them to friends and family that it occured to me that I may have actually caught something unusual.

The following night, I look out at the house across the field from us and could plainly see that when they left outside house light on, you could see part of the structure illuminated, so I know that isn't what I saw the night before. I hope you can give me some more information on what this might be.

You will notice that the first picture is lighter than the rest. I accidentally had the flash on for the this photo. (I have a few more photos if you would like to have them as well)

MUFON Report: Possible UFO Landing - Western Maryland
MUFON Report: Possible UFO Landing - Western Maryland

British Businessman Used Chainsaw to Commit Suicide

A wealthy businessman killed himself with a chainsaw while on holiday with his wife and children after being overwhelmed by a series of illnesses in the family.

Roger Kirman, who was a marketing executive for toiletries and food multinational Unilever, was found lying on the bathroom floor in their isolated converted barn in the Lake District.

The 45-year-old, a fitness fanatic who took part in triathlons, is thought to have been on an Easter break with his wife Penelope and their three young children when his body was discovered.

Mr Kirman left a note to his family apologising for what he had done, and an inquest ruled that he had committed suicide while suffering from intense stress.

The couple, who live in Wimbledon, south-west London, were staying at their farmhouse near Broughton-in-Furness, Cumbria, when his body was found on April 2.

Police who examined the scene said Mr Kirman had suffered massive neck injuries when he turned the chainsaw on himself in the bathroom of the house.

Sergeant Rupert Johnston, who attended the bloodbath, told the hearing: 'I found Mr Kirman lying on the floor. The injuries were horrendous.

'They were down the right-hand side of his neck. It was obvious no-one else was involved.'

A note apologising to his family was found, although the details were not read out.

Pathologist Dr Marek Witowski told the hearing in Barrow-in-Furness that Mr Kirman had bled to death because of the severity of his wounds.

Mr Kirman, who joined Unilever after attending the prestigious King's College School, Wimbledon, rose to become head of marketing excellence.

He helped with strategies for brands ranging from Persil and Dove soap to Marmite and Hellman's.

He also competed in the company's triathlon every year.

Coroner's officer Pc Liz Gaskell said she had made inquiries with Unilever UK about Mr Kirman.

She said: 'There had been quite a few illnesses in his family at the time, and the doctor at his workplace thought there may have been some delayed reaction to the stress of family illness and prescribed him with sleeping tablets.'

Recording a verdict of suicide, coroner Ian Smith said: 'There is nothing to suggest he was anything other than in control of his mental faculties.

'The fact is Mr Kirman took his own life and knew what he was doing.'

After the hearing John Holme, the uncle of Mr Kirman's wife, said: 'He was a wonderful man.

'None of the family can believe that this happened or understand why it happened.'

Last night at the couple's £1.8million four-storey house, Mrs Kirman declined to comment on the reasons for her late husband's suicide.

No-one at Unilever was available to comment on Mr Kirman's death.

British Businessman Used Chainsaw to Commit Suicide
British Businessman Used Chainsaw to Commit Suicide

UFO Video: Strange Lights Over Muskoka Wharf - Gravenhurst, Ontario

Video of strange lights over Muskoka Wharf in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada

UFO Video: Strange Lights Over Muskoka Wharf - Gravenhurst, Ontario
UFO Video: Strange Lights Over Muskoka Wharf - Gravenhurst, Ontario

Sen. John McCain Requested USAF Investigate Phoenix Lights

(Click images for larger versions)


In 1997, Sen. John McCain of Arizona made a formal request to the USAF to officially investigate the 'Phoenix Lights' incident. A report has not been publically disclosed.

Sen. John McCain Requested USAF Investigate Phoenix Lights
Sen. John McCain Requested USAF Investigate Phoenix Lights

Video: More on Needles UFO Crash, Military Helicopters and Area 51

On May 14th the Eyewitness News Channel 8 reported a large object with a turquoise hue plummeting out of the sky earlier this summer and plowed into the Earth south of Las Vegas. Eyewitnesses say this was no meteorite, especially since they witnessed a group of black helicopters flying in formation to quickly haul it away.

Numerous witnesses to the crashed UFO say it was speeding down towards the Earth and crashed, one witness heard a thud. Five Black helicopters were reported on the scene 17 minutes after the crash with one helicopter identified to be a skycrane helicopter which has a very special design enabling it to carry the large glowing object away from the scene.

One witness reported a group of dark, strange looking vehicles canvassing the area. The men inside had military markings that could not be clearly identified. Their appearance was very similar to 'men in black' according to one witness at the crash site. Witnesses conclude that shortly after the crash there was a very obvious and quiet clean up of the area.

