>> male narrator: CANADA IS HOME TO A CENTURIES-OLD LEGEND. >> IT'S EASIER TO AVOID PEOPLE HERE TODAY THAN IT WAS 150 YEARS AGO. >> narrator: HISTORY SUPPORTS THE POSSIBILITY OF A MONSTER CALLED SASQUATCH. >> WE'VE BEEN COMING HERE FOR YEARS AND YEARS AND KIND OF FELT LIKE WE WERE BEING WATCHED. >> narrator: AT A REMOTE FISHING CABIN IN NORTHERN ONTARIO... >> THE CABIN HAD BEEN BROKE INTO. IT WAS A TERRIBLE MESS. >> narrator: SCIENCE EXAMINES THE EVIDENCE IN A MODERN-DAY SEARCH FOR PROOF. >> DOES THAT LOOK LIKE TISSUE TO YOU? >> IT KIND OF DOES. >> IT'S ALMOST LIKE IT CAME FROM A WILD HUMAN. >> THEY WERE PROBABLY WATCHING US THIS WHOLE TIME. >> narrator: THEY'D BECOME THE TARGET OF THE BEAST'S RAGE. >> WE'RE COWERING IN HERE. I'M AFRAID FOR THE FIRST TIME. >> SHH! crack! DID YOU HEAR THAT? >> narrator: WITNESSES AROUND THE WORLD REPORT SEEING MONSTERS. [heavy breathing] ARE THEY REAL OR IMAGINARY? SCIENCE SEARCHES FOR ANSWERS... [airplane engine thrums] ON<i> MONSTER QUEST.</i> SNOW GROVE LAKE: PRISTINE AND REMOTE, NESTLED IN ONE OF NORTH AMERICA'S GREAT UNTOUCHED WILDERNESS AREAS IN ONTARIO, 250 MILES NORTH OF CANADA'S CAPITAL OF OTTAWA. ACCESSIBLE ONLY BY FLOATPLANE, IT'S A FISHERMAN'S PARADISE. THERE IS A CABIN HERE THAT IS THE FOCAL POINT OF A SERIES OF SEEMINGLY AGGRESSIVE INCIDENTS BY THE CREATURE CANADIANS CALL SASQUATCH. >> THIS THING STARTS SCREAMING AT ME, STARTS WAILING AT ME. >> IT FREAKED ME RIGHT OUT. LIKE, I JUST--I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. IT JUST FREAKED ME RIGHT OUT. >> IT'S LIKE A MAN, BUT THE FIRST THING YOU SEE IS THE LONG ARMS. >> IT HAPPENED TO WALK OFF ON TWO LEGS. >> TO ME, IT SOUNDED LIKE AN APE. >> SO IF THERE IS A SASQUATCH, PERHAPS THIS IS WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE. >> narrator: MOST DESCRIBE A CREATURE UP TO 8 FEET TALL, UPWARDS OF 800 POUNDS, HAIRY AND UPRIGHT-WALKING, WITH LONG ARMS, NO NECK, AND A HUMAN-LOOKING FACE. [growling] THE NAME SASQUATCH CAN BE TRACED TO THE 1920s, WHEN IT WAS COINED BY J.W. BURNS, A SCHOOLTEACHER IN BRITISH COLUMBIA. BURNS COMPILED NATIVE AMERICAN ACCOUNTS OF TALL, MANLIKE ANIMALS SAID TO LIVE IN THE FORESTS. EACH TRIBE HAD A DIFFERENT NAME. BUT BURNS DETERMINED THEY WERE ALL TALKING ABOUT THE SAME ANIMAL... AN ANIMAL THAT THIS MAN BELIEVES COULD STILL BE AROUND. SCOTT MOSBECK OWNS THE ONLY SINGLE-CABIN FISHING CAMP ON SNOW GROVE LAKE, WHICH HE RENTS TO VISITING FISHERMEN. >> ONE FALL, MY FATHER CAME IN TO CHECK ON THE CABIN, BECAUSE I HAD FORGOT TO PUT SOME ANTIFREEZE IN THE DRAINS PRIOR TO LEAVING. HE CAME IN TO DO THAT AND DISCOVERED THE CABIN HAD BEEN BROKE INTO. [growling] THE REFRIGERATOR WAS RIPPED FROM THE WALL. HE CAME OVER HERE, KNOCKED ALL THE PLATES, EVERYTHING OFF THE SHELVES, RIPPED THE STOVE OUT, FLIPPED IT ON THE GROUND. I CAME OVER HERE, AND I SAID, "AT LEAST HE DIDN'T GET IN THE SHOWER ROOM," BECAUSE THE DOOR WAS CLOSED, BUT WHEN I OPENED THE DOOR, THE SINK WAS ON THE GROUND. HE'D JUMPED UP, BENT THE SHOWER DOOR. ALL THE SHELVES IN THE BUILDING WERE RIPPED DOWN. THE STOVEPIPES WERE PULLED DOWN, SOOT EVERYWHERE. EVERYTHING WAS ON THE FLOOR. MOST OF THESE OUTPOSTS WOULD BE LUCKY TO SEE 50 PEOPLE IN A SEASON. THERE'S VIRTUALLY NO POPULATION, HARDLY ANYONE YEAR-ROUND, AND ONLY US VISITING IN THE SUMMER. >> narrator: MOSBECK SAYS A CREATURE HAS VISITED THE CAMP REGULARLY, SEEMINGLY ANGRY ABOUT THE CABIN AND SOMETIMES THE OCCUPANTS. IN 2003, JOE FRASCELLA AND SOME FISHING BUDDIES WERE ENJOYING A WEEK OF WALLEYE AND NORTHERN PIKE FISHING AT THE CAMP WHEN THEY WERE PAID A MIDNIGHT VISIT. [growling] >> WE FLEW IN TO SNOW GROVE LAKE. [engine whining] WE'D BEEN COMING HERE FOR YEARS AND YEARS. WE ALWAYS GOT THIS KIND OF WEIRD FEELING. IT KIND OF FELT LIKE WE WERE BEING WATCHED, MAYBE MUCH LIKE A ZOO ANIMAL WOULD FEEL. IT WAS JUST A FEELING THAT I COULD NEVER SHAKE EVERY TIME WE WENT BACK IN THIS AREA. >> narrator: LATER, THE GROUP HEARD WHAT THEY DESCRIBED AS DISTANT WOOD KNOCKING OR PIECES OF WOOD BANGED TOGETHER. [distant knocking] THEY DECIDED TO KNOCK BACK. >> THE PERSON THAT HEARD THE WOOD KNOCK SAID, "LET'S TRY WOOD KNOCKING AND SEE IF WE CAN GET SOME KIND OF RESPONSE. [wood knocking] >> narrator: LATER THAT EVENING, THEIR FEARS BECAME REAL. >> AND THE ONE PERSON IN OUR PARTY HAD GONE TO BRUSH HIS TEETH, AND THE MOMENT HE GOT IN FRONT OF THE KITCHEN WINDOW, THE CABIN STARTED SHAKING, AND HE HEARD THIS KIND OF SCREAMING AND SCREECHING NOISE. [screeching] THEN THE