>> male narrator: NATIVE
AMERICANS SAY A STRANGE BEAST LURKS IN THE SWAMPS OF THE
SOUTHERN UNITED STATES. >> OUR ELDERS SAY THAT THEY ARE
TO BE RESPECTED AND THAT THEY ARE TO LIVE IN PEACE.
>> narrator: HISTORY SUPPORTS THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE
SKUNK APE EXISTS. >> KIND OF, LIKE, STRETCHED UP
AND EXPANDED ITS CHEST AND JUST STOOD THERE.
>> IF THERE WERE AN ORANGUTAN IN THIS PICTURE, I THINK I'D BE
ABLE TO TELL. >> PEOPLE HAVE CLAIMED THAT YOU
CAN SMELL IT BEFORE YOU SEE IT. >> narrator: NOW SCIENCE
EXPLORES THE PROBABILITY IN A QUEST FOR ANSWERS.
>> I'VE DEVELOPED A PHEROMONE CHIP TO, HOPEFULLY, LURE THIS
CREATURE OUT FROM THE WILD. >> THERE'S NO WAY TO GET AWAY
FROM A BLOODHOUND. EVENTUALLY, THAT DOG WILL
FIND YOU. IT'S JUST A MATTER OF TIME.
[dog barking] >> narrator: WITNESSES AROUND
THE WORLD REPORT SEEING MONSTERS.
ARE THEY REAL OR IMAGINARY? SCIENCE SEARCHES FOR ANSWERS
ON<i> MONSTER QUEST.</i> FROM THE TIP OF THE FLORIDA
EVERGLADES THROUGH LOUISIANA'S SWAMPS AND BAYOUS AND INTO THE
BIG THICKET PRESERVE OF EASTERN TEXAS, THERE ARE 1,650,000 ACRES
OF CONNECTED, MOSTLY IMPENETRABLE FOREST AND SWAMPS,
LARGER THAN THE STATE OF DELAWARE.
AS LONG AS PEOPLE HAVE LIVED HERE, THEY HAVE TOLD STORIES OF
A STRANGE BEAST LURKING IN THE SWAMPS, BUT WHAT ARE
PEOPLE SEEING? >> IN OUR LANGUAGE, THEY'RE
CALLED<i> ISHKITSAPKO--</i> MEANS THAT IT'S A TALL PERSON
WHO LIVES IN THE FOREST. >> WHEN THEY WERE NEAR YOU, YOU
COULD SMELL A CERTAIN SWEET ODOR, AND THOSE WERE ALSO THERE
BUT ALSO SOUNDS. >> narrator: LONG BEFORE THE
FIRST WHITE MAN SET FOOT IN THE AREA, THE MICCOSUKEE AND
SEMINOLE TRIBES OF SOUTHERN FLORIDA SPOKE OF A CREATURE
THEY CALLED<i> STEE CHACHOKI,</i> OR "TALL, HAIRY MAN."
>> WE DON'T FEEL THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO GO AND TRY TO
CAPTURE THEM OR LOCATE THEM. THEY, FOR ONE, ARE NOT BOTHERING
ANYONE, AND OUR ELDERS SAY THAT THEY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THERE
AND THAT THEY ARE TO BE RESPECTED AND THAT THEY ARE TO
LIVE IN PEACE. >> narrator: IN 1850, AN
ARKANSAS NEWSPAPER HEADLINE FIRST MADE REFERENCE TO THE
SKUNK APE. FARMERS IN THE COUNTY REPORTED A
WILD MAN COVERED IN HAIR. FOOTPRINTS MEASURED
13 INCHES LONG. IN SOUTH PITTSBURG, TENNESSEE,
A 1934 NEWSPAPER HEADLINE REPORTED A MYSTERIOUS CREATURE
THAT WAS FAST AS LIGHTNING AND JUMPED LIKE A GIANT KANGAROO.
THE MONSTER'S STRANGE ODOR PERMEATED MANY OF THE HISTORIC
EYEWITNESS DESCRIPTIONS. >> PEOPLE HAVE SEEN SOMETHING
THAT IS REAL. MOST OF THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT
MAKING IT UP. THIS IS NOT A HALLUCINATION.
THEY'RE NOT IMAGINING IT. SO WE HAVE TO COME TO TERMS WITH
THE FACT THAT THERE'S SOMETHING VERY REAL OUT THERE.
TO ME, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN'T BE IGNORED, AND OBVIOUSLY,
IT BEGS FOR AN EXPLANATION. >> WHEN THEY EXITED THE WATER,
YOU HEARD A "WAH." >> HE HAD A KIND OF A
CONICAL-SHAPED HEAD. HE WAS VERY, VERY STOUT.
>> IN MY OPINION, IT WILL BE FOUND TO BE SOME SORT OF
RELEASED OR ESCAPED EXOTIC, SUCH AS A CHIMPANZEE,
GORILLA, ORANGUTAN. >> HE STAYED UPRIGHT.
HE WALKED. HIS ARMS SWUNG LIKE A HUMAN'S
WOULD SWING. >> IT WAS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF
SHAPED LIKE A MONKEY. IT SQUATTED LIKE A MONKEY,
AND WHEN IT TOOK OFF, IT RAN KIND OF LIKE A MONKEY DOES.
>> narrator: MOST EYEWITNESSES DESCRIBE A CREATURE THAT STANDS
SIX TO SEVEN FEET TALL, REDDISH IN COLOR,
WITH LONG, STRINGY HAIR-- HALF MAN, HALF APE.
HIS MOST COMMON AND UNIQUE FEATURE: THE SMELL, A PUNGENT
ODOR SIMILAR TO ROTTING EGGS. IT IS OFTEN CALLED THE SKUNK
APE, BUT WHERE IS THE PROOF? >> IF I'M LOOKING AT THE PHOTO,
I SEE SOME POSSIBILITIES OF IT ACTUALLY BEING A REAL ANIMAL.
>> narrator: THE ONLY CLOSE-UP PICTURES OF THE ALLEGED SKUNK
APE ARRIVED AT THE SARASOTA CITY, FLORIDA, POLICE DEPARTMENT
ON DECEMBER 22, 2000. THE ENVELOPE CONTAINED AN
ANONYMOUS LETTER AND THESE TWO PHOTOGRAPHS--WHICH APPEARED TO
BE SHOT IN QUICK SUCCESSION-- OF AN APELIKE CREATURE.
THE EYEWITNESS WHO WROTE THE LETTER FEARED THAT AN ORANGUTAN
WAS RUNNING LOOSE IN THE AREA OF MYAKKA STATE PARK
AND MIGHT HARM MEMBERS OF HER FAMILY.
>> THE ONLY THING I COULD REALLY SAY IF I LOOKED AT IT IS, IF IT
WERE A REAL ANIMAL, IT LOOKS MORE LIKE AN ORANGUTAN THAN
ANYTHING ELSE. >> narrator: CRYSTAL LEMASTER IS
A PRIMATE EXPERT SPECIALIZING IN ORANGUTANS AT THE
MIAMI-DADE ZOO. LEMASTER HAS AGREED TO EXAMINE
THE PHOTO. >> IN THE PHOTO THAT I WAS
SHOWN, THE CREATURE APPEARS TO BE BARING HIS TEETH.
ORANGUTANS DON'T USUALLY SHOW THEIR TEETH FIRST WHEN THEY'RE
TRYING TO INTIMIDATE WHOEVER IT IS THAT IS APPROACHING THEM.