This video is certainly worth the time to watch and more details are covered in the video regarding the local airport and secret flights to the area 51 base. There has not been an official UFO crash since the Roswell, New Mexico incident.

Video: More on Needles UFO Crash, Military Helicopters and Area 51
Video: More on Needles UFO Crash, Military Helicopters and Area 51

Expedition Finds Possible Evidence of Legendary Russian Wildman

A North Devon team of scientists has returned from a three-week expedition to the Caucasus Mountains in Russia with what may be evidence of a creature closely related to man.

The five-man team from the Woolsery-based Centre for Fortean Zoology, teamed up with Russian and Ukrainian scientists to hunt the almasty, a huge, hairy wildman said to inhabit parts of Russia and the former USSR.

Cryptozoologist Richard Freeman said: "We found hair, dung and skull shards that may be from an almasty. These are going to be analysed by geneticists in order to establish if the DNA points to an unknown species."

Freeman, who claims he nearly died no fewer than four times on the mountain adventure, says he and his colleague, the explorer Adam Davis, may have come within 12 feet of an almasty while staking out an abandoned farm at 2.30 in the morning.

"We were in a room in the farmhouse with a door facing out on to the veranda," he said. "The 7ft high door was open a couple of inches and starlight was flooding through. We heard a deep, guttural vocalisation. A few seconds later something passed by the door blocking out the starlight to a height of at least 7ft. We grabbed our cameras and rushed out into the night, but whatever it was had vanished."

Richard and his team will be revealing their findings at the Centre for Fortean Zoology's annual conference, the Weird Weekend. Among the other firsts at the conference will be a new book launched by world renowned zoologist Dr Karl Shuker. Dr Shuker's Casebook examines a whole menagerie of bizarre and mysterious beasts from all over the planet.

Expedition Finds Possible Evidence of Legendary Wildman in Russian Caucasus Mountains
Expedition Finds Possible Evidence of Legendary Wildman in Russian Caucasus Mountains

Bizarre Suicide: Polish Man Decapitates Himself While Wife Watches

A wealthy businessman committed suicide by tying a steel rope to a fence, wrapping it round his neck then speeding off in his car.

The car containing the decapitated body of Tadeusz Szewczek sped off down the street as his head bounced towards his home where his horrified wife was watching.

Police are baffled as to why the 48-year-old, from the village of Jakubow in eastern Poland, wanted to kill himself in such a grisly way.

They said he waited for his wife to come home before taking his own life.

His wife Malgorzata had gone out about two hours before the suicide.

Szewczek's 75-year-old mother Marta said: "I think something went wrong with his marriage recently.

"It seems to me that might be why he killed himself."

Malgorzata is being treated for shock.

Bizarre Suicide: Polish Man Decapitates Himself While Wife Watches
Bizarre Suicide: Polish Man Decapitates Himself While Wife Watches

Guillermo del Toro's UFO Encounter

Guillermo del Toro claims he was once chased by a UFO.

The 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army' director says he had the extraterrestrial encounter when he was just 15.

He explained: "I was with my friend in Mexico and we saw a light moving over the highway. It jumped all over the sky.

"We started beeping our horns and flashing our lights - and suddenly it jumped around 60km closer.

"We raced back to the city. It started following us."

The 43-year-old filmmaker admits people find his story difficult to accept, but he insists he is telling the truth.

He added: "Even my wife doesn't believe me. So why should anyone else?"

Guillermo is currently working on 'The Hobbit'.

The movie, which is the prequel to the 'Lord of the Rings' franchise, is expected to be released in 2012.

Guillermo del Toro's UFO Encounter
Guillermo del Toro's UFO Encounter

MUFON Report / Photos: UFO Over Lake Winnipeg Near Gimli, Manitoba - July 13, 2008

Report to MUFON on July 28, 2008: My father took pictures of a UFO event while at the lake. These pictures were taken over Lake Winnipeg near Gimli, Manitoba - Willow Island. These objects were in the sky hovering for approx. 5 minutes then disappeared. The pictures were taken with an 8 mega pixel camera and have amazing detail.


MUFON Report / Photos: UFO Over Lake Winnipeg Near Gimli, Manitoba - July 13, 2008
MUFON Report / Photos: UFO Over Lake Winnipeg Near Gimli, Manitoba - July 13, 2008

Police Audio: '...he's hacking off pieces and eating it'

WARNING...VERY GRAPHIC LANGUAGE

Police have identified the man who murdered and then beheaded a passenger on a Greyhound bus yesterday as 40-year-old Vince Weiguang Li, of Edmonton. The victim was 22 year old Tim McLean who witnesses say was asleep when Li attacked him with a knife.