CABIN STARTED TO SHAKE. IT STARTED TO VIBRATE. HE FELT LIKE IT--THE CABIN WAS BEING LIFTED. IT REALLY SCARED HIM, AND HE RAN OVER TO TRY TO WAKE UP ONE OF THE DADS AND POUNDED HIM ON THE SHOULDER AND TRIED TO GET HIM UP, AND HE COULDN'T GET HIM UP. THEN THE SCREAMING AND THE CABIN SHAKING JUST STOPPED. >> narrator: FRASCELLA AND HIS BUDDIES FOUND NO EVIDENCE OF WHAT ATTACKED THE CABIN THAT NIGHT, NOR HAS MOSBECK FOUND AN EXPLANATION FOR THE EXTENSIVE CABIN DAMAGE THAT SAME YEAR. >> HE MADE SUCH A MESS THAT AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT HAD TO BE KIDS. I DIDN'T BELIEVE EVEN AN ANIMAL WOULD DO IT. BUT THERE'S NO WAY FOR THEM TO GET HERE. THE LARGEST TOWN CLOSE TO US WOULD BE 10,000 PEOPLE, AND THAT'S 200 MILES AWAY. >> narrator: HISTORICALLY, MOST REPORTS OF PROPERTY DAMAGE IN REMOTE CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO BEARS IN SEARCH OF FOOD. DR. LYNN ROGERS IS A WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST SPECIALIZING IN BLACK BEAR RESEARCH IN ELY, MINNESOTA. ROGERS HAS SEEN THE DAMAGE BEARS CAN INFLICT ON REMOTE CABINS AND HAS VIEWED THE MOSBECK TAPE. >> THE THING THAT JUST HIT ME ABOUT IT WAS HOW THOROUGHLY THAT CABIN WAS TRASHED. EVERYTHING WAS ON THE FLOOR AND BROKEN UP AND TIPPED OVER AND HEAVY THINGS. IT WAS OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING STRONG THAT DID IT. RIGHT AWAY, MY FIRST THOUGHT WOULD BE BEAR. BUT THIS IS SOMETIME BETWEEN OCTOBER 1ST AND THE MIDDLE OF THE WINTER. BEARS UP THAT FAR NORTH, TOWARDS THE NORTH EDGE OF THEIR RANGE, SHOULD BE IN HIBERNATION DURING THAT TIME. IF THEY GO FOR THE REFRIGERATOR, THEY VERY OFTEN ARE NOT GOING SO MUCH FOR THE CONTENTS IN THERE BUT FOR THE INSULATION. AND FORMALDEHYDE IS ONE OF THE INGREDIENTS OF MAKING THIS, AND IT BREAKS DOWN INTO FORMIC ACID, WHICH SMELLS LIKE AN ANT COLONY. AND SO THEN YOU LOOK FOR BITE MARKS AND CLAW MARKS WHERE THEY TORE OPEN THE INSIDE OF THE REFRIGERATOR TO GET TO THE INSULATION. I DIDN'T SEE ANY OF THAT IN THIS CASE. I REALLY AM BAFFLED ABOUT WHAT DID THIS. >> narrator: TOM STEENBURG IS A SASQUATCH RESEARCHER FROM MISSION, BRITISH COLUMBIA. >> WE HAVE MORE WILDERNESS THAN MOST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES HAVE TOTAL LAND MASS. SO THE IDEA THAT SOMETHING UNKNOWN COULD EXIST HERE NOT DISCOVERED IS NO SHOCK TO ME AT ALL. IT'S EASIER TO AVOID PEOPLE HERE TODAY THAN IT WAS 150 YEARS AGO, IN MY OPINION. WE NO LONGER HAVE NOMADIC FIRST NATIONS TRIBES MOVING FROM ONE AREA TO POINT "A" TO POINT "B." WE NO LONGER HAVE THE VAST AMOUNT OF MOUNTAIN MEN MAKING THEIR LIVING OFF THE LAND LIKE WE USED TO IN THE PAST. SO THE TOTAL NUMBER, I WOULD SAY, IN CANADA, IN MY GUESS, IS ABOUT 150 TO 200 A YEAR. WELL, THE SAME TOTAL NUMBER IN THE UNITED STATES WOULD PROBABLY BE ABOUT THREE TO FOUR TIMES AS MUCH DUE TO THE DENSITY OF POPULATION IN WILDERNESS AREAS AVAILABLE SOUTH OF THE BORDER. SO I WOULD GUESS ANYWHERE BETWEEN 450 AND 500 REPORTS A YEAR. >> narrator: BUT IS THERE HARD EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE STORIES OF AN UP-TO-8-FOOT-TALL, 800-POUND SASQUATCH? IN 2003, MOSBECK LAID OUT A COMMON BEAR DETERRENT AT THE DOOR OF THE SNOW GROVE CABIN, A BED OF SCREWS. >> THIS IS WHAT WE MADE FOR THE CREATURES THAT HAVE BROKE INTO OUR CABIN IN THE PAST. THIS IS WHERE THE REMNANTS OF THE BLOOD WAS FROM THE LAST TIME. IT WAS A FEW DAYS OLD WHEN WE FOUND IT. IT HAD BEEN ABOUT THREE DAYS SINCE WE'D BEEN HERE. AND THAT'S HOW WE SET IT WHEN WE LEAVE IF WE'RE GONNA BE GONE FOR MORE THAN A DAY. WE'RE READY TO GO. WE'RE ALL LOADED, AND ONE OF YOUSE CAN GO IN AND GO COPILOT. >> OKAY, I WILL. >> OKAY, YOU'RE IN FIRST UP THROUGH THE CENTER. >> NEXT-BEST SEAT. >> narrator: THE BLOOD EVIDENCE, THE REMOTE LOCATION, AND THE HIGH NUMBER OF ENCOUNTERS MAKE SNOW GROVE LAKE A PRIME SPOT FOR A<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> SEARCH. MOSBECK ASKS SCIENTIST JEFF MELDRUM AND CURT NELSON TO INVESTIGATE. [engine hums] >> IF SASQUATCHES ARE REAL, THEY PROBABLY ARE IN CANADA. [engine roaring] >> FROM THE AIR, IT'S SIMPLY AWE-INSPIRING, THE EXPANSIVENESS OF THE WILDERNESS. >> GIVEN THE LOCATION AND THE LACK OF POPULATION AROUND HERE, IT CERTAINLY WOULDN'T SURPRISE ME FOR SOMETHING LIKE THAT ANIMAL TO BE ABLE TO LIVE HERE WITHOUT BEING DETECTED. >> THERE ARE VERY FEW TRAILS, VERY FEW PATHWAYS THROUGH THIS WILDERNESS ON FOOT. >> FOR ALL PRACTICAL PURPOSES, THE BUSH IN BETWEEN THESE LAKES IS UNEXPLORED. >> narrator: DR. CURT