THEY USUALLY THROW BRANCHES, A LOT OF BRANCH THRASHING,
A LOT OF MOVEMENT, A LOT OF NOISE.
APPARENTLY, A LOT OF THE LOCALS THERE HAVE DESCRIBED THIS ANIMAL
AS HAVING A VERY FOUL ODOR TO IT.
OTHER PRIMATE SPECIES DO ACTUALLY HAVE WHAT WE CALL
SCENT GLANDS, WHERE THEY ACTUALLY EXCRETE AN ODOR FROM
THOSE GLANDS, BUT THAT'S NOT REALLY THE CASE WITH ORANGUTANS.
BUT IT'S A BIG ANIMAL. I'M NOT SURE THAT IF PEOPLE ARE
REALLY OUT THERE VISITING THE EVERGLADES THAT THEY WOULDN'T
SPOT IT MORE OFTEN. >> narrator: LEMASTER DOES NOT
BELIEVE THE SUBJECT IN THE PHOTO IS AN ORANGUTAN.
LEMASTER'S NEXT STEP WILL BE AN EVEN CLOSER EXAMINATION TO SEE
IF THE IMAGE IS A REAL ANIMAL OR A CLEVER HOAX.
>> A SWAMP CREATURE IN FLORIDA IS A VERY DIFFERENT KIND OF
PHENOMENON AND YET VERY SIMILAR TO THE KINDS OF SIGHTINGS THAT
PEOPLE HAVE HEARD OF FOR YEARS FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND
FROM CANADA. >> narrator: ROBERT CARR IS AN
ARCHAEOLOGIST FOR THE STATE OF FLORIDA'S DIVISION OF HISTORIC
RESOURCES AND WITH THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE.
CARR HAS HEARD MANY EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS AND HAS RESEARCHED THE
SKUNK APE PHENOMENON. >> AND WHAT'S SIMILAR IS THAT
IT'S A BIPEDAL, HAIRY-TYPE CREATURE, ALLEGEDLY, LIVING IN
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST IN A MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN
BUT HERE, IN A VERY LOW, SWAMPY AREA.
>> narrator: THE COMPARISON TO BIGFOOT SIGHTINGS OF THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST IS NOT UNCOMMON. HOWEVER, THE SWAMP CREATURE IS
REDDISH IN COLOR, AS OPPOSED TO THE DARK-COLORED BROWN- OR
BLACK-FURRED BIGFOOT. THE SKUNK APE ALSO HAS MUCH
LONGER, FLOWING HAIR AND IS SMALLER IN SIZE THAN
BIGFOOT REPORTS. ANOTHER RESEARCHER AGREES.
>> FROM WHAT I GATHER, THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST ARE A
LITTLE BIT BIGGER, BULKIER, A LOT TALLER, AND THEY'RE
WELL-SUITED FOR THE TERRAIN THAT THEY'RE IN.
AND IN THE SOUTH, WE DON'T HAVE AS RUGGED AS CLIMBING MOUNTAINS
AND WHATNOT, SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE AS POWERFUL.
>> narrator: THE SKUNK APE'S UNIQUE SIZE, COLOR, AND SMELL
ALL SEEM TO POINT TO A DIFFERENT ANIMAL, AND THIS MAN CLAIMS HE
HAS SEEN IT. COLLIER COUNTY, FLORIDA: 1983.
>> I WAS IN COLLIER COUNTY, FLORIDA, HOG HUNTING,
AND I WAS WALKING THROUGH THE SAW GRASS, LOOKING FOR THIS
TRAIL, WHEN I HAPPENED TO LOOK UP.
AND ABOUT 100 TO 120 YARDS AHEAD OF ME, I SAW A DARK OBJECT.
SO I STARTED STOMPING CLOSER TO THIS THING THAT I THOUGHT WAS
A BEAR. I GOT WITHIN, I ESTIMATE, ABOUT
30 YARDS AWAY, AND I STOOD UP STRAIGHT TO GET A SHOT.
IT STOOD UP AND TURNED AT THE WAIST, ITS ENTIRE UPPER TORSO,
AND LOOKED AT ME. THIS WAS WHEN EVERYTHING
WENT HAYWIRE. THIS THING LOOKED AT ME FOR WHAT
I CAN ONLY ESTIMATE TO BE ABOUT EIGHT TO TEN SECONDS, AND THEN
IT TURNED AND WALKED INTO THE BAYHEAD.
IT WALKED ON TWO LEGS. IT NEVER WENT DOWN TO ALL FOURS.
AND THAT'S WHEN THE SMELL HIT ME.
IT WAS A AWFUL SMELL. IT WOULD ALMOST GAG YOU.
I HAVE COMPARED IT, OVER THE YEARS, TO ROTTEN EGGS, SULFUR,
AND AN OLD, WET, LONG-HAIRED DOG THAT'S BEEN SLEEPING IN A GOAT
PEN ALL NIGHT IN THE RAIN. >> THERE ARE COUNTLESS THOUSANDS
OF ACRES OF SWAMPLAND BETWEEN BIG CYPRESS AND
THE EVERGLADES. IT IS NOT UNIMAGINABLE FOR AN
ANIMAL TO REMAIN SECLUDED IN THAT AREA WITHOUT EVER BEING
SEEN BY A HUMAN BEING. >> narrator: RON MAGILL IS A
ZOOLOGIST AT THE MIAMI-DADE ZOO AND BELIEVES THE SWAMPS OF THE
SOUTHERN U.S. CAN SUPPORT A WIDE VARIETY OF ANIMALS.
>> YOU KNOW, YOU GO DOWN TO THE EVERGLADES AS A VISITOR COMING
IN THERE, LOOKING AT THE NATIONAL PARK, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL,
ENDLESS AREA, SERENE, QUITE CALMING IN MANY WAYS.
IT'S OKAY IF YOU'RE IN A VEHICLE AND YOU'RE TRAVELING DOWN THERE,
LOOKING AT IT AS A NATIONAL PARK.
IF YOU WERE TO GET LOST IN THE EVERGLADES, IF YOU WERE TO GET
LOST IN THE BIG CYPRESS SWAMP, YOU'RE FACING A LOT
OF CHALLENGES. >> narrator: WHILE THESE VAST
SWAMPS COULD SUPPORT A LARGE APE, THERE ARE NO NONHUMAN
PRIMATES INDIGENOUS TO THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES.
150 MILES FROM SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA, NEAR COTTON ISLAND,
IN THE HEART OF THE LOUISIANA BAYOU, AN EXPEDITION
IS UNDER WAY. >> WE GOT TO MEET, HUH?
>> WELL, COTTON ISLAND IS A GOOD SITE FOR AN EXPEDITION, BECAUSE
THERE'S BEEN SIGHTINGS HERE, AND THERE'S BEEN VOCALIZATIONS,
KNOCKING, AND IT'S ALSO A VERY DENSE, SWAMPY AREA WHERE A
LARGER CREATURE COULD LIVE AND NOT REALLY BE SEEN BY HUMANS.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF WILDLIFE. THERE'S THINGS FOR IT TO EAT.
BEHIND ME, THERE'S A BUNCH OF CHOKECHERRIES.
WELL, I GET ASKED A LOT IF I BELIEVE IN A LARGE NORTH
AMERICAN APE, BUT I THINK BELIEF IS NOT REALLY THE QUESTION.
