Cryptomundo » Maine Mutant Takes Down Website

Maine Mutant Takes Down Website

Posted by: Loren Coleman on August 18th, 2006

The media attention was unabated on August 18 for this story, continuing late into the night for me with local television comments, scores of email inquiries & requests, and an interview on BBC News at 10:50 p.m. People wanted to have an answer to the "Maine Mutant" or "Mystery Beast" question, even when I told them there really is not one, but two parts here: the unknown large canid creature still out in the woods, uncaught, and the dead body off Route 4, which was most likely a strange, small feral dog.

As noted below, with our publication of the Sun Journal articles and links, as well as the story’s mentions on Boing Boing, The Anomalist, C2C, Rense.com, Fox News, and the Drudge Report, for starters, the paper’s website crashed on Thursday, August 17. Therefore, along with the links, here are their two articles for Friday, August 18, which examine news of the DNA testing, why there may be a continuing media frenzy, and let’s the game wardens explain their reasons for coming to take a look at the body. Also, the cartoon, "Maine Mutant" that you saw here first is now a tee-shirt, details following:

Expert: Buzz to continue

By Mark LaFlamme, Staff Writer Friday, August 18, 2006

TURNER - Scientific tests are being performed on the remains of a mystery animal found off Route 4 over the weekend. Soon, the world may know exactly what kind of beast generated a buzz across the country and beyond.

According to experts in human behavior, the results of those tests might not matter. The label of mystery is not so easy to shake off.

"Having scientific evidence is not going to kill this story. It’s like an un-slayable monster that will keep coming back," said Elizabeth Eames, chair of the anthropology department at Bates College. "Humans like to categorize things. They like to fit them into neat, little boxes. Those things that don’t fit become sacred. They become sacred and profane."

Thursday marked new levels of interest in Turner’s mystery creature. More television and radio stations from around the country were interviewing local people about it. The Sun Journal Web site went down for a time because of the number of people clicking on it. A graphic artist in Ventura, Calif., designed a T-shirt with the face of a drooling beast and the logo "Maine Mutant" above it.

Maine Mystery Beast

What began as an illustration contribution to Cryptomundo, this Mike Lemos creation is now on a tee-shirt that you can order by clicking on his name. Cryptomundo is not involved financially in this venture at all, and I am merely passing along this news for those, like me, that enjoy collecting examples of cryptoart for wearing or exhibition.

The mystery creature was the topic of conversation, not only in bars and coffee shops, but also in medical buildings, beauty salons and dentist offices.

For Eames, the hysteria accompanying the story was a bit amusing but not at all surprising. Things regarded as abominations have long been objects of intense scrutiny and fascination.

"Things that are not familiar to us become worrisome. It becomes disquieting and unsettling," she said. "But there is a certain level of pleasure in that. People approach this thing with trepidation, but they want to approach it. Fear is exciting."

That fact may be the cause of lingering debate about the true nature of the animal, Eames said. One person insists its a mere dog or other common animal, while another will passionately dispute that idea. The fact that there is no proof just yet only fosters the debate. "You can’t say ‘yay’ or ‘nay,’" she said. "The uncertainty feeds it all."

Michelle O’Donnell, the Turner woman who saw the creature alive a week before it was killed, has been at the center of attention for most of the week. She has described the animal as "evil" and strongly discounts theories that what she saw was a mere dog.

At the same time, dozens of people have written or called the Sun Journal to say they know, with no uncertainty, what kind of animal was found. One man sent along photos of his blue chow, which has similar features to the animal that died in Turner.

"Your mystery creature doesn’t look like much of a mystery to me," the Wisconsin man wrote in an e-mail. "Sadly, this is probably just a stray dog."

Loren Coleman, a leading cryptozoologist who has been investigating the Turner creature all week, is also familiar with the kind of hysteria that comes with reports of strange beasts. For nearly five decades, he has investigated sightings of legendary monsters like Bigfoot and the Yeti, as well as creatures few people have heard of.

Coleman on Thursday was not surprised by the speed and intensity with which the story out of Turner circulated across the rest of the world.

"It makes sense that this ‘Maine Mutant’ or ‘Mystery Beast’ event uncovered by the folks of Turner and highlighted by the Sun Journal would be a dynamite story," he said. "It has all the elements of the cryptozoological quest, with the possibility that the object of the hunt may have been within our grasp."

