Comments on: Bush Blitz To Discover New Species

By: DWA

DWA — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:44:07 +0000

alcalde:

“DWA: if science gives you exactly what you want, and turns up no CZ-favored beasties, what then?”

What then? Well, they’re either real, or they’re not.

Science hasn’t given crypto a thing in its history. (Other than a few of its bravest bucking the mainstream, so far to no avail.) So a first would be nice. Why not here?

Exactly what I want would be an extended, open-minded search, in the field, of areas of concentration as measured by sightings, tracks, etc. No up-front bias or agreements that we’ll just call anything funny we see bear (or kangaroo, or wombat) tracks. Total open mind. If that looks like a hominid footprint, ask the obvious questions first, like: what’s the probability of a barefoot dude with an 18-inch foot being out here? Or of a hoaxer coming to a place no one else would be likely to ever come, to leave one or two tracks? (Or a one-mile trackway that if it’s a hoax, a genius did it?) Or of six kangaroos landing on that one spot to make something that looks just by coincidence like a massive hominid print? Could it not be, oh, I don’t know, a massive hominid print? We’ve been wrong about so much, couldn’t we maybe possibly be wrong about this?

THEN we’ll see. One way or the other. TOTAL open mind. Find Out.

Why would science NOT want that?

By: Kopite

Kopite — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:27:42 +0000

To be honest, even though some of it is interesting, I always had a problem with some kind of bigfoot creature (yowie) being in Australia.

By: alcalde

alcalde — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:13:07 +0000

Food for thought: if a $10 million effort doesn’t find the thylacine or Yowie, but reports continue to pour in the next year of people seeing such when they go to get their morning newspaper off the front step in their bathrobes, will cryptozoology become more skeptical of “average Joe” reports, or not? Would Australia become a lower value target for cryptozoological expeditions? Would changes to any future expeditions be necessary to account for the areas covered/research methods of this government effort (e.g. any expedition would need to use different methods to “comb” than what failed in this project, etc.)? A success would vindicate and elevate the field. But would a failure harm CZ irreparably? DWA: if science gives you exactly what you want, and turns up no CZ-favored beasties, what then?

It would seem to me that this expedition will be a watershed moment for cryptozoology whether it does or doesn’t turn up new species. It is in effect something of the dream project of cryptozoology; the equivalent of the astronomer’s Hubble Space Telescope, JFK assassination researchers getting a new probe, alternative Egyptian history scholars getting carte blanche permission to dig at Giza, UFOologists getting a tour of Area 51. Much will be learned by studying the methods and results of this project and will probably be analyzed and debated by CZ for years to come. One way or another, over the next three years, CZ is going to change.

By: korollocke

korollocke — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 19:11:49 +0000

That so called foot print is the bogus. I wish them all best in there quest, perhaps something will find them?

By: JMonkey

JMonkey — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:27:57 +0000

I hope they find the Yowie as well, but I have heard of all sorts of strange animals. I think a queensland tiger, or out of place wolf would be cool as well.

By: soundwave

soundwave — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:42:48 +0000

I agree that this is a great idea. I’ve often wished they would do the same thing in other parts of the world, the United States included.

By: DWA

DWA — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 01:19:43 +0000

Science doesn’t get too many chances to shove aside stupidity and groupthink in favor of open-mindedness. This would be one, guys.

“Yes. This should go without saying, but if you see a bunyip, a thylacine, or a yowie, that is sort of why we are doing this, and you will not be laughed at. REPORT WHAT YOU SEE.”

By: cryptidsrus

cryptidsrus — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:22:58 +0000

Wish them luck on the enterprise.

Hopefully the BUNYIP will be found.

Also the Megalania of the Autralian Outback. Giant Lizard.