A spate of Sasquatch sightings in Southwestern Ontario has caused a stir within the cryptozoology community, but not everyone is convinced by the accounts.
Originally reported by both the Bigfoot Mapping Project and expanded on by Bigfoot Society podcaster Jeremiah Byron, a 7-foot-tall, dark-haired creature was spotted April 3-5 in Dresden, Thamesville and Raglan, Ontario.
Byron, based out of Des Moines, Iowa, provides an outlet for eyewitnesses to come forward with information on cryptids. Back in March, the Bigfoot Society documented activity in Ohio from March 6-10 under the name, “The Bigfoot Flap”.
On April 5 at 7:30 a.m., an individual reported to Byron a 7-foot-tall, black-furred figure.
“The individual was walking their golden retriever that started barking toward the wood line,” he said, in a social media post. “This wooded area was just beside the field, and then they saw what they saw.”
On April 6 at 6:37 a.m., another individual reported a cinnamon-coloured figure to the Bigfoot Map came in from Shrewsbury.
“Early this morning, enjoying my Easter Monday stroll, thinking I was safe as I heard it was by Shrewsbury, when I was alerted to a noise in the neighbouring lot. I went,” the eyewitness wrote. “There were 2 of them. One big, one not so big. The cinnamon was prominent on the smaller one. They were eating what appeared to be garbage; the wrapper said Circle K. There was an earthy stench. I knocked on wood to scare them off. They knocked back, and that scared me off. I have never felt so threatened in my community of guilds. We need the national guard.”
There is skepticism, however. Jason Hewlett, host of the Paranormal Theories podcast and filmmaker for Small Town Monsters, admitted that Ontario is not known for its reports of large hominids.
“I’m wondering if the recent Ohio Bigfoot Flap has made people there even more vigilant on the Sasquatch front,” he wrote in an email. “Because of the Ohio Bigfoot Flap, I think someone is more likely to see a bear or moose and think Bigfoot, so misidentification could definitely be on the mind.”
In a recent episode of Sasquatch Quest, Hewlett spoke with researcher Thomas Steenburg about a recent sighting.
“A photo taken by the witness’s boyfriend did capture an image, but the image actually looks like a guy in a hoodie more than a Sasquatch,” Hewlett wrote. “This could be what is going on in Ontario at the moment. Or maybe people really are seeing a Sasquatch.”
Ontario investigator Mike Paterson said he believes there is a watershed moment happening for Sasquatch sightings. Back in 2013, he had an experience that revealed their existence. He’s been keeping track of his experiences with Neph and has a book, Invisible Giant: A True Story of Sasquatch Contact, in the works.
“Their words were, ‘Soon your people will know’,” he wrote in an email. “This is not an overnight process. It’s been going on for many years. Baby steps. This is how they work. I think there’s been an increase in sightings because of what’s going on in this world.”
Kitchener-based writer, Travis Watson, admitted that even though he’s heard about the sightings, he needs to do a deeper dive into those three days in early April.
“I am reluctant to dismiss the account of any witness,” he wrote in an email. “Sasquatch seems to pop up in the strangest places.
“There are so many different theories about the creature that it is difficult to say what people might be seeing,” he added. “The thing I would point out is that there are not many, if any, bears in that region, so the principal animal that people use to debunk Sasquatch sightings is in short supply.”
The Bigfoot Flap in March has not been confirmed as a deliberate hoax; however, there is a lack of concrete evidence to back up eyewitness accounts. Large mammals common to Ohio and Ontario include the white-tailed deer, black bear, coyote and other small carnivores like red foxes and raccoons. Moose have only been spotted as far south as Parry Sound, which is 483 kilometres northeast of Shrewsbury.
“I know Jeremiah and know his intentions are good. He is passionate about the subject and wants to learn as much as he can,” Hewlett said. “In this case, it doesn’t seem like there are photographs or audio at this point, so all we know are people are seeing something they think is Sasquatch.
“As a researcher, you need to stick to the facts and never deviate from them.”