THAT STEMS MORE FROM SOMETHING YOU THINK IS TRUE WHEN YOU
REALLY DON'T HAVE THE EVIDENCE OR FACTS TO SUPPORT IT, AND
THAT'S MORE FAITH-BASED. I THINK IN SCIENCE, WHAT WE HAVE
TO DO IS DEVELOP A HYPOTHESIS AND THEN DEVELOP DATA AND
EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT OR REFUTE THAT HYPOTHESIS.
>> narrator: DR. GREG BAMBENEK IS A MEDICAL DOCTOR AND
WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST WITH 35 YEARS' EXPERIENCE
DEVELOPING HUNTING AND FISHING SCENTS TO ATTRACT WILDLIFE.
BAMBENEK BELIEVES SCENTS MAY HELP IN HIS SEARCH FOR THE
SKUNK APE. >> SO I'VE DEVELOPED A PHEROMONE
CHIP TO, HOPEFULLY, LURE THIS CREATURE OUT FROM THE WILD.
>> narrator: A PHEROMONE IS ANY CHEMICAL PRODUCED BY A LIVING
ORGANISM THAT TRANSMITS A MESSAGE TO OTHER MEMBERS OF THE
SAME SPECIES. >> THE PHEROMONE CHIP SCENT THAT
I'VE COME UP WITH IS A COMBINATION OF HUMAN, APE
PHEROMONES AND COPULINS, AND IT HAS A FAIRLY RUDE ODOR.
>> narrator: BAMBENEK DEVELOPED THE PHEROMONE CHIPS USING
VAGINAL BACTERIA FROM BOTH HUMAN AND APE FEMALES,
CREATING A COMBINATION THAT SHOULD AROUSE THE CURIOSITY OF
ANY APE LURKING WITHIN MILES. >> WHOO, THAT'S BAD.
>> narrator: BAMBENEK WILL BE JOINED BY RESEARCHER
SCOTT KESSLER. KESSLER WAS RAISED IN LOUISIANA
AND BRINGS HIS KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE OF THESE SWAMPS TO
THE EXPEDITION. >> I BELIEVE THIS IS A GOOD SITE
FOR AN EXPEDITION JUST BECAUSE OF THE PREVIOUS HISTORY.
YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF UNINHABITED AREA, A LOT OF SWAMPLAND THAT'S
REALLY HARD TO GET INTO. >> narrator: IN AUGUST 2000,
NEAR TROUT, LOUISIANA, ABOUT 235 MILES FROM NEW ORLEANS,
PARAMEDICS AND THEN POLICE WERE CALLED OUT TO THE SCENE OF
AN ACCIDENT. A DRIVER HAD REPORTEDLY HIT
SOMEONE OR SOMETHING. WHILE THE DRIVER DID NOT WANT TO
BE INTERVIEWED, ONE FIREFIGHTER AT THE SCENE THAT NIGHT RECOUNTS
HIS STORY. HE, TOO, DOES NOT WANT HIS
IDENTITY KNOWN. >> WE ARRIVED ON SCENE,
WALKED UP TO THE VEHICLE, EXPECTING TO SEE SOMEBODY LAYING
ON THE GROUND UNDER THE VEHICLE OR WITHIN CLOSE PROXIMITY.
AND THERE WAS NOBODY THERE. THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE STATED
THAT HE STRUCK WHAT APPEARED TO BE A MAN WEARING A FUR COAT
CROSSING THE HIGHWAY. THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT
OF DAMAGE TO THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE.
I REMEMBER THE MIRROR BEING TORN OFF, AND THERE WAS A LOT OF HAIR
ALONG THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. BUT HE HAD STRUCK SOMETHING.
WHAT, WE DON'T KNOW. WE SEARCHED THE NEARBY WOODS AND
THE DITCHES, AND WE WERE UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING.
>> narrator: THE DAMAGE TO THE FRONT QUARTER PANEL OF THE CAR
INDICATED SOMETHING LARGE WAS HIT.
POLICE WANTED TO FIND HIM OR HER.
BLOODHOUNDS WERE BROUGHT IN TO TRACK THE VICTIM, WHO PERHAPS
WANDERED OFF IN A DAZE. THE BLOODHOUNDS PICKED UP A
SCENT AND CHASED THE VICTIM THROUGH A THICK, RUGGED, SWAMPY
TERRAIN FOR OVER TWO HOURS. THEY COULD HEAR SOMETHING LARGE
MOVING THROUGH THE THICKET JUST AHEAD OF THEM
BUT WERE NEVER ABLE TO GET CLOSE ENOUGH TO SEE IT
BEFORE LOSING THE SCENT AND THE VICTIM INTO THE SWAMP.
>> IT WAS JUST PECULIAR-- THAT MUCH DAMAGE WAS DONE TO A
VEHICLE AND TO FIND NO PATIENT. >> narrator: DR. GREG BAMBENEK
AND RESEARCHER SCOTT KESSLER ARE FOCUSING THEIR SEARCH NEAR
COTTON ISLAND SWAMP, ONLY ABOUT 20 MILES FROM THE TROUT,
LOUISIANA, INCIDENT IN 2000. >> SCOTT, HAVE YOU GOT THAT
AIMED OVER IN THE VICINITY OF THIS CHIP?
>> YEAH, WE'RE RIGHT ON. >> AIM RIGHT ON?
OKAY. >> GOT OUR ANGLE FOR THE GAME.
YEAH, WE'RE GOOD TO GO. >> I HUNT ELK AND BEAR AND EVEN
JAGUAR IN THE PAST. SCENT IS WIDELY USED FOR THAT,
SO WHY NOT USE IT TO LURE IN A GREAT APE?
>> narrator: WHILE BAMBENEK AND KESSLER DEPLOY STEALTH CAM
DIGITAL CAMERA TRAPS AND PHEROMONE CHIPS ON HIGH GROUND,
THE REST OF THE CREW SETS OUT DEEPER INTO THE SWAMP.
[motor revving] ACCESSIBLE ONLY BY AIRBOAT,
THESE DANGEROUS AND REMOTE WATERWAYS CONTAIN SMALL ISLANDS
AND OTHER LOWLANDS THAT SOME RESEARCHERS BELIEVE MAY BE HOME
TO THE SKUNK APE. >> THIS IS GOOD.
WE CAN BAIT THE LOG OUT THERE. PUT OUR CAMERA--SET UP OUR
CAMERA ON THIS TREE. WE CAN PICK UP THE WHOLE WET
PRAIRIE OUT THERE. >> narrator: BAMBENEK'S GOAL:
COVER AS MUCH TERRITORY AS POSSIBLE, INCREASING HIS CHANCES
OF AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE ELUSIVE BEAST.
>> NUMBER ONE. IF YOU CAN HOLD THAT THERE.
>> YEAH, LET ME HOLD ON TO IT. >> narrator: BAMBENEK'S SEARCH
AREA HAS A LONG HISTORY OF SIGHTINGS, INCLUDING A RECENT
REPORT IN 2006. >> IN AUGUST, HAD A LOGGING CREW
IN THERE. GUY WAS DRIVING AND STOPPED,
AND HE SAID THIS SHAGGY DOG THING STOOD UP.
SAID IT WAS COMPLETELY COVERED IN BLACK HAIR.
HE COULDN'T SEE ANY FACIAL FEATURES.