Whether the animal found in Turner on Saturday is a bona fide mystery creature remains to be seen. It also remains unknown if that animal is the same one that has been blamed for mauling dogs, screaming in the night and generally unnerving people for at least 15 years.

Sections of the Turner animal’s tissue are being sent off for DNA testing. But Eames reiterated that findings from the test may do little to quell the uproar about the beast in the Turner woods.

Like Mulder from the still popular X-Files series, most people want to believe.

"This is uncertainty," Eames said. "And the uncertainty provides something that science cannot."

Sun Journal Lewiston, Maine August 18, 2006

Maine Mystery Beast

Photograph of the dead mystery animal’s dew claws, by Douglas Van Reeth, Sun Journal, used by permission.

++++++++++++++++++++

Warden: It’s not our job

By Terry Karkos, Staff Writer Friday, August 18,2006

GRAY - While speculation runs rampant about the "mystery" canine found dead Saturday along Route 4 in Turner, the Maine Warden Service is being deluged with phone calls about it and why the service chose not to respond. Warden Service Deputy Chief Gregg Sanborn in Augusta said late Thursday afternoon that Warden Rick Stone of Poland did the right thing when he declined to drive to Turner to inspect the remains. "He did what is expected of him by prioritizing what he goes to," Sanborn said. He said Stone was also correct in talking with the caller to get the animal’s description to ensure it wasn’t something other than a possible coyote.

"Back 20 to 30 years ago, game wardens
would remove a dead deer from the road so the public wouldn’t get upset. But the fact is, we don’t have the money anymore. Every time we roll a mile, it costs us 50 cents. Gas is at $3 a gallon, and we’ve been cutting back on warden costs," he added.

Additionally, wardens routinely field complaints about dead wildlife and domestic animals but don’t respond. They don’t, Sanborn said, because the Maine Warden Service is a law enforcement agency.

"Our main mission is to enforce laws. So, when we receive a complaint like that, we can’t afford to drive around to look at dead things. Removing a dead animal is not a warden’s responsibility," he added.

Still, Sanborn said he understands why people would call the warden service.

"When people have an issue, they expect the government to solve it for them. We’ve gotten a lot of calls referencing this. We’ve gotten a lot of flak about us removing the koi carp and not responding to this," he said of the Turner "beast."

Last month, the warden service seized 10 ornamental carp from a Freeport restaurateur because the fish are listed in Maine as illegal to own.

Of the koi, Sanborn said wardens got a complaint about a violation of law and did their job. The Turner complaint involved a dead animal, and no laws were broken.

He surmised that the Turner animal was probably a feral dog.

Contacted Thursday afternoon in Gray, Scott Lindsay, a Maine wildlife biologist, agreed. Without knowing the stage of decomposition the canine was in when photographed, Lindsay said that from viewing photographs published in Wednesday’s Sun Journal it looked like the animal’s abnormal facial features were caused by cerebral edema, or brain swelling.

"It can make the ears look proportionally small, and all around the muzzle and head, it’s swollen up. So, it was probably a dog," Lindsay said.

Sanborn said decomposition can also curl an animal’s lip as the skin dries, revealing the teeth.

Still, Sanborn added, there is a certain situation where a warden would respond to a dead animal complaint.

"People have said for eons that there are cougars in the state of Maine, but there’s never been any proof. If this lady had called up and said a cougar got hit, and described a cougar, we probably would have gone," he said.

Sun Journal Lewiston, Maine August 18, 2006

Please click on image for full-size version

Photograph by Michelle O’Donnell. Used by permission.

Click on image for full-size version

Photograph by Michelle O’Donnell. Used by permission.

Click on image for full-size version

Photograph by Michelle O’Donnell. Used by permission.

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This entry was posted on Friday, August 18th, 2006 at 5:45 am and is filed under Breaking News, CryptoZoo News, Cryptozoology, Media Appearances, Pop Culture. You can follow responses via our RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is not allowed.

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34 Responses to “Maine Mutant Takes Down Website”

oldbutnotstupid responds: August 18th, 2006 at 6:56 am
I think what causes a lot of problems in a case like this is the fact that most people do no know the changes that animal remains undergo as they decompose.

The looks can change so much that the creature looks more like a monster from hell then a normal animal.

Usually any viewing takes place rather fast as the smell tends to override curiosity, leaving people with only a vague memory at best.