NELSON IS A MICROBIOLOGIST AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA. HE'S ANXIOUS TO EXAMINE THE SCREW BOARD FOR ANY REMAINING BLOOD, HAIR, OR TISSUE. DNA COULD PROVIDE THE MOST CONCLUSIVE PROOF OF THE CREATURE'S IDENTITY. >> THIS IS REALLY A REMARKABLE SPOT. [airplane roaring] >> THANKS. >> WOW, THIS LOOKS GREAT. IT'S A GOOD PLACE. >> SO THIS IS THE NAIL BOARD THAT CHUCK MADE TO PREVENT THAT ANIMAL FROM COMING BACK IN HERE AND WRECKING THE PLACE. >> RIGHT. >> AND HE SAID THAT THERE WAS A GOOD BLOOD STAIN ON IT. >> RIGHT. SOMEWHERE IN HERE IN THE CENTER, HE SAID THERE WAS QUITE A POOL OF BLOOD, BUT I GUESS IT'S BEEN SITTING OUT HERE IN THE WEATHER FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS, AND AT THIS POINT, I DON'T SEE ANYTHING REMAINING. >> YEAH, IF THERE WAS A DRIED SAMPLE OF BLOOD THERE, THAT'D BE WORTH TAKING, BUT ANYTHING THAT'S BEEN SUBJECTED TO THE WEATHER IS GONNA BE TOTALLY DEGRADED DNA. >> THE BACKSIDE MAY HAVE PRESERVED A SAMPLE THAT WE COULD USE. >> WELL, THERE IS A STAIN THERE. IT LOOKS LIKE THIS IS WHERE IT WAS. >> THERE'S SOME MATERIAL CLINGING TO THESE--THE THREADS ON THESE SCREWS IN A FEW PLACES. DOES THAT LOOK LIKE TISSUE TO YOU? >> IT KIND OF DOES. >> WELL, MAYBE THIS IS TISSUE. WE SHOULD PROBABLY COLLECT A SAMPLE JUST TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE, TAKE IT BACK, AND HAVE A CLOSER LOOK AT IT IN THE LAB. >> YEAH. OKAY, SO I'M JUST GONNA TAKE A LITTLE BIT OF THIS. IT'S STIFF--IT'S REALLY-- IT'S REALLY DRIED ONTO THESE SCREWS. IT'S HARD TO GET IT OFF. >> I DIDN'T HOLD OUT MUCH HOPE FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF DNA FROM THIS OLD BLOOD SAMPLE, BUT WITH THESE THREADED SCREWS AND WHAT MAY BE TISSUE SAMPLES, IT'S A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME. >> narrator: WHO OR WHAT LEFT THE FLESH, BLOOD, AND HAIR BEHIND? THE ANSWERS MAY BE AS EASY AS CONNECTING THE DOTS. >> SO IF YOU START JUST ON THIS EDGE WHERE THE BLOOD LEAKED BEHIND AND LOOK AT THE SCREWS THAT HAVE THIS TISSUE ON THEM. I THINK THAT ONE MAYBE DOES. THIS ONE IS FOR SURE COVERED. >> I'LL MARK THAT ONE. >> AND THAT ONE'S TOO RUSTY. YOU CAN'T TELL. >> THAT ONE FOR SURE. THIS ONE, I'M NOT QUITE... LET ME LOOK, BECAUSE THIS HELPS... >> THAT ALMOST SEEMS TO HAVE A HAIR ATTACHED TO IT. >> WELL, WE'D CALL IT A FIBER AT THIS STAGE OF THE INVESTIGATION. >> YEAH. SO I DON'T KNOW; DO YOU THINK IT'S A POSITIVE SCREW? >> IT'S KIND OF QUESTIONABLE. >> I'D SAY IT'S QUESTIONABLE; THAT ONE FOR SURE. >> DEFINITELY HERE. WHAT IF WE JUST NOW TRY TO CONNECT THE DOTS AND JUST GET AN OVERALL IDEA OF THE GENERAL SHAPE OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, AND SIZE OF THIS? >> YEAH, LET'S DO IT. >> OKAY. >> SHOULD WE DO A QUICK PURVIEW OF THE WHOLE PERIPHERY, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE HAIR MIGHT... >> narrator: DR. CURT NELSON AND DR. JEFF MELDRUM ARE EXAMINING THE BLOOD-SOAKED SCREW DOORMAT THAT CAMP OWNER SCOTT MOSBECK PUT ON THE CABIN PORCH. >> OH, THAT ONE LOOKS INTERESTING. >> LOOK AT THAT. >> OH, WOW. >> narrator: THEY HAVE FOUND BLOOD, HAIR, AND TISSUE. >> YEAH. >> AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE HAVE NO NAILS OVER HERE. >> YEAH, THERE JUST IS NO NAIL. >> THEN WE END UP WITH SOMETHING THAT LOOKS MORE LIKE THIS. >> narrator: THE BLOODY OUTLINE REVEALS WHAT APPEARS TO BE A LARGE FOOTPRINT. >> BUT IT DOESN'T TAKE A LOT OF IMAGINATION TO EXTEND THAT OUT, AND YOU'VE GOT, ESSENTIALLY, THE OUTLINE OF A SASQUATCH FOOTPRINT. >> narrator: THIS SIMULATION ILLUSTRATES NELSON AND MELDRUM'S THEORY. THE CREATURE PUT ITS FULL WEIGHT ON THE SCREWS, FORCING THEM AN INCH INTO ITS FOOT. THE CREATURE LIKELY WAS SHOCKED AND STEPPED BACK OFF THE PORCH THE SAME WAY IT HAD ENTERED, RIPPING HAIR AND LARGE PIECES OF TISSUE FROM THE FOOT AS IT LEFT. >> SO I'D SAY WE'RE LOOKING AT A FOOTPRINT THAT IS AT LEAST 17 IF NOT 18 INCHES LONG. THE FLESH SAMPLES WERE STUNNING, AS WE NOTICED IT. I MEAN, FIRST I WAS A LITTLE DUBIOUS THAT WE'D HAVE ANYTHING WORTHWHILE, GIVEN THE LENGTH OF TIME THAT IT HAD BEEN OUT IN THE WEATHER. BUT AS WE BEGAN TO LOOK CLOSER AND WHAT HAD APPEARED TO BE JUST RED PAINT THEN OBVIOUSLY WAS NOT; IT WAS DRIED BLOOD, AND THE PATTERN OF DISTRIBUTION WAS QUITE DISTINCT. SO THERE'S A VERY GOOD LIKELIHOOD WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET DNA FROM THAT SAMPLE, AT LEAST ENOUGH TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT WAS JUST A BEAR OR WHETHER IT WAS