Here's a piece of information not making it into the MSM who are describing what Li did to the body only as "desecration": Li ate some of his victim's flesh.

From a police scanner recording of an officer at the scene describing events as they happened:

[Li is] ..."at the back of the bus, hacking off pieces and eating it"

Canadian Beheaded Victim, Ate Flesh
Canadian Beheaded Victim, Ate Flesh

Video: Daytime Poltergeist Activity Including Dog Reactions

Very interesting video of supposed poltergeist activity in a home. I've examined the video for several days before I posted and really can't offer much of an explanation other than this is true paranormal activity. The dog's reactions are exactly as I would expect if an entity were present.

Video: Daytime Poltergeist Activity Including Dog Reactions
Video: Daytime Poltergeist Activity Including Dog Reactions

Videos: The Socorro Close Encounter - Socorro, New Mexico - 1964

The location of the alleged 1964 Socorro UFO sighting may be recognized by the city as a historical site, if Socorro’s Tourism Director Deborah Dean has anything to say about it.

The Socorro City Council heard the suggestion by Dean at its Monday night meeting.

“This is something that’s been featured on the Discovery Channel, the History Channel and other national programs,” Dean said. “It could be a good thing for Socorro since so many people are interested in it.”

She asked that the council consider approaching the owner of the property. Mayor Ravi Bhasker said the city could recognize Lonnie Zamora for his role in Socorro’s history.

“He served as a police officer and later at the landfill, and if we develop this site we’ll do a plaque for him,” Bhasker said.

Librarian Paula Mertz told the council the Socorro Public Library has a large file of newspaper and magazine clippings about the UFO incident in Socorro.

“In the past, we’ve had quite a few people coming in looking for information,” she said. “They also want to know where the location was.”

Councilor Gordy Hicks said he remembers the event and that officially recognizing the site could be beneficial to the city.

Tuesday morning, Hicks, Dean and the present owner of the property, Kathy Richardson, toured the area along with Chief of Police Lawrence Romero and Assistant Chief Mike Winders.

Hicks told the group that he visited the site the day after police Sgt. Lonnie Zamora made the sighting of an unknown craft in an arroyo about a quarter mile west of Fairgrounds Road.

“The depressions in the ground were six to eight inches deep, so whatever made them must have been very heavy,” Hicks told the Mountain Mail Tuesday.

According to reports published at the time, on Friday, April 25, 1964, at 5:45 p.m., 31-year-old police sergeant was in pursuit of a speeder on the south side of Socorro when he heard what sounded like an explosion west of Park Street.

Upon investigation, he saw a white, oval-shaped object resting on four legs in an arroyo emitting a roaring sound. He reported that next to the object were two short figures dressed in coveralls inspecting the object.

Zamora, thinking that an automobile accident had occurred, began approaching the scene until the roaring noise increased in pitch and volume, sending him running back to the road, in fear of it exploding. The craft emitted a flame from its underside and rose into the air, flying westward toward Box Canyon. Zamora told reporters that for a few moments he felt in danger for his life.

Other officers arrived on the scene minutes later, and by the next day, the story was covered in mass media nationwide. Many Socorro residents visited through the weekend and it was reported that at one point there was bumper-to-bumper traffic on the dirt road leading to the arroyo.

In the weeks following, flying saucer investigators and government agencies visited the site, but a definitive explanation for what Zamora saw was not determined.

At the time, skeptics suggested that both Zamora and the mayor, Holm Bursum Jr., perpetrated a hoax to boost tourism.

No evidence of it being a hoax was uncovered, and the site has never been developed for tourism. It remains much as it was in 1964.

The U.S. Air Force investigator’s report noted that Zamora was “a serious police officer, a pillar of his church, and a man well versed in recognizing airborne vehicles in his area.”

The incident was officially designated by the government as unexplained. Dean said she would like to add items to the Socorro Heritage and Visitors Center relating to the incident. San Antonio artist Patrick Richard said he is donating a painting he made in 2005 of Zamora to the center.

“I used a photograph of Lonnie with Air Force personnel taken while they were examining the site,” Richard said. “I’m donating the original painting to the Heritage Center. I want to do this for Lonnie.”

Videos: The Socorro Close Encounter - Socorro, New Mexico - 1964
Videos: The Socorro Close Encounter - Socorro, New Mexico - 1964