Cryptozoo-what? Yes, the “science” of studying such fictional, mythical beasts such as the Loch Ness monster, the Yeti etc…has a real name. I’ve been fascinated by such stuff ever since reading Tintin in Tibet as a kid. In any case, two stories about the Yeti of late have garnered a lot of interest and media attention.

The first:

Bigfoot finding turns out be a rubber costume

Was anyone really surprised at this? Like something out of a bad X-files episode, these two yahoos drive out of the Georgian forest with a 1500 lb carcass, gather as much media attention as possible, dump the carcass in the hands of real scientists and then hightail it out of there! Hahaha, look upon the face of deception, kids, it looks something like

The second:

Yeti hair to get DNA analysis

This one seems a bit more promising, if only fractionally so. It has many more sightings, a mysterious footprint and some sort of hair awaiting DNA analysis. However, why is this DNA analysis taking so long? And, why do all three “experts” interviewed in the article have the same last name? How could tales of a Yeti hurt this small community, except by bringing in more tourists and dollars?

Bigfoot hunters are alway quick to cite the coelacanth, discovered in 1938 after having been presumed extinct for millions of years. The odds of something like that occurring again, on land, are so tiny, but try telling that to the Sasquatch seekers.

The bottom line: these cryptids are entertaining to read about, just like ancient mythology or religion, but the minute you start taking them seriously, you risk being labelled a kook.