In Search Of The Beast of Busco
Posted by: Loren Coleman on June 22nd, 2011
Yesterday and today, I find myself in north-central Indiana, tracking down information on the Beast of Busco. Some have said it is still seen today. The annual festival just took place last week, so folks here are still in a heightened state of awareness, of course.
The story of the Beast of Busco is relatively well-known. A giant turtle was sighted in Fulks Lake in 1949, a search party was organized, and it became national news. Since it was described as the size of a “dining room table,” it was thus bigger than any alligator snapping turtles seen around these parts.
The Indiana newspapers published lots of photographs of the hunts and the crowds. Then in the years that came after, pictures of the turtle floats and structures created as turtles would be printed in the local media.
I’m also going to check out nearby Decatur, Indiana, where the actual shell of “Oscar” is said to still be kept.
From the files of the Indianapolis Star.
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Bon voyage Loren! Ol’ Oscar is a fun critter. I’ve always thought it unlikely that that kind of ruckus could build up over nothing at all. Are you planning on searching the lake for signs?
Is that a regular snapping turtle or an alligator snapper? I know they CAN reach huge sizes if the body of water and food supply are available to them. There is a soft shelled turtle in Asia (N. Korea, I think) that gets pretty massive as a matter of course. No reason to think a few freshwater turtles in North America can’t reach some pretty impressive sizes if they can avoid predation.
Curious if ‘Oscar’ was a one off sort of thing or if they just manage to grow large due to optimal conditions (and do those conditions still exist).
Have a lovely trip Loren! Happy turtle hunting!
My interest in Cryptozoology was sparked by a Disney Adventures magazine when I was a kid. Oscar was one of the “monsters” profiled. Still sits in my mind as one of the premiere cryptids…. even if it isn’t, really.