SPI Traces The Trail of Malaysian Bigfoot
(Preliminary Recee)

 
1. SPI ventures into Kota Tinggi to recee the trails of Malaysian Bigfoot;
2. The mountain looks quite strange - the hill top has a pouched part making it looks like the head of an ape from a distance
3 & 4. The famous Kota Tinggi waterfalls

This project was undertaken by SPI Department of Cryptozoology, Head by SPI Ah Toh.

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Bigfoot exists in the jungles of Johor

Once upon a time, an old legend was born in the most primitive rainforest untouched by mankind. Does Bigfoot exist in the jungles of Johor? Sightings of hairy creatures said to be about three metres tall have trickled in over the years, especially from along the forest spine connecting Endau Rompin, Kota Tinggi and Tanjung Piai. One of the sightings was at Sungai Kincin, a tributary of the Endau River. Fish bones were found scattered, possibly indicating that a "Bigfoot" family of three had just had their meal there. The news shocked not only Malaysia in Christmas 2005; it also brought much attention about this Bigfoot mystery in the scientific research community worldwide.  In this project, SPI invites you to verify whether the Malaysian Bigfoot is fact or fantasy.

 
SPI inspecting the terrain. We were tipped to look for nearby fruit plantation area and any unusual sights of broken branches
Ah Toh had been investigating this whole area in multiple expedition trips in past months even before the Bigfoot news broke out.

Prehistoric creatures stuck in time warp?

On the first day of year 2006, SPI investigated into the jungle where the Bigfoot was allegedly sighted. SPI aims as an ultimate objective to conduct scientific study to determine once and for all if such a legendary creature existed in Johor. There is one theory that says, "These creatures could be trapped in a time warp and have not evolved like other animals. Forced to breed among themselves, they have not changed much over the ages and are greatly reduced in numbers."

There is another theory by SPI, such that there was some unknown mutation on ancient apes, resulting a breed of akin Australopithecines: bipedal (refer to http://www.iscid.org/encyclopedia/Australopithecines). Australopithecines are a genus of extinct hominids that lived in eastern Africa from about 4.2 Ma until about 1 Ma. Some believe that some of the australopithecine species are directly ancestral to humans, however others hold they are a "side-branch" of the line that led to humans, and not direct human ancestors. The mutation somehow disabled the evolution process, making them stuck at as they were. What contributed to such mutation is a total mystery - that could be due to extreme temperatures and environmental changes in catastrophe, ice-age, or even mysterious virus that once existed and extinct on earth or that from outer-space by meteors. The current knowledge on micro-biology and nanotechnology is still in infant stage. The quest of knowledge ever goes on.

SPI will verify this theory and also all other possible theories with an open mind.

 
SPI were seriously studying the research material as well as doing data collection and documentation.

The sightings

Bigfoot fever is gripping Malaysia, with local newspapers and the official news agency reporting sightings of a huge ape in southern rainforests. In one reported sighting, an indigenous man claimed he saw a three-metre-tall ape standing on two legs beside a river in heavy rainforest in Johor state, the director of the state's national-parks service told Reuters on Sunday. "He said it was hairy all over, like a gorilla," said Hashim Yusoff, director of Johor National Parks Corp. According to the sightings at Endau Rompin, the creatures were not only tall but large too.

Another latest sighting occurred last month in a small kampong near Kota Tinggi, when three workers building a fish pond in the village claimed to have seen a Bigfoot family of two adults and a child. The workers returned to the area and saw several footprints, some large and others small, including one 45cm long. The creatures were estimated between 8 and 10 feet high, judging from the height of the branch of a tree that had been broken at the place. The creatures were believed to have brown-coloured fur, judging from some fur recovered there, and which had the smell of a human armpit.

 
SPI investigated even into local myth. So happen to chance upon a shrine in the local area where deities statues were placed for worship
It may be possible that as an inherited culture, the Chinese if they encountered a strange creature before they would made an image of it
Yes, an idol image of a baboon is found (broken with its right hand). But it was just the popular Monkey god worshipped in many places

SPI studies into Bigfoot

SPI are seriously studying all the available research material about the sightings of the Malaysian Bigfoot. ¡§Bigfoot" is a popular name given in the United States to giant hairy creatures walking on two legs. Another local name is called Mawas, which is the regional word from Indonesia for the organutan, that are described as being between 5 and 8 feet tall, covered with long shaggy shiny dark brownish hair. Sightings of such beasts are reported in many parts of the world but never confirmed. Is it fact of fiction? SPI Cryptozoologist Ah Toh stayed in the jungle for many months last year, investigated into this creature. Soon, when the time matures, the research results will be written up and published on SPI website.

Another elite member who is keen going into this research, from the SPI Historical Research Department is called Sunkist. SPI Sunkist was acclaimed to be a ¡§tough cookie¡¨ by Bomoh. Small and cute, but it is hard to imagine she has been an outdoor adventurer into the Endau Rompin National Park in Johor state before. When she was still in school, wearing a short and a cap, she bashed and camped in the jungle, confronting king leeches, wild tiger and all species of the creepy jungle insects. Amazing. There are many researcher members in SPI as well, who have relevant background such as ecology and botany. If you have what it takes to be a SPI cryptozoologist, and are interested to join this Bigfoot investigation project, send us an email specifying your qualification, profession and what you can contribute.

 
By a tip of the local informant and much persistent searches up and down, SPI found the kampong in which sightings occured
There was no sign-post and not even marked on the map. This little village is engulfed by thick forest of palm trees.

