Kampung folk used to have to deal with just miniscule creepies such toyol and penanggalan. But now, larger menaces with wide teeth must also be considered in my favourite haunts up in central and eastern Johor. Ten feet tall and 45 cm long prints? Those must be some awfully big apes, or perhaps someone is trying to make a monkey out of armchair cryptozoologists.
Largish primates known to dwell in the state include the siamang (the largest gibbon), pig-tailed macaques, which are much larger than the common long-tailed macaque. Other macrofauna include elephants, big cats, seladang, tapir and the Sumatran rhinoceros, although recent news suggests that the Johor population has been extirpated by poachers. The existence of unknown large animals in the depths of rainforests is not improbable – in recent years, a primitive ungulate has been discovered in Vietnam and a population of giant apes with chimpanzee-like features but massive proportions has been found in the Congo.
I suppose future expeditions to those parts (we were near Kampung Mawai just last week) must now factor in the possibility of encounters with towering troglodytes. Perhaps we should bring along a sacrificial monkey to placate lonesome primates in search of jungle love...
Bigfoot Sighted In Johor?
By Mohd Haikal Isa
JOHOR BAHARU, Dec 23 (Bernama) -- Does Bigfoot exist in the jungles of Johor?
Well, Vincent Chow believes so. Chow is adviser to the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) Johor.
He claims that he is certain Bigfoot exists in Johor, saying that many people had seen the creature.
"Bigfoot exists. We have received reports from many people who said they had seen the creature in the forests of Tanjung Piai, Mersing, Kahang, the Endau Rompin National Park and Kota Tinggi," he said.
"They (the sightings) are not a new phenomenon. In fact, I regard this as a unique feature of the Johor's treasures and we must take steps to safeguard it," he told Bernama.
Chow said the latest sighting occurred last month in Kampung Mawai, Kota Tinggi, when three workers building a fish pond in the village claimed to have seen a Bigfoot family of two adults and a child.
The workers returned to the area and saw several footprints, some large and others small, including one 45cm long, he said.
"The footprints were proof of what the workers said they saw -- a family of Bigfoot. Their claim is credible," Chow said.
He estimated that the creatures were between eight and 10 feet high, judging from the height of the branch of a tree that had been broken at the place. The creatures were believed to have brown-coloured fur, judging from some fur recovered there, and which had the smell of a human armpit.
Chow said that according to the sightings at Endau Rompin, the creatures were not only tall but large too.
Those who claimed to have seen the creatures said the Bigfoot family was walking near the Kincin River, probably in search of fish.
Chow said that even the Orang Asli in Johor claimed to have seen the large creatures whom they called "Hantu Jarang Gigi".
An Orang Asli from the Jakun tribe, Awang Jaafar, 48, from Kampung Puyut, Kahang, said his brother-in-law had seen the creatures, who were about 10 feet tall, while driving along a logging track at the Lenggor National Park last month.
An Orang Asli girl, Empan a/p Melai, five, who was lost for six days in the Lenggor National Park while searching for rattan with her family early this month, said she had seen a large "King Kong" with huge arms and covered with black fur.
She ran away from the creature, said her brother Awin a/l Sentok who narrated the story.
Chow said MNS Johor was prepared to carry out a scientific study of the creatures, and urged other interested parties to do the same.
Johor Body All For Study On Bigfoot
JOHOR BAHARU, Dec 24 (Bernama) -- The Johor National Parks Corporation (PTNJ) is prepared to collaborate with interested parties to undertake a scientific study to verify claims of the existence of Bigfoot in the jungles of Johor.
PTNJ Director Hashim Yusoff said Saturday such a study, as proposed by the Johor Malaysian Nature Society (MSN), was necessary because there had been no valid evidence on the presence of the huge creatures.
"The Bigfoot stories cannot be taken at face value. There must be a comprehensive study or sound proof. We (PTNJ) will not hesitate to collaborate with interested parties, so long as the study gives results," he said.
On claims of sightings of Bigfoot in the national parks of Johor, Hashim said the corporation had not found any physical evidence on the presence of these creatures in the Endau-Rompin National Park (Peta), Endau-Rompin National Park (Selai) or Tanjung Piai National Park.
He did not dismiss claims of sightings of the creatures in Kampung Mawai, Kota Tinggi, where three workers repairing a fish pond said they saw a family of the huge creatures and found footprints as well.
Johor MSN advisor Vincent Chow related the incident on Friday and said he was convinced Bigfoot existed as claimed by people who had come across the creatures in the jungles of Tanjung Piai, Mersing, Kahang, Endau-Rompin National Park and Kota Tinggi.
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