Comments on: Rival Group Claims “Johor Bigfoot” Are Escaped Orangutans

By: Jeremy_Wells

Jeremy_Wells — Mon, 15 May 2006 18:19:50 +0000

Adult male orangutans, from what I gather, are usually about 1.5 meters (less than 5 feet tall). Two meters (over 6 feet) as reported for the one orang in the zoo, would be a VERY big orangutan. Ten to 12 feet, as reported for the Johor Mawas troop, would be an insanely large ape.

Also, while reports describe a “troop” living together, the orangutan is usually seen as a solitary/teritorial creature.
I’m not saying this may not be some new group of Pongo, but I am saying it doesn’t sound like cute little Clyde from “Any which way but loose.”

By: Fyre

Fyre — Mon, 15 May 2006 13:13:21 +0000

The sightings actually go back farther than that, as many of the local groups in SE Asia have traditional stories about big hairy wildmen living in the depths of the forests.

I think the API report is a good piece of research, and they do make several strong points. However, I would argue that as sharmcos says, the sightings pre-date the release of these orangs, and since these orangs are from Indonesian populations, they would not be bipedal. So the Malaysian apes aren’t orangs unless they’ve been separated from the island populations long enough for significant differences to occur.

By: sharmcos

sharmcos — Mon, 15 May 2006 07:48:54 +0000

If the Bigfoots were really orangutans released by the Sultan, that doesn’t explained sightings prior to that release date. Furthermore, the creature has been in the Aborigine’s tradition for ages, not since the late 1960s. If I’m not mistaken, there were reports of sightings in the 1800s too.

I remember, in mid 1980s when the media reported sightings of this Hantu Jarang Gigi, my late father told me about loggers in the neighbouring state of Pahang who tried to capture this creature in the 1960s. One logger was punched by the creature so strong that he fell a few feets away. Is orangutan that strong? By the way, I don’t think the loggers would bother catching the creature if it was an orangutan…

By: fuzzy

fuzzy — Mon, 15 May 2006 02:44:01 +0000

“Cryptozoological research should be actuated by two major forces: patience and passion.”
~ Dr. Bernard Heuvelmans, Cryptozoology, Volume 7, 1988.

By: CryptoJoe

CryptoJoe — Sun, 14 May 2006 23:47:38 +0000

I now guarantee the neither party will ever have any photos to provide to the public.

By: cor2879

cor2879 — Sun, 14 May 2006 23:21:51 +0000

The biggest problem with this theory is that Mawas are said to be 9-12 feet tall… Orangs typically don’t get much taller than an average human I wouldn’t think. Also do the Johor Bigfoot footprint casts match up with those of an Orangutan?

By: Chymo

Chymo — Sun, 14 May 2006 21:05:35 +0000

Interesting. If this is true, then I have a direct connection with these Lenggor: I have worked with the Orang colony at Perth zoo.

By: Peter Loh

Peter Loh — Sun, 14 May 2006 18:17:29 +0000

Ermmm…some humans love durians too. How do we explain that?

I had a strange thought earlier. Look at a still of Patty’s face. She almost possessed all the features that Chow described except for facial hair and the nose. Now, look at a Westerner and an Asian… what are some common obvious differences? Westerners tend to have more facial hair and sharper noses while the opposite is true of Asians (many Asians have upturned noses). Is there therefore a link here? Does the Bigfoot of the West also differ from that of the East in similar ways?

By: Loren Coleman

Loren Coleman — Sun, 14 May 2006 18:03:31 +0000

1) Later today the orangutan photos will be uploaded.

2) Later in this lifetime, Dr. Chow will respond to the API’s theory, obviously, in his forthcoming book. He is not interested in engaging in a blogsphere or media-driven debate with them.

A theory is only a theory, but the API’s theory does not explain the reports of large, tall, apparently upright hominoids. I thought perhaps two groups of primates being seen were being confused. Needless to say, bipedal orangutans do not exist, as far as known in zoology.

This latest bit of news clarifies that there are great divisions in theories and organizations in Malaysia, between Chow, SPI, API, the government, media spokespeople, and other wildlife organizations. Malaysia seems as diverse as North America, in terms of groups and Bigfoot camps.

By: jjames1

jjames1 — Sun, 14 May 2006 17:45:20 +0000

Hey, Loren, can you clarify something for us, please? The last sentence of this entry says “Check back for photos and Dr. Chow’s response that will be forthcoming in the book.”

Does that mean that later today (or whenever the update is posted), you’ll be including an excerpt from the book? And I’m assuming the photos to which you’re referring are of the orangs, and not the alleged Mawas? Thanks!