AND ENDED UP IT RUN OFF AND ENDED UP JUMPING INTO A BAYOU
AND SWIMMING OFF. A FEW DAYS LATER, HIM AND
ANOTHER GUY WERE WALKING THE SURVEY LINE, AND HE SAID HE
LOOKED UP ALONG THE LINE, AND HE SAID HE SAW THIS THING LEANING
OVER, LOOKING BEHIND A TREE. HE SAID THEY HOLLERED AT IT
AND SAID IT TURNED, AND IT WENT BACK TOWARD THEIR LOGGING
EQUIPMENT THAT THEY'D JUST GOT OFF OF.
I'VE COME BACK OUT HERE. WE MEASURED THE TRACKS FOR
THAT DAY. WE FOUND 16 TRACKS.
I THINK THEY MEASURED 14 INCHES. >> narrator: IT IS HERE THAT
BAMBENEK AND KESSLER WANT TO TRY SOMETHING ELSE, A LOW-TECH BUT
VERY EFFECTIVE SCENT TOOL. >> GOOD SEEING YOU GUYS.
>> narrator: BLOODHOUNDS: THE DOGS THAT TRACKED SOMEONE OR
SOMETHING IN 2000. >> BLOODHOUNDS HAVE BEEN, YOU
KNOW, AROUND FOR MANY, MANY YEARS AND USED SPECIFICALLY FOR
TRAILING AND TRACKING. TRACKING IS FOLLOWING A SPECIFIC
SCENT STEP-BY-STEP. IF THIS PERSON WENT THIS WAY,
THAT DOG IS GOING TO GO RIGHT WHERE THAT PERSON STEPPED.
>> narrator: JOHN PRATOR AND KERRY FOSTER ARE THE DOG
HANDLERS FROM THE SHREVEPORT FIRE DEPARTMENT SEARCH
AND RESCUE. >> IN TRAILING, IT'S DOING
SOMEWHAT THE SAME THING BUT WITH AIR CURRENTS.
AS THAT SCENT MAY TRAVEL OR COLLECT, THE PERSON MAY HAVE
GONE THAT WAY AND THEN TURNED, WHERE IN TRAILING, THE DOG MAY
CUT OFF, YOU KNOW, 5, 10, 15, 20 MINUTES OFF OF THE TRAIL
BUT STILL BE ON THE SCENT AND FOLLOW THAT PERSON.
IF OTHER PEOPLE HAVE BEEN OUT IN THE WOODS OR IF THE SCENT HAS
BEEN CONTAMINATED, WE INTRODUCE THAT DOG TO EVERYBODY THAT IS
GOING TO BE AROUND DURING THAT TRAIL SO THAT THE DOG
ALSO UNDERSTANDS THAT "THIS IS NOT THE PERSON I'M LOOKING FOR"
AND HE KNOWS THAT SPECIFIC SCENT.
>> narrator: BLOODHOUNDS ONLY DETECT LIVING FLESH OR FRESH
SKIN CELLS, SO WHEN THE PHEROMONE CHIPS WITH LIVE APE
BACTERIA ARE PRESENTED TO THE DOGS, A LIVE APE BECOMES
THEIR TARGET. CRITICS ARGUE, IF THERE ARE
LIVING APES, THEN THERE SHOULD ALSO BE DEAD APES.
WILDLIFE EXPERT PEGGY CALLAHAN PLANS AN EXPERIMENT THAT COULD
SHED LIGHT ON WHY NO CARCASS HAS BEEN FOUND.
>> PEOPLE ALWAYS WANT TO HEAR ABOUT HOW THEY LIVE.
EQUALLY IMPORTANT TO A SCIENTIST IS HOW ANIMALS DIE AND WHAT
HAPPENS BEYOND THEIR DEATH. THERE'S SO MUCH EXCITING
INFORMATION TO BE LEARNED JUST BY WATCHING ONE DEER.
>> narrator: PEGGY CALLAHAN AND PHOTOGRAPHER JIM TITTLE WANT
TO SEE HOW LONG IT TAKES FOR A LARGE ANIMAL CARCASS
TO DECOMPOSE. >> THIS IS OUR TIME-LAPSE
CAMERA HOUSING. IT'S A WATERPROOF CAMERA CASE
MADE OUT OF PLASTIC. IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE THE
CAMERA, WE'VE CUT A HOLE RIGHT HERE IN THE SIDE AND ATTACHED
A CLEAR-GLASS FILTER FOR THE CAMERA TO LOOK THROUGH.
>> narrator: THEY HAVE ACQUIRED A FRESH ROADKILL DEER CARCASS
FOR THE TEST, FIXED TO THE GROUND TO PREVENT SCAVENGERS
FROM CARRYING THE DEER AWAY. >> FOR MOST OF THE FLESH AND
HAIR, ET CETERA, TO DISAPPEAR, I'M GOING TO GIVE IT ABOUT
A MONTH IN THIS KIND OF WEATHER, EVERYTHING COMBINED.
FOR THE BONES, THE BONES WILL GO TO GOOD USE, BUT THEY'LL BE
DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THE COUNTRYSIDE, ACROSS THE
LANDSCAPE, AND THEY'LL DISAPPEAR BELOW LEAF COVER, BELOW OTHER
PLANT LIFE, ET CETERA. SO WE WILL NOT SEE EVIDENCE OF
THIS DEER IN TWO MONTHS. >> narrator: THE CAMERA WILL
SNAP A PICTURE OF THE CARCASS EVERY TEN MINUTES FOR SEVEN
CONSECUTIVE DAYS. IF THE DEER COMPLETELY
DECOMPOSES, IT COULD EXPLAIN WHY NO DEAD SKUNK APE BODIES ARE
FOUND, IF THEY EXIST. RESEARCHER SCOTT KESSLER HAS
NEVER FOUND PHYSICAL EVIDENCE LIKE BONES, BUT KESSLER DOES NOT
NEED EVIDENCE TO FUEL HIS SEARCH.
IN 1977, NEAR TROUT, LOUISIANA, WHEN HE WAS JUST SEVEN YEARS
OLD, KESSLER SAYS HE ENCOUNTERED THE SKUNK APE.
>> AND IT WAS STILL REAL QUIET, AND I HEARD SOMETHING HIT
THE WATER. [water splashes]
THE REALLY BIG THING THAT STANDS OUT THAT NIGHT WAS HEARING THE
SOUND THAT WAS MADE WHEN THEY CAME OUT OF THE WATER.
"MWAH!" >> narrator: IN 1977, SCOTT
KESSLER WAS JUST SEVEN YEARS OLD, CAMPING WITH HIS FAMILY
NEAR TROUT, LOUISIANA. >> LATE THAT NIGHT,
WE WAS IN CAMP. EVERYBODY WAS ASLEEP.
WE HAD LANTERNS BURNING FOR SAFETY AND SECURITY IN THE CAMP.
I REMEMBER THE RACCOONS WOULD COME INTO CAMP EVERY NIGHT AND
MESS WITH WHAT WAS LEFT ON THE TABLES.
AND I WOKE UP AROUND MIDNIGHT OR SO, SAT UP, AND LOOKED OUT THE
WINDOW, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, EVERYTHING WENT REAL QUIET.
THE COONS STARTED LOOKING OFF INTO THE WOODS LIKE, "HEY,
SOMETHING BIG IS COMING. WE NEED TO RESPECT IT."
AND I LOOKED BACK FOR THE COONS, AND THEY WERE GONE.
