Once the animal is found out, I will no longer be exicited about it. The mystery will have been solved! And so, until then I will write about information that to me proves or gives evidence that an unsubstantiated apelike animal does live in the deep-dark forests of the world.
     In the last week, I have asked several individuals what they think of Bigfoot. One said, at times they believed and other times not. One said, "My former boyfriend had an experience with one. And so, yes, I believe they exist." Another one said that she believed and her one big concern was that someone would shoot one of them. She thought they should just be left in peace. Of course what we believe does not make one iota of difference to whether the animal exists or not. It either does or it doesn't exist!
     On the premise that it does exist, how did the animal come to be in our area of the world? At the moment, consensus is that the very real and recognized animal Gigantopithecus crossed the Bering land bridge many hundreds of years ago. Overe time he has worked his way across country. I've read that it has now been spotted in all the lower 48 states. Thus, it has been centuries now that the indigenous peoples have recorded in their lore many stories of Bigfoot, and for about the last hundred and fifty years or so the immigrants have reported sightings.
     It may be of interest to some that Teddy Roosevelt had an experience with one, in or around 1893. In the Northwest about 100 sightings are reported each year with at least some of these being by individuals we generally think we can trust, policemen and the like. Often ones will request lie detector tests to prove that they have told the truth. 
     The first question that comes to a person's mind when talking Bigfoot is why hasn't a Bigfoot body been found? Well, just look at how many animals there are in the woods and forests--millions! To prove my point, how often do we come upon a bear that has died of natural causes? Not one that we know of has been reported!
     And then there is "With all the hunters stomping around in the woods why hasn't one been shot by now?" Now, remember, we are talking of deep-dark forests and woods where these animal are reported to live, not close to a road where it would be easy to pack out a deer or bear. (I say deer or bear because these are the only hunters that would have at-hand a large enough weapon to bring one these things down.)
     Further, hunters hunt during daylight hours. Bigfoot is reported to be a night animal. Moreover, hunting seasons are but a fraction of a year and so there would  not be that many hunters stomping around the forest.
     Most sightings are fleeting and the hunter is caught unaware, not knowing what to do. In the end, most complain that they didn't have a camera with them.
     Here's a thought: Could there be more of these things than we think, since so many sightings have been in broad daylight?
     In future columns, I will tell you about sighting I find interesting and that from all over the world. Please feel free to share your sighting.
     Again, I believe it is just a matter of time until we have the truth of Bigfoot. I'm just simply interested in the animal and in my fellow human's opinions on does he or does  he not exist. (I'm sure I would not be so interested if I didn't have the web to go to and research sightings from around the world.) My favoriet site is www.bigfootencounters.com
     (Linda Newton-Perry is the author along with her husband Christopher Perry of the novel Forced Blood The Norseman.)