 
1. Kenny was inspecting for any sign of broken branches; well there are many, but they look more like naturally withered than broken
2. The serious investigators, Meh Meh and Douglas, surveying the environment. 3. This is Sunkist, the tough cookie.
4. Sunkist is showing us that is not a bigfoot foot print, but only a paddle of water.
If it really were a footprint, it would be that of a dinosaur!

SPI interviewed the witnesses

After reaching Kota Tinggi and tracing for the location of sightings for many hours, SPI mingled to the local kids there in the village where Bigfoot was sighted. To them, regardless of age, they suppose it is just a part of the nature, firmly believing its existence. In the latest sighting, a fish researcher who is our SPI informant, claimed that he spotted "Bigfoot" footprints at a swamp near Kota Tinggi. This news was reported on newspapers too, both local and oversea. There had also been numerous "Bigfoot" sightings by villagers, who refer to the creature as Hantu Jarang Gigi (snaggle-toothed ghost).

Later on, SPI met up with the three key informants ¡V the village head and the credible witnesses of the Bigfoot. The man on the left is the actual witness who brought the journalist from New Straits Times to report about the giant footprint. He will be bringing SPI the pioneer paranormal investigators to the exact site to investigate the Bigfoot, to check out the footprint, and with luck, probably to let you see a Bigfoot yourself.

The village head kindly told SPI much valuable information pertaining to the appearance of the Bigfoot in his village. But not all are of pleasant experience though. In 1972, a fisherman who was the father of one of the informants, had a close encounter with the Bigfoot, almost face-to-face. Subsequently he was hospitalized for two weeks for being overly frightened by seeing an ugliest creature like no others on this planet. More info will be featured out later on the SPI website and SingTel 3logy SPI channel.

 
1. Many thanks to many kind informants who helped SPI locate the bigfoot sighting sites
2. This couple kindly narrated with drawing to furnish SPI with info. The wife on the right as if reenacting something with her hands
3. Meh Meh was mingling with the local kids who suppose bigfoot and its sightings is a just a common thing to them.
4. The village head of the kampong, who amazingly can speak good Mandarin. He kindly treated us drinks and helped our investigation

 
1. The three key informants, the man on the far left is the one who witnessed the footprints and reported to authority
2 & 3. SPI interviewing each one of them, collecting their vital oral account for research
4. This is as close as SPI could get to the habitation of Bigfoot - they are just on the opposite river bank
However, the time was closing to evening.
The local people know this terrain very well that it is UNSAFE in the dark to sail out to the river.
The danger and fear may be due to some unknown creatures out there.

One vital clue - Aquatic Ape?

With patience and deep attention, something quite different was sensed from the informants' accounts, that deviates from what the general beliefs of Bigfoot are. SPI was told that Bigfoot was often sighted near the river. More often than in fruit plantation or inside the jungle as commonly believed. It seems they would have to live closely with water, probably feeding on marine food. The other amazing clue from their account is that the footprint is not exactly of a foot of an ape alike. A drawing of the footprint is drawn and shown to us. The print is without toes marks. It implies the foot is either joint toes or it is a waddle, like that of a duck. They are so elusive, probably because they may dive into the water most of the time. Yes, SPI Elite Team has two certified divers. We will check both in the water and above ground.

So based on these two vital clues - inhabited close to water and having waddles - SPI speculates the Malaysia Bigfoot with an Aquatic ape hypothesis. The aquatic ape theory or aquatic ape hypothesis (AAT) is a hypothesis in evolutionary biology proposing that the ancestors of human ancestors went through one or more periods of time living in a semi-aquatic setting and that this accounts for many of the characteristics of species in the Homo genus that are not seen in other primates, such as chimpanzees or gorillas.

In contrast, many paleoanthropologists still adhere to the Savanna Theory, which holds that human ancestors evolved in hot and dry savanna environments.

The AAT says that human ancestors evolved in warm and wet environments (like such in Malaysia Jungle) and went through one or more periods of time living in a waterside setting, gathering much of their foods from shallow sea-, lake- or riverside environments through beach-combing, wading and diving, for instance, coconuts, bird's eggs, turtles, shell- and crayfish, part of reeds, papyrus and other aquatic plants. There are interpretations which propose fresh-water habitats (Ellis 1993), variations in the timescale (Verhaegen et al. 2002) and the proposed degree of selection arising from moving through water. One interpretation is that the semi-aquatic episode coincided with the Pliocene-Pleistocene littoral diaspora of Homo along the East-African Rift valley lakes and the African and Indian Ocean coasts. But wouldn't it also take place in South East Asia? Today, with the sightings of Malaysian Bigfoot, such classical scientific interpretation may have to be re-written.

 
1. A scene of the river bank opposite of which is where the activities of Bigfoot are allegedly frequent
2 - 4. These three pictures, when viewed as pieced together shows a scene of how the river looks like

SPI BigFoot Hunt continues on 21 January 2006

The locations where the Bigfoot appeared are very ulu, some are even uncharted on the map. The terrain is like Amazon river and the primitive jungle; in fact it is in one of the oldest rainforests on earth, almost untouched by human civilization. On 21 January 2006, together with the local informants, SPI will invite exclusively the club members, take a boat and trek into the primitive jungle where the Bigfoot dwells, and investigate this famous cryptozoological myth inside out. Stay tuned for more announcement on www.spi.com.sg, for the forthcoming SPI Bigfoot Hunt event.

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