I recently had an incident like this happen. The creature of the century had washed up on a beach near my home and was found by no less then my own 32 yr old son and his wife.

The description sent me running to gather evidence of this wonderful beast.

What I found were the remains of a common white tail deer, nothing more.

The problem was, my son is a city boy, who was on vacation. They had never seen a dead deer before and their imaginations did the rest.

Add to this, a slow news week and reporters trying to find something to write about and a legend is born.

It sure does make life interesting though. Have a good one people, who knows the next beast may be the discovery of the century.

Thanks Loren for all your efforts to do things right. I think I speak for all of us when I say we do appreciate it.
curioustoo responds: August 18th, 2006 at 8:00 am
Perhaps it’s just a matter of the animal’s positioning on the ground, but it appears that the hair/fur coming down the forehead, between the eyes, and onto the top of the muzzle is longer, bushier perhaps, than the rest of the hair on the face. If so, that’s not particularly dog-like.
BurningStarFour responds: August 18th, 2006 at 8:09 am
I have never seen so much fuss over road kill…Thanx for keeping us all informed Loren!
Dark-Obsessor responds: August 18th, 2006 at 8:42 am
They are fussing because they don’t know what it is
Ranatemporaria responds: August 18th, 2006 at 8:53 am
Is’int it odd how and why some “crypto” cases attract so much media whilst others go practically unoticed. The amount media hype also often bares no relationship to the credibility of evidence or the intrest shown by the educated or cryptozoological community.
jjames1 responds: August 18th, 2006 at 8:57 am
KTLA, the WB (and soon to be CW) affiliate in Los Angeles, just did a short piece about this animal on their morning show. They showed the photos, and then some odd shots of a camera moving through some plants.

The anchors were speculating as to what it could be, and the weatherman shouted out “It’s a chupacabra!”
One Eyed Cat responds: August 18th, 2006 at 9:20 am
I think it is interesting that in some areas this has apparently overshadowed the story on the JonBenet Ramsey case, which is the main story in my area, Maybe in a few days, this poor dog’s story will show up here, but not at the moment.
otrian responds: August 18th, 2006 at 10:04 am
It’s amazing to me how so many people want to find things about this poor DOG that imply that it is not, infact, a DOG.

Working an animal shelter for the last year I have seen every manner of unusual caninid. From odd little short legged basset crosses to hybrids. To me this animal looks very much to be a common mutt, turned feral. I agree that it might have akita and/or chow in it’s back ground. Maybe even schipperke or another small spitz type dog and some larger breed. I see no shepard, wolf, or pit bull in this animal. There is nothing apparently unusual about the size or shape of it’s head, it’s coat or anything else. Except maybe what appear to be blue eyes, but even that is not so totally uncommon as to jump to “mutant” or “hybrid” conclusions. In my time at the shelter I have seen many a neglected dog with claws in similar condition. (And though my own dogs do have their dew claws I do not trim them, if they become bothersom my dogs nip them off on their own. Some animals do not have the ambition to do this.)

The body language of a wild animal is so different from that of a domestic one that I understand how a person who encountered this unfortunate DOG in life might be very taken aback my the encounter. There is also something about an anilmal with blue eyes that tends to chill people. The effect is all the stronger when it’s such a dark animal with light eyes.

I hate to be a Skully, I’m a Mulder at heart, but this is just a DOG.
Sparkles responds: August 18th, 2006 at 10:18 am
I live in Turner, Maine and have always heard of sightings of a strange creature living in the woods. The last description was a “hyena-type animal.” Growing up we never had coyotes or “coy-dogs” as they were earlier called but do now. Now they are everywhere, and sightings are daily. We never had turkey vultures, opossom, or ticks, but we have them now. A young man working for me said he had a snake curl up and rattle at him this summer. We used to have rattlesnakes, so maybe they are back. An allegator was killed in one of our lakes and one in a neighboring state lake. We have wolves; a lady on the coast is raising them and letting them go. Anyone that spends time in the woods has seen a couger and know they exist here. So, if you think a “strange new animal” is any surprise, NO. Remember, Stephen King lives here and Joe Perham, Maine humorist has told the story of the Lou Garu in the Maine woods forever. (We in Turner would love to know what it is and of course the excitement is always fun.) Best Wishes from Turner, Maine
UKCryptid responds: August 18th, 2006 at 10:27 am
Would have to agree with otrian here. I’ve seen many dogs in my time, many neglected in the past and many that looked very ‘non-nice’ to a non-caring eye. The picture shows a slightly more normal dog than others i’ve seen.
Poor thing. Who knows what ‘breed’, it may even be a hybrid between a domestic dog and something wild, which many people claim is impossible and so would make the subject more interesting again
sober1gary responds: August 18th, 2006 at 10:50 am
Could this strange animal that everyone is talking about be a Chupacabra? They have been spotted as far north as Michigan.