AND IT WAS STILL REAL QUIET, AND I HEARD SOMETHING HIT
THE WATER. [water splashes]
THE REALLY BIG THING THAT STANDS OUT THAT NIGHT WAS HEARING THE
SOUND THAT WAS MADE WHEN THEY CAME OUT OF THE WATER.
"MWAH!" AND THEN I HEARD IT GRUNTING,
COMING UP THE EMBANKMENT. IT WAS ABOUT AN
EIGHT-FOOT EMBANKMENT. AND WHEN IT STOOD UP, IT KIND
OF, LIKE, STRETCHED UP AND EXPANDED ITS CHEST AND JUST
STOOD THERE. I HUNKERED DOWN WHERE JUST MY
EYES WERE SHOWING ABOVE THE WINDOW OPENING.
AND IT MOVED FORWARD, AND THEN I HEARD SOMETHING HIT THE WATER
AND HEARD THE SAME "MWAH" WHEN IT COME UP OUT OF THE WATER,
AND A SMALLER ONE CAME UP OVER THE EMBANKMENT.
THAT WAS ALL I NEEDED TO SEE, AND I LAID DOWN, COVERED UP,
AND HOPED DAYLIGHT WOULD GET THERE PRETTY QUICK.
>> narrator: KESSLER REMAINS CONVINCED THE CREATURES HE
OBSERVED AS A CHILD WERE NOT A KNOWN ANIMAL, BUT OTHERS ARE
NOT SO SURE. >> THERE'S A LONG HISTORY OF
MONKEYS AND PRIMATES GOING WILD IN SOUTHERN FLORIDA.
>> narrator: IN NOVEMBER 2006, THIS LONE CHIMP WAS PHOTOGRAPHED
NEAR GULF BREEZE, FLORIDA. THE LOCAL ZOO WAS CONTACTED, AND
ALL CHIMPS WERE ACCOUNTED FOR. IN 1992, HURRICANE ANDREW
RAVAGED FLORIDA AND LOUISIANA, RELEASING ALMOST 300 DOG-SIZED
MONKEYS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI PRIMATE CENTER.
RON MAGILL BELIEVES THE SWAMPS OF THE SOUTHERN U.S. COULD BE
HOME TO ESCAPED OR RELEASED PRIMATES.
>> THERE ARE COUNTLESS THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF SWAMPLAND BETWEEN
BIG CYPRESS AND THE EVERGLADES. IT IS NOT UNIMAGINABLE FOR AN
ANIMAL TO REMAIN SECLUDED IN THAT AREA WITHOUT EVER BEING
SEEN BY A HUMAN BEING. SO I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT, YES,
AN ANIMAL COULD ADAPT. A PRIMATE, IN FACT, COULD ADAPT
TO SURVIVE IN THE EVERGLADES. >> narrator: AND EYEWITNESSES
CONTINUE TO SEE THEM, LIKE RYAN MAYBERRY IN THE SUMMER OF
2005 IN THE HEART OF THE BIG CYPRESS PRESERVE.
>> WHEN I FIRST, YOU KNOW, WAS COMING DOWN THE TRAIL AND I SEEN
IT, I DIDN'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS, AND I STOPPED AND JUST
LOOKED AT IT HARDER, AND IT SEEMED TO ME AS, LIKE, A MONKEY.
IT WAS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF SHAPED LIKE A MONKEY.
IT SQUATTED LIKE A MONKEY, AND WHEN IT TOOK OFF, IT RAN
KIND OF LIKE A MONKEY DOES. AND, YOU KNOW, I REALLY COULDN'T
TELL IF IT HAD A TAIL ON IT OR NOT.
IT WAS, YOU KNOW, SHORTER BUT A LITTLE BULKIER, LIKE, IN THE
SHOULDERS. >> narrator: WHILE MAYBERRY WAS
NOT ABLE TO ESTIMATE THE SIZE OF THE PRIMATE HE SAW, AN ESCAPED
CHIMPANZEE DOES FIT HIS DESCRIPTION.
BUT HOW DOES ONE EXPLAIN THIS: THERE WERE SIGHTINGS OF APES IN
THIS REGION LONG BEFORE ZOOS OR PRIVATE COLLECTORS?
>> THERE IS ONE NEWSPAPER ACCOUNT FROM THE EARLY
19TH CENTURY. NOW, THIS EARLY-19TH-CENTURY
NEWSPAPER ACCOUNT DEALS WITH WHAT WAS CALLED AT THE TIME
THE "MAN-MOUNTAIN," WHICH WAS SUPPOSEDLY THIS GIANT,
HAIR-COVERED, HALF-HUMAN, HAL-APE MONSTER THAT LIVED IN
THE SWAMPS OF THE FLORIDA-GEORGIA BORDER.
AT ONE POINT, TWO HUNTERS ARE OUT IN THE BOTTOMLAND, IN THE
SWAMP, AND THEY FIND A TRACK ABOUT 19 INCHES LONG AND ABOUT 9
INCHES WIDE UNLIKE ANYTHING THEY'VE EVER SEEN.
AND THESE ARE HUNTERS. THESE ARE WOODSMEN, SO THEY'RE
JUSTIFIABLY STARTLED. THAT NIGHT, AS THEY CAMP,
SUDDENLY THEY'RE WOKEN UP BY THESE HUGE, HORRENDOUS,
BELLOWING SCREAMS. [animal roaring]
AND THEY VERY QUICKLY TAKE OFF, GETTING OUT OF THE SWAMP AS FAST
AS THEY CAN, EVEN LEAVING SOME OF THEIR GEAR BEHIND
IN THEIR HASTE. >> WE WENT ON THE HUNT.
>> MM-HMM. >> AND ONCE THEY GET BACK INTO
CIVILIZATION THERE, THE TWO GUYS BEGIN TO TELL THIS STORY AROUND.
>> I FIRST THOUGHT IT WAS A HUMAN BEING THAT LEFT THE PRINT.
IT EVEN HAD TOE PRINTS AS WELL. >> LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE INTRIGUED.
THEY DESCRIBE THE SIZE OF THE TRACKS AND THE
BELLOWING SCREAMS AND ALL THIS SORT OF THING.
AND EVENTUALLY, A PARTY OF INDIVIDUALS BOTH FROM GEORGIA
AND FLORIDA GETS TOGETHER, AND THEY'RE GOING TO GO OUT, AND
THEY'RE GOING TO TRY TO HUNT THIS CREATURE.
AND THEY ARE ARMED TO THE TEETH WITH RIFLES AND PISTOLS AND
SWORDS AND ALL THE WEAPONS OF THE DAY.
THEY SET OFF INTO THE WOODS THERE, INTO THE SWAMPS
IN THE BOTTOMLANDS, AND THEY'RE OUT FOR QUITE SOME
TIME, FOR, LIKE, TWO WEEKS. SO FINALLY, AFTER TWO WEEKS OF
FRUSTRATING EFFORT AND NOT REALLY FINDING ANYTHING, THEY DO
FIND SOME TRACKS, AND THEY MAKE CAMP NEARBY AND PREPARE TO LOOK
FOR THE CREATURE AT FIRST LIGHT. >> DURING THE NIGHT, AFTER
EVERYBODY HAS DOZED OFF AND EVERYBODY'S ASLEEP, THE CAMP IS
ALL QUIET. AND SUDDENLY, THEY'RE ACTUALLY
ATTACKED BY THIS CREATURE, TAKEN TOTALLY BY SURPRISE.
YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO WAKE UP TO A
10-, 12-, 13-FOOT MONSTER IN YOUR CAMP.
SOME OF THE GUYS MANAGED TO GET UP AND GRAB FIREARMS AND GET
SEVERAL SHOTS OFF. THE CREATURE IS HIT
NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT IT STILL MANAGES TO KILL THE
MAJORITY OF THE PARTY. [gunshot]
[gunshot] AND SO THEY FINISH THE CREATURE
OFF, AND AS THEY EXAMINE THE CREATURE'S BODY IN THE DARK,
THEY FIND IT TO BE THIS GIANT 13-FOOT-TALL MONSTER WITH HUGE
MUSCLES AND JUST TERRIFYING PROPORTIONS.
THE SURVIVORS ARE FEARFUL THAT THE COMMOTION MAY ATTRACT OTHER
MONSTERS, SO THEY VERY QUICKLY GATHER UP SOME FIREARMS AND HEAD
OUT OF THE SWAMP, AND, OF COURSE, THEY DON'T BOTHER TO
TAKE ANY PART OF THE MONSTER TO ACTUALLY VERIFY THEIR STORY.
BUT THE STORY WAS PICKED UP BY SEVERAL OTHER NEWSPAPERS AT
THE TIME. >> JUST BECAUSE YOU READ IT IN
THE NEWSPAPER DOESN'T MAKE IT REAL.
WE KNOW THAT IN THE 19TH CENTURY THAT THERE WERE REPORTERS
ACTUALLY MAKING UP REALLY GRANDIOSE, BIZARRE STORIES.
THIS COULD BE ONE OF THEM. BUT IT'S INTERESTING, BECAUSE IT
DOES FIT IN WITH THE MORE MODERN PATTERN OF THIS SWAMP CREATURE
AND WITH FOOTPRINTS AND A LOT OF SIMILARITIES TO WHAT IS REPORTED
IN THE 20TH CENTURY. >> narrator: PRIMATE EXPERT
CRYSTAL LEMASTER HAS BEEN STUDYING THE BEST PHOTO OF THE
ALLEGED SWAMP CREATURE. THE QUESTION IS, IS IT A HOAX OR
A REAL ANIMAL? >> THE HAIR LOOKS PRETTY LONG
FOR AN ORANGUTAN AND PRETTY MANICURED, SO TO SPEAK.
AN ORANGUTAN THAT'S OUT THERE IN THE WILD, YOU KNOW, LIVING BY
HIMSELF, PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE QUITE SO MANICURED IN
THOSE CONDITIONS. AFTER LOOKING AT ALL THE PHOTOS,
I REALLY HAVE TO QUESTION ITS AUTHENTICITY, AND IT WOULD BE MY
PROFESSIONAL OPINION THAT THIS IS NOT A REAL ANIMAL.
>> narrator: FOR MOST EXPERTS, THE MYAKKA APE PHOTOS
PRESENT PROBLEMS. WITHOUT AN INTERVIEW WITH THE
PERSON WHO TOOK THEM, THE CONTEXT AND VERACITY OF THE
PHOTOS CANNOT BE FULLY INVESTIGATED.
WHILE INTERESTING, THEY ARE NOT CONCLUSIVE.
HOWEVER, ANOTHER FLORIDA TRACKER, T.L. RIGGS, HAS FOUND
SOMETHING INTRIGUING. >> THE ART OF TRACKING IS THE
ART OF FINDING SOMETHING OUT OF PLACE.
AND IN ORDER TO KNOW IF SOMETHING IS OUT OF PLACE IN THE
WILD OR ANYWHERE ELSE, YOU HAVE TO KNOW, FROM EXPERIENCE,
WHERE EVERYTHING BELONGS. >> narrator: RIGGS HAS 60 YEARS'
EXPERIENCE WORKING AS AN ANIMAL TRACKER AND SURVEYOR IN FLORIDA.
HE FOUND SOMETHING IN THE EVERGLADES THAT BEARS
CLOSER EXAMINATION. >> THE FIRST TIME I CAME ONTO
HAIR WAS ON AN ABANDONED ROCK ROAD.
I NOTICED A BROKEN BRANCH, AND I NOTICED THAT WHERE IT WAS BROKEN
OFF, AT FIRST GLANCE, IT LOOKED LIKE IT HAD SPIDERWEB ON IT.
BUT LOOKING CLOSER, I DETERMINED IT WASN'T SPIDERWEB.
IT WAS HAIR, VERY FINE, KINKY, NOT-STRAIGHT, COPPER-COLORED
HAIR. [door squeaks]
>> narrator: RIGGS' HAIR SAMPLE HAS NEVER BEEN EXAMINED BY
OUTSIDE EXPERTS UNTIL NOW. >> THESE ARE THE INDIVIDUAL
HAIRS THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEND OFF TO HAVE FURTHER ANALYSIS
DONE ON. >> narrator: DR. LYNN ROGERS
IS A WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST. HE WILL CONDUCT A MORPHOLOGY
EXAM, A SIMPLE MEANS OF DETERMINING IF THE HAIR COMES
FROM A KNOWN CREATURE. >> IT'S A LITTLE OVER AN INCH
LONG, TAPERS TO A TIP, AND IT'S LIKE IT'S BEEN BROKEN
IN A FEW PLACES. I'M NOT SURE WHAT IT IS.
>> narrator: THERE IS SOMETHING STRANGE ABOUT THIS HAIR.
>> IT DOESN'T MATCH THE MORPHOLOGY OF HAIR.
IT'S GOT SEVERAL BREAKS IN IT. IT'S JUST--IT'S NOT A HAIR.
I DON'T SEE ANY SCALE PATTERN ON THIS AT ALL, SO I WOULD
SUSPECT THAT THIS IS PLANT MATERIAL, AND I CAN'T IDENTIFY
WHAT SPECIES IT IS. THERE ARE SO MANY FUNGI AND
LICHENS IN LOUISIANA THAT IT COULD BE ONE OF THOSE.
>> narrator: A DEAD END, AND YET EYEWITNESSES CONTINUE TO
REPORT SEEING THE CREATURE, LIKE WILDLIFE TRACKER DAN
JACKSON, WHO CLAIMS HE CAME FACE-TO-FACE WITH THE MONSTER
IN 2002 IN A PLACE NOBODY >> narrator: IN RESPONSE TO
THOUSANDS OF SIGHTINGS, THE FLORIDA STATE LEGISLATURE, IN
APRIL 1977, INTRODUCED A BILL TO PROTECT THE ELUSIVE MAN-APE
WHICH, IN PART, BARRED ANY PERSON TAKING, POSSESSING,
HARMING, OR MOLESTING ANY ANTHROPOID OR HUMANOID ANIMAL
WHICH IS NATIVE TO FLORIDA, POPULARLY KNOWN AS
THE SKUNK APE. THE BILL NEVER PASSED INTO LAW,
BUT THAT HASN'T STOPPED DISCUSSIONS ABOUT TRYING
IT AGAIN. THE BILL WAS MEANT TO PROTECT
THE CREATURE FROM VIOLENT ENCOUNTERS WITH MAN,
LIKE THE ONE FLORIDA WILDLIFE TRACKER DAN JACKSON HAD
IN DECEMBER OF 2002. JACKSON SET A TRAP AT AN
UNLIKELY LOCATION BEHIND A STRIP MALL IN COLLIER CITY, FLORIDA,
AT A DUMPSTER WHERE HE BELIEVES A SKUNK APE WAS LURED
BY OLD FRUIT IN THE GARBAGE. >> I HAD FOUND A GAME TRAIL AND
HAD BEEN WORKING IT FOR QUITE SOME TIME AND FOUND THAT IT
ENDED WHERE THIS LITTLE RETENTION POND WAS WITH A SERIES
OF SIX DUMPSTERS, AND I DEVISED A PLAN WHERE I WAS GOING TO USE
A 1/2 GALLON CONTAINER OF ORANGE JUICE WITH A STRONG
SEDATIVE THAT I HAD PUT INTO IT. AND I HAD PUT EXTRA SUGAR IN IT
TO BOTH ENHANCE THE SMELL AND THE TASTE.