SOMETHING WITH A MUCH LARGER, VERY DISTINCTIVELY SHAPED FOOT. [growling] >> narrator: ONE OF THE FIRST WHITE MEN TO DOCUMENT EVIDENCE OF THE CANADIAN CREATURE WAS EXPLORER DAVID THOMPSON. IN 1811, WHILE SEARCHING FOR A WATERWAY FROM THE HUDSON BAY TO THE COLUMBIA RIVER, THOMPSON DISCOVERED SOMETHING UNEXPECTED. "JANUARY 7TH. CONTINUING OUR JOURNEY IN THE AFTERNOON, WE CAME ON THE TRACK OF A LARGE ANIMAL. THE SNOW: ABOUT 6 INCHES DEEP IN THE ICE. I MEASURED ITS FOUR LARGE TOES, EACH 4 INCHES IN LENGTH. TO EACH A SHORT CLAW. THE BALL OF THE FOOT SUNK 3 INCHES LOWER THAN THE TOES. THE HINDER PART OF THE FOOT DID NOT MARK WELL. THE LENGTH: 14 INCHES BY 8 INCHES IN BREADTH. THE MEN AND INDIANS WOULD HAVE IT BE A YOUNG MAMMOTH, AND I HELD IT TO BE THE TRACK OF A LARGE, OLD GRIZZLY BEAR, YET THE SHORTNESS OF THE NAILS, THE BALL OF THE FOOT, AND ITS GREAT SIZE WAS NOT THAT OF A BEAR." THE 18-INCH PRINT FOUND BY MELDRUM AND NELSON IS SURPRISINGLY SIMILAR IN SIZE TO THE PRINT DESCRIBED BY EXPLORER DAVID THOMPSON. THE PRINTS RESEMBLE THAT OF A BLACK BEAR COMMONLY FOUND THROUGHOUT THE AREA. BUT BLACK BEAR PAWS GENERALLY MAX OUT AT AROUND 9 INCHES. THE MUCH LARGER KODIAK AND POLAR BEAR HAVE PAWS AS LARGE AS 14 OR 15 INCHES, BUT THEIR RANGE IS MUCH FURTHER WEST AND NORTH. FOOTPRINTS CONSTITUTE THE LARGEST BODY OF EXISTING EVIDENCE, BUT WITH A TRAINED EYE, MUCH CAN BE LEARNED FROM AN ANIMAL TRACK. >> IT ISN'T JUST LOOKING AT TRACKS OR THE OTHER SIGNS THAT ARE OUT THERE, AS LONG AS WE CAN KEEP OUR EYES AND ALL OUR SENSES OPENED UP TO THE WHOLE WORLD THAT'S RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF US. WHAT IS REAL EXCITING IS TO FOLLOW THESE TRACKS, BECAUSE THEY TELL YOU EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON WITH THE ANIMAL. WHERE IS HE GOING? WHAT'S HE EATING? HOW'S HE LIVING HIS LIFE? SO IN ESSENCE, TRACKING AN ANIMAL TELLS MORE OF A STORY THAN JUST SEEING AN ANIMAL FOR THAT FLEETING SECOND. [growling] >> narrator: KIEFER ERWIN IS A PROFESSIONAL TRACKER. IN AUGUST OF 1984, WHILE ON VACATION IN CANADA, SHE FOUND TRACKS SHE COULD NOT EXPLAIN. >> WE HAD BEEN SEEING GRIZZLY TRACKS. WE SAW BLACK BEAR THAT DAY. WE WERE SEEING CARIBOU AND MOOSE, AND WE HAD SEEN ALL THESE TRACKS WITHIN THAT WEEK, BUT THESE WERE SOMETHING DIFFERENT, OF WHAT I HAVE NOT SEEN BEFORE. I RECOGNIZED THE TRACK ITSELF AS A HUMAN-TYPE TRACK, BUT WHAT BEFUDDLED US WAS THAT IT WAS 16 INCHES LONG, ITS WIDTH APPROXIMATELY 7 INCHES WIDE, AND 2 INCHES OF AN IMPRESSION, WHICH MEANT SOMETHING VERY HEAVY HAD PUT THOSE TRACKS DOWN. AND IT WASN'T JUST ONE TRACK. THERE WERE FIVE OF THEM. BETWEEN THOSE TRACKS WAS A GOOD FOUR TO FIVE FEET OF A STRIDE. SOMEBODY SAID, "COULD HAVE BEEN A GRIZZLY STANDING UP, WALKING." BUT THESE HAD NO CLAW MARKS. THEY HAD TOES BUT NO CLAW MARKS. AND GRIZZLY'S CLAWS, WHICH EXTEND OUT A GOOD FEW INCHES FROM THE FRONT OF ITS TOES, WOULD HAVE DEFINITELY MADE AN IMPRESSION IN THAT WET SAND. WE KIND OF NONCHALANTLY, VERY CASUALLY SAID, "YEAH, MUST BE A SASQUATCH." YOU KNOW, WE WERE ALMOST VERY LIGHTHEARTED ABOUT IT. WE JUST SAID--BECAUSE YOU KNOW, THERE WASN'T ANYTHING ELSE IT COULD HAVE POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN. THERE WAS NOTHING. >> narrator: BACK AT SNOW GROVE LAKE, MELDRUM AND NELSON FIND SOMETHING, A DIARY THAT APPARENTLY BELONGED TO A FISHERMAN WHO RENTED THE CABIN A DECADE AGO. >> THIS DATES TO 8/9/95. THE FIFTH DAY HERE AT THE CABIN, THEY FOUND AN UNIDENTIFIED FOOTPRINT "ON THE PORTAGE TO BROKEN MOUTH RIVER, WHICH APPEARED TO BE ABOUT A SIZE 16 TRIPLE E..." >> WOW. >> "BAREFOOT, HUMAN-TYPE FOOTPRINT." >> HUH. LET'S SEE. >> DO YOU KNOW WHERE THAT IS ON THE MAP? >> I'VE GOT A MAP RIGHT HERE. THIS IS MY FIELD MAP. >> GREAT. >> SO WE'RE HERE. BROKEN MOUTH IS DOWN HERE JUST A--PROBABLY--THAT'S ABOUT TWO MILES FROM US. >> SO THE PORTAGE MUST BE... >> IT MUST BE RIGHT IN THROUGH HERE. >> RIGHT IN THROUGH THERE. >> BOY, IT'S QUIET AND STILL OUT HERE. HELLO! [speech echoes] OH, COOL. OKAY. >> narrator: NELSON AND MELDRUM HAVE DEVELOPED A SIMPLE STRATEGY: SURROUND THE CABIN WITH CAMERA TRAPS AND MAKE LOTS OF NOISE TO DRAW A CREATURE IN. >> THERE'S KIND OF A NICE OPENING BACK HERE. WE CAN MAYBE POSITION IT TO WATCH THAT. >> narrator: MELDRUM BELIEVES THE CREATURE IS UNAFRAID OF HUMANS AND MAY EVEN INITIATE CONTACT. HE PLANS TO TARGET THIS BEHAVIOR. >> ACROSS HERE. >> RIGHT. >> narrator: STEALTH CAM DIGITAL CAMERA TRAPS ARE STRATEGICALLY PLACED IN THE FOREST NEAR THE