Chupacabra means Goat Sucker. The Chupacabra or Chupacabras is a creature said to inhabit parts of the Americas. It is associated particularly with Puerto Rico, where it was first reported, and Mexico. The name, which translates literally from Spanish as “goat-sucker”, comes from its reported habit of attacking and drinking the blood of livestock.

Physical descriptions of the creature vary. Sightings began in Puerto Rico in the early 1990s, and have since been reported as far north as the Carolinas and as far south as Chile.Though some argue that the chupacabra may be a real creature, mainstream scientists and experts generally contend that the chupacabra is a legendary creature, or a type of urban legend.

El Chupacabra has often been spotted in Michigan, but it is unknown if the Chupacabra could even survive such winters. A recent sighting of a Chupacabra was in Grand Haven, Michigan. A fourty-two year old man said he saw it suck the blood out of a cat.
Ranatemporaria responds: August 18th, 2006 at 10:58 am
Its a good point above, i think as a species the deomestic and wild dog has to be the morphologically varied animal. Think of the difference between Wolf Hounds and Shitzu’s, and bear in mind they could biologicaly produce offspring, add to this the likley effects of disease and neglect and the possible size shapes and traits for dogs are massive even without any mutation. Does this mean that its cryptid though?
nopartygal responds: August 18th, 2006 at 11:11 am
It’s a poor little mutt, probably a chow mix, judging by the bluish black tongue and the color, texture and density of the fur around the neck. The “horns” are just what happens to dew claws when they don’t get clipped. They don’t touch the ground, so they can’t wear down like the nails that do. People sure have a need for drama in their lives…

Poor puppy…
nopartygal responds: August 18th, 2006 at 11:16 am
Link to picture showing Chow-type bluish black tongue.
serf77 responds: August 18th, 2006 at 11:20 am
Any comments on the picture of the dew claws?
dogman responds: August 18th, 2006 at 11:25 am
As an expert of Dogs/Canines I do think this is an unknown species from looking at the photos very closely.
youcantryreachingme responds: August 18th, 2006 at 12:00 pm
I think there has been a lot of sense spoken in this commentary thread to date, regarding decomposition and variety of dog forms.

Ditto the above commentary!
kaboobi responds: August 18th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
Agreed. This has to be a dog. Being from Lousiana, our state dog the Catahoula has blue eyes. Usually only one blue one though. Although, we can only see one of the mystery beasts eyes. Maybe a catahoula/chow mix?

Here’s a pic of a Catahoula for those interested.
Kelly responds: August 18th, 2006 at 1:02 pm
The issue here is the media and it’s lack of discretion and due dilligence. Far too many stories are jacked out of proportion just to make a headline. We get this with war reporting, we get this with sports reporting and we certainly get this with entertainment reporting. The more fantastic the headline, the more readership. The only casualties are usually the facts. Dead Dog Found Next to Road is boring. Dead, Meat Eating Mutant Discovered in Field makes headlines…and monkeys of those of us who actually believe it.
JamesJr responds: August 18th, 2006 at 1:35 pm
It’s simply a smooth haired chow.
Karon Booth responds: August 18th, 2006 at 5:20 pm
Are we seeing the birth of a legend similar to the Black Dogs of England and the French Beast of Gevaudan?
LaFlamme responds: August 18th, 2006 at 8:06 pm
I have GOT to incorporate this line somewhere: >
LaFlamme responds: August 18th, 2006 at 8:11 pm
And for you “the press is always hyping things” parrots, go back and read the first story on this thing. The very first paragraph reads: “An animal found dead along the power lines over the weekend MAY be the mystery creature that has roamed the area for years, mauling dogs and frightening residents. OR IT COULD BE A DOG that has been running wild in the woods.”