IF HE DRANK THE ORANGE JUICE WITH THIS SEDATIVE IN IT,
I HAD HIM. I HAD CLOSED ALL THE DUMPSTERS
WITH THE CAN TRICKS EXCEPT FOR THIS ONE DUMPSTER
THAT I HAD THE ORANGE JUICE ON. IT WAS A LONG NIGHT THAT I
STARTED AT ABOUT 9:30, 10:00. AND BEING VERY QUIET IN THE
AREA, IT WASN'T TOO LONG BEFORE I KIND OF DOZED OFF FOR A
LITTLE BIT. I KIND OF AWOKE WITH A START.
I HEARD A NOISE, A SCRAPING NOISE, AND AS I LOOKED UP ABOVE
THE DUMPSTER, I SAW THE CREATURE, AND HE WAS LOOKING
DIRECTLY AT ME. HE PUT BOTH HANDS ON THE EDGE OF
THE DUMPSTER, AND HIS ELBOWS STARTED TO COME UP, AND AT THAT
TIME, I WAS AFRAID. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW AFRAID
I WAS. I REACHED FOR MY WEAPON, DREW,
AND FIRED. [gunshot]
HE LEAPED UP OUT OF THE DUMPSTER.
MY SHOT WENT INTO THE DUMPSTER AND MISSED HIM.
HE HIT THE GROUND AND RAN BETWEEN THE DUMPSTERS AND WAS
GONE IN TWO SECONDS FLAT. >> narrator: JACKSON'S STORY,
WHILE DRAMATIC, DID NOT YIELD ANY PHYSICAL EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT
HIS ENCOUNTER. BACK IN LOUISIANA, KESSLER AND
BAMBENEK HAVE TEAMED UP WITH THE SHREVEPORT FIRE DEPARTMENT
SEARCH AND RESCUE UNIT AND THEIR BLOODHOUNDS, HOPING THE APE
PHEROMONE SCENTS WILL PUT THE DOGS ON THE TRAIL OF THE
SKUNK APE. >> WELL, THESE ARE THE PHEROMONE
CHIPS THAT HAVE BEEN IMPREGNATED WITH APE COPULINS
AND PHEROMONES. SOME OF THEM ARE AIRBORNE
PHEROMONES OR FATTY ACIDS THAT ARE VAGINAL SECRETIONS AT
THE TIME OF OVULATION OR ESTRUS. >> LET'S GET JOE TO SWAP THOSE
OVER INTO HIS BAG, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO THE FRONT OF
THE TRUCK. I'VE GOT TO CAST THE DOG, WHICH
IS TO WALK HER AROUND IN A CIRCLE, AND THAT'S JUST TO
COLLECT THE SCENTS WITHIN THE AREA.
AND ANYBODY THAT'S GOING TO WALK WITH US, WE'LL GET HER TO SMELL
THEM, AND AT THAT POINT, I WANT TO PUT THE HARNESS ON HER.
THEN I'LL INTRODUCE THE SCENT, AND WE'LL GO ON THE TRAIL FROM
THAT POINT ON. >> THE DOG'S NOSE IS
VERY STRONG. IT'S GOT A MOIST LINING IN
THE NOSE. THEY SALIVATE MORE THAN THE
OTHER DOGS. THE EARS ARE DESIGNED TO COLLECT
SCENT, ACTUALLY CREATE A VENTURI EFFECT AROUND THE NOSE.
AND THE TONGUE BEING MOIST, THEY TASTE IT.
THEY SMELL IT. IN MY OPINION, THERE'S NO OTHER
BETTER DOG THAN A BLOODHOUND. >> narrator: IT IS NOT LONG
BEFORE THE DOGS PICK UP A SCENT. BUT IN THIS CASE, IT IS ANOTHER
PRIMATE: MAN, A CREW MEMBER OUT INSTALLING CAMERA TRAPS.
THE TRACKERS WILL WORK INTO THE NIGHT, HOPING TO CROSS A
SCENT TRAIL. MEANWHILE BAMBENEK AND KESSLER
WANT TO TRY SOMETHING ELSE THAT COULD BRING THE SKUNK APE
TO THEM. >> IN ONE MINUTE, WE'RE
GOING TO RUN A GIBBON CALL. HE'S GOING TO DO ONE BLAST AT
HALF VOLUME, AND WE'LL WAIT FIVE MINUTES AND SEE IF WE CAN
GET--WE'LL WAIT AND SEE IF WE CAN GET A RESPONSE IN
30 MINUTES, 45 MINUTES. WHAT CALLS DO YOU HAVE?
YOU DO HAVE THE GIBBONS, RIGHT? >> YEAH, I'VE GOT--
>> BECAUSE I'VE GOT MY GIBBONS, IF IT'S CLEANER THAN WHAT
YOU'VE GOT. [gibbons whooping over speaker]
>> narrator: PRIMATES LIKE CHIMPANZEES, GIBBONS, AND
GORILLAS ARE KNOWN TO DEFEND THEIR TERRITORY.
THE RESEARCHERS HOPE CALL-BLASTING WILL BRING AN
ANIMAL WITHIN RANGE OF THE DOGS. THEY ARE ALSO PREPARED TO RECORD
ANY RETURN CALLS. [animals warbling]
>> SOUNDS LIKE THAT CALL. >> narrator: VOCALIZATIONS AND
PICTURES MAY PROVIDE SUPPORTING EVIDENCE, BUT WHAT ABOUT
PHYSICAL EVIDENCE, LIKE A DEAD CARCASS?
THE TIME-LAPSE EXPERIMENT IS DONE.
>> I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYBODY TAKE A TIME-LAPSE--FROM START TO
FINISH--DOCUMENTATION OF THE DECOMPOSITION OR DISAPPEARANCE
OF A DEER OR AN ANIMAL LIKE THAT IN THE WOODS.
IT'S REALLY A NEAT PROCESS. MANY OF US HAVE PUT CARCASSES
OUT THERE AND THEN HAVE COME EVERY DAY TO TRY TO READ THE
SIGNS, BUT THIS GIVES US A CHANCE TO SEE EVERYTHING THAT
HAPPENS FROM START TO FINISH. IT'S AN EXCITING PROCESS.
>> WELL, NOW THE TIME-LAPSE SEQUENCE HAS STARTED.
>> narrator: FOR CENTURIES, EYEWITNESSES IN AND AROUND THE
SWAMPS OF THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES HAVE REPORTED A CREATURE
THAT SEEMS TO LOOK SIMILAR TO KNOWN PRIMATES.
