Photo by Melvin Georgekish
The frenzied reaction by the cryptozoology blogosphere came close to crashing the global internet network in late August after a Cree hunter claimed to have seen a pair of the mythical Bigfoot (Bigfeet? – ed) while driving along a forested area near Wemindji.
Melvin Georgekish knew something was fishy when he saw two sets of red eyes staring back at him from the forest. “You never see wild animals over here that have red eyes,” Georgekish exclaimed. “I’m a hunter and I’ve never seen something like that before.”
After a sleepless night, Georgekish returned the next day to the same spot, where he discovered footprints in the moss measuring 20 to 35 centimetres long. “You can see the toes, too,” Georgekish said. “It’s like a human foot, but way bigger. Wider, too.” This recent sighting caused quite a commotion in the community, with some people recounting their own experiences with Bigfoot and supporting Georgekish’s discovery. Others were skeptical.
“Even my best friend didn’t believe me at first,” said Georgekish. On social media sites the scepticism was significantly harsher and vitriolic. “I don’t care to look at Facebook anymore,” Georgekish averred. In fact, many people refuse to report their crypto-zoological encounters for fear of being stigmatized, which may reduce the number of sightings. Many blogs speculated that forest fires were behind the Bigfoot sightings as they are spotted while escaping the inferno or were on the move due to the loss of habitat. The area has seen many forest fires this season, and one in particular, caused by lightning, was sparked only almost kilometres from where Georgekish says he spotted the Sasquatches.