CABIN. OKAY. OKAY, NOW WE GOT TO SET IT UP. OKAY. >> ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO. >> ONE, TWO, THREE. >> THERE WE GO. >> narrator: NELSON WILL SET OUT TO THE BROKEN MOUTH RIVER PORTAGE MENTIONED IN THE FISHERMAN'S DIARY. [motor thrumming] THE TRIP IS MORE DIFFICULT THAN ANTICIPATED. THE 3-MILE CREEK FROM SNOW GROVE LAKE LEADING TO BROKEN MOUTH RIVER IS NOW LOW AND STREWN WITH BOULDERS AND SMALL LOGS. >> YEAH, I THINK THAT PROBABLY THE BEST WAY TO SEE ONE ISN'T TO GO OUT AND FIND IT YOURSELF, BECAUSE I DON'T THINK YOU CAN STALK ONE. I DON'T KNOW--PEOPLE DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT. I THINK THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO TRY TO ATTRACT THEM TO YOU. SO MY GOAL IN COMING ON THIS TRIP WAS TO GO UP BY MYSELF. I WANTED TO BE BY MYSELF ON A REMOTE OUTPOST CAMP WHERE THE REST OF THE GUYS WERE BACK AT THE CABIN SO THAT I COULD SEPARATE MYSELF FROM ALL OF THAT AND MAYBE MAKE MYSELF MORE ATTRACTIVE TO A SASQUATCH THAT COULD APPROACH AND BE INTERESTED IN HUMAN BEINGS, BECAUSE THEY SEEM TO BE. THERE'S LOTS OF CASES OF THEM COMING INTO CAMPS. >> narrator: CURT HAS TARGETED A CAMPING SPOT ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE LAKE, A 200-FOOT-WIDE MOSS-COVERED ROCK LOCATED NEAR A SWAMP AND AN OPEN AREA THAT WILL BE COVERED WITH CAMERA TRAPS. >> GREAT BED. WELL, CURT, THIS SHOULD PROVE TO BE AN INTERESTING NIGHT. >> I HOPE SO. WELL, IT'S ABOUT 10:00. I GOT DROPPED OFF BY THOSE GUYS ABOUT THREE HOURS AGO, AND I'VE BEEN BUSY SETTING UP CAMERA TRAPS IN, I THINK, GOOD SPOTS OFF THE END OF THE CLEARING WHERE I'M CAMPED IN. IT'S BEGINNING TO RAIN, ACTUALLY, A LITTLE BIT. AND SO THAT'S ALL FOR NOW. [fire crackling] >> narrator: BACK AT CAMP, MELDRUM IS REACHING OUT. HE WANTS TO TRY SOMETHING SNOW GROVE FISHERMAN JOE FRASCELLA TRIED IN 2003: WOOD KNOCKING. [wood knocking] WOOD KNOCKING IS A COMMON COMMUNICATION DEVICE USED BY GREAT APES. IT ALLOWS THE ANIMALS TO COMMUNICATE OVER LONG DISTANCES. SO FAR, IT'S A ONE-WAY CONVERSATION. >> IT'S 3:30 A.M., AND IT'S BEEN RAINING LIKE CRAZY. I'VE BEEN IN MY SLEEPING BAG FOR A WHILE IN THIS LITTLE TENT TO STAY OUT OF THE RAIN. >> narrator: HOURS PASS, AND NELSON IS HAVING A LONG NIGHT. >> AND I'M GONNA TRY DOING SOME ROCK BANGING. I'M GONNA BANG TWO ROCKS TOGETHER TO SEE IF I CAN MAKE A GOOD SMACKING SOUND. AND I'M GONNA TRY HOLLERING OFF INTO THE WILDERNESS TOO JUST TO SEE IF I GET ANY KIND OF A REPLY FROM THAT. CHECK BACK LATER. >> narrator: AT SNOW GROVE LAKE, ONTARIO, WHERE MEN TREAD SELDOM, THERE IS A CABIN. AS STRANGE AS IT SOUNDS, THIS CABIN HAS ALLEGEDLY BEEN VIOLATED MORE THAN ONCE BY A LARGE, UNKNOWN ANIMAL BELIEVED TO BE A SASQUATCH. BUT THIS IS NOT THE FIRST ACCOUNT OF AN AGGRESSIVE SASQUATCH. >> ALBERT OSTMAN LIVED FAIRLY CLOSE TO MY HOME, AND I GOT TO KNOW HIM VERY WELL. I'VE INTERVIEWED HIM NUMEROUS TIMES. >> narrator: JOHN GREEN IS A RETIRED CANADIAN JOURNALIST AND A LEADING RESEARCHER INTO THE BIGFOOT PHENOMENON. HE IS A GRADUATE OF BOTH THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA AND COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY AND HAS A DATABASE OF MORE THAN 3,000 SIGHTING AND TRACK REPORTS, EARNING HIM THE NICKNAME MR. SASQUATCH. WHILE RESEARCHING HIS BOOK <i>SASQUATCH: THE APES AMONG US,</i> GREEN INTERVIEWED CANADIAN OUTDOORSMAN ALBERT OSTMAN, RECORDING HIS DETAILED AND STRANGE ACCOUNT. [growling] OSTMAN CLAIMED HE WAS KIDNAPPED AND HELD CAPTIVE BY A FAMILY OF SASQUATCH IN 1924 WHILE HE WAS PROSPECTING IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA. [thud echoing] THIS IS THE ACTUAL AUDIO RECORDING OF OSTMAN'S ACCOUNT, MADE IN 1966. >> narrator: OSTMAN CLAIMS THE CREATURE CARRIED HIM IN HIS SLEEPING BAG WHICH ALSO CONTAINED FOOD SUPPLIES AND HIS RIFLE. OSTMAN DIDN'T FEEL THREATENED BY THE STRANGE CREATURES, BUT HE ALSO DIDN'T FEEL FREE TO LEAVE, SO HE SETTLED IN AND MADE HIS OWN CAMP. >> narrator: AS A RESULT OF THE SNUFF AND THE COFFEE, THE BEAST RAN OFF, LIKELY LOOKING FOR WATER. THAT'S WHEN OSTMAN MADE HIS ESCAPE. [pounding] >> IT'S NOT A STORY THAT ANYBODY WOULD BE INCLINED TO BELIEVE TODAY. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE DESCRIPTIONS THAT HE GAVE OF THESE INDIVIDUALS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENTLY SUPPORTED THROUGHOUT THE YEARS BY SUBSEQUENT OBSERVATIONS. >> narrator: IF THE OSTMAN SASQUATCH, LIKE THE SNOW GROVE CREATURE, IS REAL, THEY MUST EAT. DR. MELDRUM STRUGGLES WITH WHETHER THIS WILDERNESS HAS ENOUGH FOOD SOURCES TO SUSTAIN A LARGE BEAST. >> AN ANIMAL THAT IS AT ONE WITH ITS SURROUNDINGS, LIKE A SASQUATCH OR ANY OTHER ANIMAL THAT FREQUENTS THESE AREAS, WOULD CERTAINLY FIND AMPLE RESOURCES ABOUNDING HERE IN THE CANADIAN FOREST. [geese squawking] >> narrator: SNOW GROVE LAKE AND THE SURROUNDING AREA IS FROZEN ALL BUT 10 TO 12 WEEKS A YEAR. AN 800-POUND ANIMAL WOULD LIKELY NEED MORE THAN JUST LICHEN, BERRIES, AND ROOTS TO SUSTAIN ITSELF. BUT MELDRUM MAY HAVE FOUND ANOTHER SOURCE. >> ONE OF THE PLENTIFUL FOOD SOURCES HERE IN THE NORTH BUSH ARE SPRUCE GROUSE, WHICH ARE RATHER TAME, UNAFRAID OF HUMANS, AND AS AN EXPERIMENT, I ATTEMPTED TO HUNT ONE DOWN MYSELF AND WAS ABLE TO STALK ONE TO WITHIN A FEW FEET. HAD I WANTED TO DISPATCH IT, IT WOULD'VE BEEN VERY EASY TO DO SO EVEN BY HAND, LET ALONE PICKING UP A STONE AND KNOCKING IT DOWN OR KNOCKING IT FROM A LOW TREE BRANCH WHERE THEY OFTEN ROOST. >> narrator: MELDRUM THEORIZES SASQUATCH WOULD MOST LIKELY BE NOMADIC, MOVING THROUGH THE AREA DURING THE MONTHS OF JUNE, JULY, AND AUGUST, WHEN FOOD SOURCES ARE AT THEIR PEAK, THE SAME TIME FISHERMEN INHABIT THE CABIN AT SNOW GROVE LAKE. FOR MELDRUM AND NELSON, BAD WEATHER MAY HAVE HAMPERED LAST NIGHT'S EFFORTS. IT IS ALREADY LATE ON DAY THREE, AND MELDRUM IS ANXIOUS TO PICK UP NELSON FROM HIS REMOTE CAMPING SPOT. >> AH, I'M GLAD TO SEE YOU GUYS. >> YEAH, I'LL BET. MUST HAVE BEEN A FUN EXPERIENCE. >> OH, IT WAS NEAT, BUT IT RAINED A LOT. I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING. I HAD THE CAMERA TRAPS UP. >> narrator: IT IS THE TEAM'S FINAL NIGHT AT SNOW GROVE LAKE. AFTER THREE DAYS OF NOISE AND FORAGING, THEY ARE STILL HOLDING OUT HOPE FOR AN ENCOUNTER. THE HUGE FIRE ACTS AS A BEACON, ITS GLOW VISIBLE FOR MILES. THE TEAM IS WAITING WITH INFRARED AND THERMAL CAMERAS TO SEE INTO THE NIGHT. THEY ARE READY, OR SO THEY THINK. AT AROUND MIDNIGHT, WITHOUT WARNING, SOMETHING HAPPENS. >> THEY WERE PROBABLY WATCHING US THIS WHOLE TIME. >> OF COURSE. >> OF COURSE THEY WERE. >> narrator: SOMETHING HAS THROWN A ROCK AT THE CAMP. >> SHH! [distant cracking] DID YOU HEAR THAT? >> THAT ROCK WAS PRETTY GOOD-SIZED. >> I'M STILL SHAKING. >> IT SOUNDED TO ME LIKE IT HIT FROM THAT SIDE AND HIT THIS... >> I THOUGHT IT CAME OVER THE CREST INTO THIS SIDE. >> I'M GONNA WALK TO THE EDGE OF THE BUILDING. >> NO, PLEASE DON'T. CURT, JUST STAY HERE. WE'VE HAD ACTION NOW. WE'VE HAD ROCKS THROWN AT US. >> narrator: THROUGHOUT HISTORY, THE CANADIAN WILDERNESS HAS BEEN HOME TO HUNTERS, TRAPPERS, AND EXPLORERS. IT MAY ALSO BE HOME TO A MONSTER. >> PEOPLE NOW--THE GENERAL POPULATION HAS MORE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SUBJECT AS A WHOLE. AND NOW PEOPLE CAN, WITHOUT TOO MUCH DIFFICULTY, FIND SOMEONE TO ACTUALLY REPORT IT TO, WHEREAS IN THE PAST, NO ONE HAD ANY IDEA WHO TO REPORT SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO. >> narrator: THE SASQUATCH IS SIMILAR TO OTHER CREATURES SEEN AROUND THE WORLD BUT IS ALSO DIFFERENT. THE YETI IS SAID DO BE A QUADRUPED, OR AN APE THAT MOVES ON ALL FOURS. THE ALMASTI IS A RUSSIAN WILD MAN THAT IS MORE LIKE MAN THAN APE AND USES FIRE. SASQUATCH IS MORE LIKE AN APE OR UNKNOWN PRIMATE. MOST REPORTS ALSO POINT TO HOW ELUSIVE AND SHY THESE ANIMALS ARE, AVOIDING HUMAN CONTACT, BUT NOT ALWAYS. >> SASQUATCH SIGHTINGS HAPPEN WHEN THEY COME CLOSE TO PEOPLE, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. >> narrator: MOST EYEWITNESS ENCOUNTERS END AS SUDDENLY AND HARMLESSLY AS THEY BEGAN, BUT NOT AT SNOW GROVE. EYEWITNESSES CLAIM THIS BEAST DOES NOT SEEM TO LIKE VISITORS. >> BOY, I DON'T KNOW WHAT WOULD MAKE THAT SOUND. I WASN'T THAT CLOSE TO IT, BUT I REALLY HEARD IT. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. I REALLY CAN'T BELIEVE IT. >> narrator: WITHOUT WARNING, A ROCK FLIES OUT OF THE WOODS AND HITS THE CABIN. >> ONE OF US WAS URINATING OFF THE PORCH WHEN THE FIRST STONE HIT THE SIDE OF THE CABIN. >> THIS ROCK ON THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING WAS "BANG." THAT'S SCARY. AND IT'S AMAZING, HUH? IT'S ALWAYS STUFF YOU HEAR ABOUT THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN TO YOU. I'VE BEEN IN THE WOODS A LOT. I'VE CAMPED A LOT, AND I WAS OUT IN THE WOODS ALL BY MYSELF LAST NIGHT. >> narrator: CAMERA CREWS SCAN THE IMMEDIATE AREA WITH THE NIGHT VISION AND THERMAL CAMERAS AS THE TEAM RETREATS INTO THE CABIN. >> IT'S WEIRD. >> THIS IS QUITE EXCITING, I HAVE TO ADMIT. I'VE NOT