From EsoterX: Bears, Ainu and more

A blog I recently discovered has become of my favorite blogs: EsoterX. Most recent entry is about bears, and the importance of being mindful. Oh, there's a lot of history and mythology in there as well. Bear Necessities: Ursine Origins of the Menominee, Ainu, and Arcadians.

Animals Attacking Animals

Two recent stories about animal attacking animals: one, a golden eagle attacking, and killing, a deer in Russia, and the other, from Brazil, of a jaguar attacking a crocodile. Both items contain images; game cam photos of the eagle attack and video of the jaguar. Why do we want to see these, and why are stories like this considered important?

Notice I am not linking to the stories; easy enough to find on Google if you have the need to watch one animal killing another. 

William Henry's Revelations | William Describes a Bizarre Horror Show at a UFO Conference | unknowncountry

It's events like the following that make me glad I'm often out of the loop UFO Land; ennui, work, personal life often keep me from really wallowing. But here's something that happened that isn't news to most in UFO Land. Definitely not the first time this has been pointed out, but there seems to be something inherent in Fortean and UFO research that drives many a researcher/witness/investigator bat shit crazy.

William Henry's Revelations | William Describes a Bizarre Horror Show at a UFO Conference | unknowncountry: William Henry tells a horrifying story of imprisonment of the audience at the Contact in the Desert Conference August 9--11. He says that David Wilcock came with a bodyguard, and that Steven Greer arrived with a whole group of bodyguards, who proceeded to lock the doors and allow nobody in our out during his presentation. If this happened, it was illegal, and we urge all UFO conference attendees to demand that they not be imprisoned during any performance for any reason.

DRUNK WASPS: Just When You Thought They Couldn't Get Worse: Huffington Post

Killer bees, now drunken wasps. Huffington Post reports:

DRUNK WASPS: Just When You Thought They Couldn't Get Worse: Humanity's worst fear has been realized: wasps are getting drunk. And they're not fun drunks, either.

The British Red Cross is warning citizens of a record number of wasps in the UK that are out of a job. That is, their queens are fully supplied with nectar, leaving worker wasps to do nothing but laze around and drink fermenting fruit.

The Independent reported that as winter approaches, wasps are becoming bolder and angrier as they get older. And now these retirees are getting wasted and stinging with more frequency.

Here Be Dragons: The Evolution of Sea Monsters on Medieval Maps - Yahoo! News

I want this one!

Here Be Dragons: The Evolution of Sea Monsters on Medieval Maps - Yahoo! News: WASHINGTON — The iconic sea serpents, mermaids and other mythical creatures found on world maps from medieval and Renaissance times splash to life on the pages of a new book.

Chet Van Duzer's "Sea Monsters on Medieval and Renaissance Maps" (British Library, 2013) charts the evolution of the mythical creatures that adorned atlases from the 10th century through the 17th century. Cartographers used the beastly art to illustrate mysterious, unexplored regions of the globe and the possible dangers of seafaring.

Elephants take revenge on village after herd member is struck by train - Yahoo! News

Elephants take revenge on village after herd member is struck by train - Yahoo! News: About 15 elephants appear to be mourning the loss of one of their own and have returned to the site of the incident, the Times of India said. The elephants have refused to move the last several days, causing train disruptions.

Strange Creatures, UFOs & Disclosure - Shows - Coast to Coast AM

Love tonight's topic:Strange Creatures, UFOs & Disclosure - Shows - Coast to Coast AM

Woman describes raccoon attack in Central Park

Woman describes raccoon attack in Central Park - Yahoo! News

Giant Bug Zappers, Daisy the Goat, and Devil Dog Stew: Mountain Monsters

     Seriously. The mountain men monster hunters of Destination America's Mountain Monsters show built a giant 'bug zapper' trap to capture Mothman. Then they set up lit torches along a path -- all this in the woods -- to lure Mothman to the trap. A bit later, the torches were found re-lit, burning unattended. Why, Mothman must have done it! Because, the mountain monster hunters insisted, those torches were put out!

     Three things disturb me about shows like this. One, the arrogance of the "investigators." Armed, tromping around in habitats, disturbing creatures just for the hell of it. They'd tell you, no doubt, that it's no mere joy ride, they are indeed chasing after mysterious -- and often dangerous -- creatures, which is very important business. The assumption however seems to be these mysterious creatures are inherently evil and deserve to be trapped, harassed, placed in captivity, and possibly killed.
     Two, in their lust for chasing down non-human beings, they are generally disrespectful of the environment. It's their personal monster playground. Hell, they almost set the place on fire in the Mothman episode.  Building giant traps and luring would be monsters -- simply ridiculous. I assume they get permission from various authorities; Fish and Game, etc. before constructing their contraptions. (The website has a disclaimer about not attempting to build traps yourself, and getting permission from authorities.)

Ulisse Aldrovandi,  Italian illustration.

     Exploiting animals for para-tainment; like Daisy, the poor goat used as bait. Now, Daisy, we were constantly assured, was not going to be harmed. But imagine Daisy's freaked out mind, and how can we be sure that something unpredictable could happen? Can these armed mountain monster hunters move fast enough to protect Daisy from a fast moving predator -- "monster" or not?

     Food porn is another aspect of these kinds of shows.  On the Mountain Monster section of Destination America website, there is a recipe for 'Devil Dog Stew':

'Ever wonder what a Wampus Beast tastes like? How about the Ohio Grassman? All this hunting for fearsome creatures on Mountain Monsters got us wondering...what would you do with a trapped mountain monster? They might be kinda tasty, no? We decided to find out and it turns out, mountain monsters make delectable meals. Here is a recipe for one such creature.'