Seems pretty fair and open minded, to me.
Mnynames responds: August 19th, 2006 at 3:28 am
With all due respect LaFlamme, I don’t think they’re talking about the original article, but the subsequent frenzy…

…And yes, it’s a dog…
Ranatemporaria responds: August 19th, 2006 at 5:22 am
Yes Mnyames is right all these stories break in a similar small scale way, i just cant fathom out what makes some of these storiies so popular with those in the media who seem to want to sensationalize things, whilst other stories are ignored.
crypto_randz responds: August 19th, 2006 at 10:10 am
Interesting, i really dont know about this, so what is haunting the woods over there is still alive? WOW this is a tough one, well the screams at night is a mystery whatever they sound like must be very menacing. Than the fact is the dead carcass is a dog perhaps. Hopefully we will get more informatin on this story.
inspired responds: August 19th, 2006 at 12:45 pm
OK! We know it is a dog. We know that that when many people look at it, and many people are ready to go back to church. LET’S BREED ONE!
It would seem to me that some smart local business owner would sponsor a dog show with a prize going to the dog that most held the look and spirit of the hype around this dog. I would love to be one of the judges for such a show. The dog would need to have blue eyes that bulge out like this one, short snout, short pointed ears, short gray/blue fir, and bushy long straight tail, fangs that stick out past the gums, nasty long dew claw, and be trained to snarl and attack for display. Come on all you guys that are sure you know what this breed is! Let’s see you show up with one! Look how many people have pit-bulls just because they like to own a dog that intimidates many people.
I think the eyes color and shape are going to be the hard part to find.
We could start if off with a picture contest here, or a video contest posting on utube.com or something.

Hollywood would likely use such a dog for a movie if you could breed one.
LaFlamme responds: August 19th, 2006 at 1:32 pm
Crazy, all of it. I wrote about the find in Turner because I believed people in that area would be interested. Plus, it was a way to question the role of Inland Fisheries. I didn’t forsee the subsequent media storm and all the ugliness. I wrote more about the dark side of things here:
http://marklaflamme.wordpress.com/2006/08/19/news-hound/
harleyb responds: August 19th, 2006 at 5:22 pm
There is so many diffrent breed’s of dogs these day’s who knows what kind of animal that is.
stevedrum responds: August 19th, 2006 at 6:41 pm
Is it possible it could be part Siberian Husky? they have blue eyes.
Kelly responds: August 20th, 2006 at 1:17 am
LaFlamme-before you accuse anyone of being a “parrot” why don’t you consider some of the media sources where some of us may have read this non-story. The Drudge Report headline reads: “Hybrid Mutant Found Dead in Maine”. The AP wrote the story. The headline is sensational regardless of the content. The anecdotes contained in these kinds of items volunteered (or misquoted) by innocent and unknowing witnesses perpetuate and sometimes propagate urban and rural myth…I believe we simply do not need that in cryptozoology.
LaFlamme responds: August 20th, 2006 at 1:21 am
Point taken, Kelly. I guess I was just trying to defend my own role in it, not the media as a whole.
Loren Coleman responds: August 20th, 2006 at 5:13 am
Newspaper articles for local papers are written close to the data flowing into the news organization. They generally are filled with relatively complete information and details.

Wire service stories are edited, condensed, reformed snippets of the original material into a short text that may be further shortened by other media. By the time a wire service story is published, it usually has evolved into material that has changed emphasis due to shifts in certain details and quotations.

However, in both cases, the people who write the body of the articles (locally or in wire stories) are not the same individuals who create the headlines. Headline writing is done by a separate body of media workers who have in mind the “marketing” and “flash summary” of the piece written, not necessarily any conveying of total factual content.

As a cryptozoologist, I understand that and take it into account in analyzing any cryptid report that may become a media focus. Cryptid avvounts become part of popular culture through many avenues, and being sensationalized by a catchy headline (as opposed to the articles themselves) does occur.

Nevertheless, it still is part of the “making fantastic” process that Heuvelmans talks about with regard to what happens in cryptozoology, before something is discovered and moves into zoology.
Jeremy_Wells responds: August 28th, 2006 at 5:06 pm
Thanks for explaining that process Loren. As a former journalist I understand how Mr. LaFlamme feels. Everyone loves to shoot the messenger (especially when they are disappointed at mundane explanations or angry at the inability to explain away).

Journalist are just the messengers. It’s the people that click on the links and pick up the papers who decide if a story of this type is “newsworthy” or not (the same one’s who then complain about “sensationalistic journalism”)

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