EXPERIENCED ANYTHING QUITE THIS DRAMATIC BEFORE. >> narrator: ONE CREW MEMBER THREW A ROCK BACK INTO THE WOODS ONLY TO HAVE ANOTHER ROCK THROWN BACK. >> AND THAT WAS FOLLOWED SHORTLY AFTER BY A RATHER LARGER ROCK BOUNCING DOWN THE ROOF OF THE CABIN. THIS IS QUITE--QUITE DISTINCT. OBVIOUSLY, THERE'S NOTHING IN THE WOODS--THAT'S RECOGNIZED, ANYWAY--THAT CAN LOB ROCKS IN THAT FASHION. >> AND WE'RE ALL TOGETHER. I'M WITH EVERYBODY, SO I KNOW THAT IT'S NOBODY GOOFING AROUND. >> narrator: WHILE ONE CAMERAMAN SCOUTS AROUND THE AREA, THE REST OF THE TEAM LOCK THEMSELVES INTO THE CABIN FOR THE NIGHT. >> WE CAME IN FROM OUTSIDE, AND WE'RE COWERING IN HERE. I'M AFRAID FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND IT WAS FOR SURE A ROCK, AND IT WAS FOR SURE ON THE ROOF OF THE BUILDING. >> YEAH, SO WE'VE--WE'RE BACK INSIDE THE CABIN AT THE MOMENT. WE'VE TURNED DOWN THE LIGHTS INSIDE SO WE CAN GET A BETTER VIEW THROUGH THE WINDOWS AND JUST SEE IF ANYTHING GOES THROUGH OUR LINE OF SIGHT. >> narrator: THE MORNING COULD NOT COME SOON ENOUGH FOR MELDRUM, NELSON, AND THE ENTIRE CREW. AND AT FIRST LIGHT, THE CAMP'S OWNER, CHUCK MOSBECK, HAS RETURNED TO FLY THE CREW OUT. >> WHAT HAPPENED? >> WE REALLY HAD SOME ACTION LAST NIGHT. YEAH, IT WAS AMAZING. >> narrator: AN EXAMINATION OF THE AREA REVEALS NO TRACKS OR OTHER EVIDENCE, BUT WHATEVER HIT THE ROOF THAT NIGHT MAY STILL BE THERE. ONLY PRIMATES USE TOOLS AS WEAPONS. ROCK- AND STICK-THROWING IS COMMON IN CHIMPS AND GREAT APES. >> GOOD THROWING ROCK. >> narrator: WHATEVER OR WHOMEVER THREW THE ROCKS AT THE CABIN IS NEVER REVEALED, BUT MELDRUM AND NELSON LEAVE WITH AN AMPLE SUPPLY OF BLOOD, HAIR, AND TISSUE FROM THE SCREW BOARD. TODD DISOTELL OF NEW YORK UNIVERSITY'S MICROBIOLOGY LAB HAS AGREED TO RUN DNA TESTS ON THE BLOOD AND TISSUE SAMPLES. >> IF IT IS NOT TOO DEGRADED OR TOO OLD, WE CAN PROBABLY RECOVER DNA FROM IT. WELL, LET'S GET THIS EXPORTED TO THE SERVER, AND WE'LL GO RUN THE ANALYSIS. >> narrator: NOT ONLY CAN THIS EXACTING PROCESS REVEAL THE IDENTITY OF A KNOWN CREATURE, BUT IT COULD BE THE BEST WAY TO IDENTIFY A NEW SPECIES, LIKE A SASQUATCH. >> ONCE WE CAN RECOVER DNA, WE CAN AMPLIFY IT AND MAKE BILLIONS OF COPIES OF IT IN A MATTER OF HOURS IN THE LABORATORY. AND THEN WE CAN SEE, DO WE HAVE AN EXACT MATCH TO SOMETHING THAT'S KNOWN, OR IS IT CLOSELY RELATED TO SOMETHING THAT'S KNOWN? >> narrator: IT WILL TAKE SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE DNA TESTS REVEAL A MISSING LINK OR KNOWN CREATURE. THE LARGE QUANTITY OF TISSUE AND HAIR WILL ALLOW FOR NUMEROUS TESTS. HAIR MORPHOLOGY IS A MUCH FASTER EXAMINATION AND ALSO CAN REVEAL MUCH ABOUT WHAT STEPPED ON THE SCREWS AT THE CABIN. IF THIS IS JUST THE HAIR OF A KNOWN ANIMAL LIKE A BEAR, DR. LYNN ROGERS, A WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST IN ELY, MINNESOTA, SHOULD BE ABLE TO QUICKLY IDENTIFY IT. >> narrator: NORTHERN CANADA IS MOSTLY A VAST, UNINHABITED WILDERNESS. BUT EVEN WITH A SMALL HUMAN POPULATION, EYEWITNESSES OCCASIONALLY REPORT ENCOUNTERS WITH SASQUATCH. [growling] THIS MAN FIRST RECORDED FINDING 14-INCH TRACKS IN 1811. THIS MAN CLAIMS THE ANIMAL SHOOK HIS FISHING CABIN. AND THIS CABIN FISHING CAMP AT ONTARIO'S SNOW GROVE LAKE HAS BECOME THE SCENE OF MULTIPLE INCIDENTS, BUT BY WHAT AND WHY? >> HE MADE SUCH A MESS THAT AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT HAD TO BE KIDS. I DIDN'T BELIEVE EVEN AN ANIMAL WOULD DO IT, BUT THERE'S NO WAY FOR THEM TO GET HERE. THE LARGEST TOWN CLOSE TO US WOULD BE 10,000 PEOPLE, AND THAT'S 200 MILES AWAY. >> narrator: ONE EXPERT SAYS HE DOES NOT BELIEVE A BEAR IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CABIN'S DESTRUCTION. >> RIGHT AWAY, MY FIRST THOUGHT WOULD BE BEAR. BUT THIS IS SOMETIME BETWEEN OCTOBER 1ST AND THE MIDDLE OF THE WINTER. BEARS UP THAT FAR NORTH, TOWARDS THE NORTH EDGE OF THEIR RANGE, SHOULD BE IN HIBERNATION DURING THAT TIME. >> narrator: AND AN UNKNOWN BEAST LEFT AN 18-INCH BLOODY FOOTPRINT AT THE SCENE. >> ONE OF THE THINGS THAT IMPRESSES ME IS, THIS IS MUCH LARGER THAN WHAT WE MIGHT EXPECT FOR A BEAR FOOTPRINT. >> narrator: HISTORY SUPPORTS THE POSSIBILITY SASQUATCH MAY BE REAL. BUT WILL SCIENCE SUPPORT THE PROBABILITY? THE MORPHOLOGY EXAM ON THE HAIR FOUND IN THE SCREWS IS COMPLETE. >> SO I LOOKED AT--I LOOKED AT THE HAIR UNDER A MICROSCOPE AND COMPARED IT TO EVERY OTHER NORTH AMERICAN MAMMAL, ESPECIALLY THE ONES THAT LIVE IN NORTHERN ONTARIO, AND IT DIDN'T MATCH WITH ANYTHING