     Of course I don't believe real devil dog meat -- or, hopefully, any kind of dog -- is the main ingredient. The point here is the appeal to the gratuitous, the titillation.

Mothra

     Three, the fact that these shows are popular is disturbing.  Mountain Monsters isn't the only program that relies on entertainment, and ignores facts and data. For example: Mothman is not a giant moth with evil intent, akin to a malevolent version of Mothra, as the producers and actors in Mountain Men would have us believe. When it comes to the unexplained, including Mothman, producers have their own agendas. They then set out to find willing participants who will partake in their made-up monster scenarios.
     Not to say that shows exploring UFOs, cryptids and other anomalous topics can't be, or shouldn't be, entertaining.  With all programming, not matter the topic, producers have their agenda, and editing is brutal. But some do attempt to present a deeper look into whatever phenomena is being explored. Shows like Mountain Monsters are gratuitous and are not concerned at all with authentic cryptid research.

Whale/Dolphin Captivity - Shows - Coast to Coast AM

This won't be easy to listen to, but it is important. Whale/Dolphin Captivity - Shows - Coast to Coast AM

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Rare Italian-born Baby Zonkey in Good Health - ABC News

So cute!Rare Italian-born Baby Zonkey in Good Health - ABC News

Roaming Cats Savagely Attack Woman Walking Dog In France

Roaming Cats Savagely Attack Woman Walking Dog In France

Nick Redfern: Lair of the Beasts: The Strangest Monsters of All - Mania.com

Lair of the Beasts: The Strangest Monsters of All - Mania.com: “What is the weirdest monster that people have reported?” That was the question put to me on a radio show earlier this week, while I was promoting my latest book, Monster Files. It’s a good question, since there is said to be a wide range of bizarre critters out there! But, for me at least, there are a handful of creatures that, in the high-strangeness stakes, beat all the rest. Let’s take a look at them. ~ Nick Redfern

Doggie-chupie in Texas

In Texas, a recent sighting of a chupacabra:SPOTTED: Chupacabra sighting in San Antonio city limits on Bitters | kens5.com San Antonio Except, of course, this isn't a real chupacabra, it is Chupacabra, Version 2. The canine variety; those mange ridden, coyote looking animals (often shot dead) that, for intriguing folkloric reasons, have come to be called "chupacabra." Linked to item includes video clip.

SAN ANTONIO -- Margaux Huckabay said her brother spotted the legendary chupacabra on Bitters.

"At first he thought it was a coyote," said Huckabay. "It definitely looks weird."

Animal-Human Chimera Embryo Experiments To Be Given ‘OK’ By Regulatory Panel - :

Wonder if Monsanto will get in on this. Are we scared yet?

Animal-Human Chimera Embryo Experiments To Be Given ‘OK’ By Regulatory Panel - :: A series for experiments in animal-human bio-engineering proposed by a team of Japanese researchers has cleared its first regulatory hurdles, news sources inside Japan reported Tuesday.

The purpose of the proposed experiments is to grow human organs inside the body of a non-human animal.

Biologists race to solve mysterious mass animal deaths in Florida lagoon | Fox News

Very sad, very scary...

Biologists race to solve mysterious mass animal deaths in Florida lagoon | Fox News: At least 111 manatees, 300 pelicans, and 46 dolphins — emaciated to the point of skin and bones — were all found dead in America’s most biologically diverse estuary.

Something is seriously wrong. The northern stretches of the Indian River Lagoon of Florida has a mass murder mystery that biologists are racing to figure out. The lagoon contains more species than anywhere else in the U.S. It is a barrier island complex stretching across 40 percent of Florida’s coast, around Cape Canaveral, and consisting of the Mosquito Lagoon, the Banana River and the Indian River Lagoon.

Fortean Times: Woman finds pig with two heads buried in yard -

As odd as this story is, so is the writing :)Woman finds pig with two heads buried in yard -

Massive number of bumblebees due near Target store

In the Portland, Oregon area:

Massive number of bumblebees due near Target store: t least 25,000 bumblebees were found dead on Monday under linden trees at the Target store in Wilsonville.

“They were literally falling out of the trees,” says Rich Hatfield, who first documented the massive bee kill. Hatfield is a conservation biologist with the Portland-based Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, a world leader in bee conservation research and protection efforts.

“To our knowledge,” Hatfield says, “this is one of the largest documented bumblebee deaths in the Western U.S. It was heartbreaking to watch.”

Xerces has suggested two potential causes of the bee death. One is acute pesticide poisoning of the linden trees. There is also a concern that the trees are a poisonous European species.

Mystery solved: Not the Jersey Devil, or Chupacabra but a hairless squirrel in Oklahoma | NJ.com

Hairless squirrel in Oklahoma. With link to a frontal image of said squirrel. While it may not be a mini-Jersey Devil or Chupie, it is still very mysterious -- what caused this squirrel to become completely hairless? If a disease, is it an indicator of something larger, a signal that something is very wrong in the environment? Assuming this is a real squirrel of course ;( Mystery solved: Not the Jersey Devil, or Chupacabra but a hairless squirrel in Oklahoma | NJ.com

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Animal Communications/ Open Lines - Shows - Coast to Coast AM

Animal Communications/ Open Lines - Shows - Coast to Coast AM