THIS MAN SAYS HE SHOT AT THE CREATURE, BUT HE COLLECTED
NO EVIDENCE. >> I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW AFRAID
I WAS. I REACHED FOR MY WEAPON, DREW,
AND FIRED. [gunshot]
>> narrator: THIS MAN SAW IT IN 2005 AND SAID IT LOOKED LIKE
A MONKEY. THIS MAN SAYS HE SAW AN ANIMAL
WHEN HE WAS JUST SEVEN YEARS OLD.
THIS IS CONSIDERED THE BEST PHOTO OF THE SKUNK APE, BUT A<i>
MONSTER QUEST</i> EXAMINATION SUGGESTS IT'S A FAKE.
WHY IS THERE NO PHYSICAL EVIDENCE, LIKE A CARCASS, OF A
PRIMATE POPULATION THAT HAS SURVIVED HUNDREDS OF YEARS?
WILDLIFE EXPERT PEGGY CALLAHAN AND PHOTOGRAPHER JIM TITTLE
HAVE SET UP AN EXPERIMENT TO SEE JUST HOW LONG IT TAKES FOR THE
REMAINS TO DISAPPEAR. CALLAHAN IS VIEWING THE
TIME-LAPSE FOR THE FIRST TIME. >> I WOULD IMAGINE THAT
EVERYTHING FROM RACCOONS TO SKUNKS TO MINK, COYOTES, BEAR,
ET CETERA, HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE A VISIT, PERHAPS A FEW
DOMESTIC ANIMALS TOO-- CATS, DOGS.
BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO SMELL, AND IT'S HERE IN AUGUST.
IT'S A FREE MEAL-- IN ADDITION TO ALL THE BUGS AND
THINGS THAT WE'D EXPECT TO COME AND EAT ON THIS THING DURING
THIS WEEK. SO THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LOOK TO
SEE IN THE NEXT-- IN THIS FOOTAGE.
THIS FUNNY SCENE HAS A LITTLE POSSUM THAT TOOK A QUICK LOOK
AND DECIDED AGAINST EATING, IT LOOKS LIKE.
AND AS TIME GOES ON, WE HAVE FLIES SHOWING UP ALL OF
A SUDDEN. THE DECOMPOSITION IS MAKING THIS
DEER BLOAT UP PRETTY FAST AND PRETTY HARD.
IT LOOKS LIKE WE'VE GOT ALL KINDS OF BUG ACTIVITY DOWN HERE.
OH, AND THE MAGGOTS ARE TAKING OVER, AND THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE
SHORT WORK OF THAT. LOOK AT THE MAGGOTS, WOW.
AND THEN THE MAGGOTS LEAVE. WHEN THEY'RE DONE, THEY LEAVE.
THAT'S JUST AMAZING. SO THEY TAKE THEIR MEAL.
THEN THEY MOVE ON AND BECOME FLIES SOMEWHERE ELSE.
HOW EFFICIENT IS THAT? THAT'S AMAZING.
THAT IS JUST AN INCREDIBLE DISPLAY.
>> narrator: THE TIME-LAPSE EXPERIMENT DOES YIELD SOME
NEW INSIGHT. CALLAHAN ESTIMATED IT WOULD TAKE
AT LEAST A MONTH FOR THE CARCASS' HAIR AND FLESH TO BE
REMOVED, MAKING THE REMAINS MOSTLY UNRECOGNIZABLE.
IN THIS CASE, MOTHER NATURE'S SMALLEST CREATURES DID THE JOB
IN ONLY SEVEN DAYS. THE REMAINING PILE OF BONES
WOULD EITHER BE QUICKLY COVERED BY FOLIAGE OR CARRIED OFF BY
LARGER SCAVENGERS, LEAVING ONLY TRACES OF THE CORPSE AND THE
VICTIM UNIDENTIFIABLE TO ALL BUT THE MOST EXPERIENCED EYE.
>> I WOULD IMAGINE THAT A CARCASS, IN AN EVEN MORE HUMID,
MOIST ENVIRONMENT WITH EVEN MORE BUGS AND MORE OPPORTUNITIES
FOR MOLD AND DECOMPOSITION, WOULD GO QUICKLY, LIKE THE
EVERGLADES, FOR EXAMPLE. THERE WOULD BE LESS LEFT,
IN MY OPINION, AFTER A WEEK IN A MOIST ENVIRONMENT.
>> narrator: BACK IN LOUISIANA, THE DOG HANDLERS HAVE RETURNED
WITHOUT SUCCESS. THE DOGS WERE NEVER ABLE TO PICK
UP A FRESH SCENT. AND WHAT ABOUT THE CAMERA TRAPS,
BAITED WITH APE PHEROMONE CHIPS? >> IF YOU CAN GET THE VIDEO AND
THEN HAVE THE CORROBORATING EVIDENCE--TRACK FINDS AND
ALL THAT--TO SUBSTANTIATE IT WOULD BE AWESOME.
>> I DON'T KNOW IF I SEE SOMETHING BACK OVER HERE
OR WHAT. >> THERE MIGHT BE
SOMETHING THERE. >> YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY HARD
TO TELL. >> narrator: AFTER VIEWING
DOZENS OF IMAGES, NOTHING RESEMBLING THE SKUNK APE
IS FOUND. EVEN THOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN
HUNDREDS OF SIGHTINGS OVER MANY DECADES, SCIENCE DOES NOT
SUPPORT THE SKUNK APE'S EXISTENCE, AT LEAST FOR NOW.
>> I MEAN, WE'VE USED A LOT OF TECHNOLOGY.
WE'VE USED THE DOGS, THE PHEROMONE CHIPS, THE
CALL-BLASTING, THE KNOCKING. AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE WE DIDN'T
COME UP WITH THE CREATURE RIGHT HERE, BUT THIS SHOWS THE KIND OF
RESEARCH THAT WE HAVE TO DO TO GATHER MORE INFORMATION, MORE
DATA FOR THAT FILE SO THAT MAINSTREAM SCIENCE IS GOING TO
TAKE MORE OF A LOOK AT THIS. >> OVERALL, I THINK WE HAD A
GOOD EXPEDITION. WE HAD SOME SUCCESS.
PROBABLY DIDN'T GET TOO MUCH OF THE EVIDENCE THAT WE NEEDED,
BUT WE WILL ONE DAY. >> narrator: BUT FOR THE MANY
EYEWITNESSES, THE SWAMP CREATURE IS VERY REAL.
>> I'M TRYING TO THINK, "WHAT IN THE WORLD DID I JUST SEE?"
I KNEW IT WASN'T A BEAR, AND I KNEW IT WASN'T ANY OTHER ANIMAL
INDIGENOUS TO FLORIDA. AND IF YOU HAD ASKED ME UP TO
THAT TIME, "WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS CREATURE?" THEN I
WOULD'VE TOLD YOU THAT THIS IS SOMETHING MADE IN HOLLYWOOD.
>> HUMANS REALLY NEED TO RUB SHOULDERS AGAINST THE--
WITH THE UNKNOWN. THEY NEED TO FEEL THAT THERE IS
MORE TO LIFE THAN WHAT IS VISIBLE AND WHAT IS PART OF
EVERYDAYNESS. AND I THINK THIS PHENOMENA
REPRESENTS THAT VERY COMPELLING DESIRE TO LOOK BEYOND
THE EDGE OF THE KNOWN WORLD AND SEE WHAT SHOULDN'T BE SEEN.
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