AND IS CERTAINLY NOT BEAR. IT LOOKED HUMAN TO ME, BUT THERE WERE TWO IMPORTANT DIFFERENCES IN THE MORPHOLOGY. ONE IS THAT, UNDER A MICROSCOPE, THERE WAS NO MEDULLA... >> narrator: HUMAN HAIR HAS A SPONGY CENTER MASS OF TISSUE CALLED THE MEDULLA. >> AND THE OTHER ONE, THAT IT HAD A NATURALLY WORN TIP, A TAPERED TIP. THIS HAD NOT BEEN CUT. IT'S ALMOST LIKE IT CAME FROM A WILD HUMAN. THAT LEFT ME CONFUSED ABOUT WHAT IT COULD BE. AND I'LL BE REALLY INTERESTED TO SEE WHAT THE DNA SHOWS. >> narrator: MITOCHONDRIAL DNA IS THE MOST ACCURATE METHOD KNOWN FOR SPECIES IDENTIFICATION AND SHOULD BE ABLE TO PINPOINT WHETHER THE HAIR SAMPLE IS THAT OF A MAN OR NONHUMAN PRIMATE. >> ONCE WE CAN RECOVER DNA, WE CAN AMPLIFY IT AND MAKE BILLIONS OF COPIES OF IT IN A MATTER OF HOURS IN THE LABORATORY, AND THEN WE CAN SEQUENCE THOSE COPIES. WE CAN DETERMINE THE EXACT LINEAR SEQUENCE OF THE DNA BASES, THE "A"s, "C"s, "G"s, AND "T"s. ONCE WE HAVE THOSE, WE CAN COMPARE THEM TO A DATABASE OF BASICALLY ALL THE KNOWN LIVING ORGANISMS ON THE PLANET TODAY. >> narrator: BUT PROFESSOR DISOTELL HAS HIT A WALL EXTRACTING DNA. >> WE ACTUALLY DID NOT GET DNA, SO IN A SENSE, I DON'T EVEN HAVE A RESULT. THERE WAS NOT DNA PRESENT IN THE MATERIAL GIVEN TO US. EITHER THAT MATERIAL WAS SO DEGRADED THAT ANY VIABLE DNA WITHIN IT HAD BASICALLY BEEN DESTROYED BY OTHER ORGANISMS OR BY NATURE, OR THOSE WERE NOT BIOLOGICAL SAMPLES. >> narrator: DR. CURT NELSON ALSO HAS BEEN DOING DNA TESTS ON THE BLOOD, HAIR, AND TISSUE SAMPLES AND SUSPECTS THERE IS AN UNKNOWN SUBSTANCE OR INHIBITOR PRESENT THAT IS INTERFERING WITH THE DNA EXTRACTION. NELSON MUST FIRST IDENTIFY THE INHIBITOR AND THEN REMOVE IT FROM THE SEQUENCE. THE INHIBITOR HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED. THE GALVANIZING ON THE SCREWS WAS MIXED IN WITH THE ANIMAL DNA. NELSON CAN NOW NUDGE DNA FROM THE PURIFIED SAMPLES. >> THE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE, AT THIS POINT, IS SUGGESTING THAT THERE REALLY IS AN ANIMAL THERE. I CUT IT OUT, I REPURIFIED IT, AND I AMPLIFIED IT AGAIN USING THE SAME PRIMERS. I GOT A VERY STRONG REACTION WHEN I DID THAT. AND THE REASON WAS THAT I HAD GOTTEN RID OF THE INHIBITORY STUFF BY RUNNING IT OUT THAT WAY. AND I FOUND THAT IT WAS IDENTICAL TO HUMAN DNA EXCEPT IT HAD ONE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM. THAT NUCLEOTIDE THAT WAS DIFFERENT WAS A DIFFERENCE THAT IS SHARED WITH CHIMPANZEES. I GOT DNA THAT WAS PRIMATE DNA, AND I KNEW THAT I MIGHT BE LOOKING AT THE DNA OF A SASQUATCH. >> narrator: THE DNA SAYS PRIMATE BUT NOT QUITE HUMAN AND NOT QUITE NONHUMAN PRIMATE. ONE OF THE BASE PAIRS IS DEVIATED. >> THE THING WE HAVE TO DO NOW IS, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT MORE DNA. WE HAVE TO SEQUENCE MORE OF IT. WE HAVE TO DESIGN PRIMERS TO AMPLIFY DIFFERENT REGIONS OF THE DNA SO THAT WE CAN GET SEQUENCE ACROSS THE MITOCHONDRIAL GENOME AND DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT IT IS JUST HUMAN DNA, WHICH SEEMS UNLIKELY, THAT SOMETHING-- THAT A HUMAN WOULD STEP ON THAT BOARD LIKE THAT. >> narrator: GREAT APES SHARE NEARLY IDENTICAL DNA WITH MAN EXCEPT FOR A 35-BASE-PAIR DEVIATION. THE SNOW GROVE DNA SAMPLE HAS ONLY ONE DEVIATION. ACCORDING THE NELSON, THERE IS ONLY A 1 IN 5,000 CHANCE THIS IS HUMAN DNA. >> WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS THE BLOOD SO FAR. SO IF WE CAN FIND THAT THE SAME SEQUENCE EXISTS IN THE TISSUE AND IN THE HAIR, THAT INDICATES THAT AN ANIMAL--THAT THE ANIMAL THAT BLED THERE AND LEFT THE TISSUE THERE AND LEFT THE HAIR THERE WAS ALL THE SAME ANIMAL AND PRODUCED THAT SEQUENCE. THAT'S IMPORTANT TO TIE IT ALL TOGETHER. AND THAT COULD TAKE A YEAR. >> narrator: IT APPEARS SCIENCE MAY SUPPORT THE PROBABILITY OF A PRIMATE THAT IS NOT QUITE HUMAN AND NOT QUITE APE. BUT JUST WHAT LEFT THE BLOODY FOOTPRINT AT THAT SNOWROVE LAKE CABIN? >> IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THE CREATURE OF SNOW GROVE LAKE IS A REAL ANIMAL? YOU ADD IT ALL UP, AND IT'S VERY INTERESTING. >> narrator: IN THE END, THE CREATURE OF SNOW GROVE LAKE MAY REALLY ROAM THE FORESTS OF CANADA. WHETHER THIS CREATURE IS A GENETICALLY MUTATED MAN OR A YET-TO-BE-DISCOVERED ANIMAL, THE<i> MONSTER QUEST</i> SEARCH WILL RETURN TO SNOW GROW LAKE FOR A MORE EXTENSIVE SEARCH, A SEARCH FOR A LEGEND THAT MIGHT FINALLY STEP OUT FROM THE DARK SHADOWS AND INTO THE LIGHT OF REALITY. Captioning by<font color="#00FF00"> CaptionMax</font> www.captionmax.com
