NO! It's NOT Bigfoot

[Waldo]

Now, I wonder how many of us are really surprised??!!

PALO ALTO, California (Reuters) - Bigfoot remains as elusive as ever.
Results from tests on genetic material from alleged remains of one of the mythical half-ape and half-human creatures, made public at a news conference on Friday held after the claimed discovery swept the Internet, failed to prove its existence.

Its spread was fuelled by a photograph of a hairy heap, bearing a close resemblance to a shaggy full-body gorilla costume, stuffed into a container resembling a refrigerator.

One of the two samples of DNA said to prove the existence of the Bigfoot came from a human and the other was 96 percent from an opossum, according to Curt Nelson, a scientist at the University of Minnesota who performed the DNA analysis.

Bigfoot creatures are said to live in the forests of the U.S. Pacific Northwest. An opossum is a marsupial about the size of a house cat.
Results of the DNA tests were revealed in an e-mail from Nelson and distributed at the Palo Alto, California, news conference held by Tom Biscardi, host of a weekly online radio show about the Bigfoot.

Also present were Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer, the two who say they discovered the Bigfoot corpse while hiking in the woods of northern Georgia. They also are co-owners of a company that offers Bigfoot merchandise.

Despite the dubious photo and the commercial interests of the alleged discoverers, the Bigfoot claim drew interest from Australia to Europe and even The New York Times.

Biscardi said the DNA samples may not have been taken correctly and may have been contaminated, and that he would proceed with an autopsy of the alleged Bigfoot remains, currently in a freezer at an undisclosed location.

[Mike]

I think its a lad that I went to school with

[Mike]

'Bigfoot' corpse was giant monkey suit

Researchers who thawed out a 'Bigfoot carcass' found frozen on a North Georgia mountainside found nothing but a rubber gorilla suit.

Matt Whitton and Rick Dyer staged a press conference last week in California to unveil their findings, which they said proved the existence of the legendary beast.

The so-called evidence, "a freezer with something appearing large, hairy, and frozen in ice", was handed over to Bigfoot researcher Tom Biscardi and his team for an undisclosed sum.

Mr Kulls, executive director of squatchdetective.com and an "independent observer" of the transaction, says that as the "evidence" thawed, the men's claims swiftly began to unravel.

As the hair became exposed, a sample was extracted and burned. The results caused "concerns", Mr Kulls notes, as the "sample melted into a ball uncharacteristic of hair".

"Within the next hour of thaw, a break appeared up near the feet area. As the team and I began examining this area near the feet, I observed the foot which looked unnatural, reached in and confirmed it was a rubber foot."

Matt Whitton, a police officer on medical leave, and Rick Dyer, a former Georgia corrections officer, announced their find in early July on YouTube videos and on their website.

In a press release, the men described the creature as a 7ft 7ins male, weighing nearly 40 stone with 16-inch human-like feet and reddish hair.

Jeff Turner, chief of Clayton County police which employs Mr Whitton, said he had not spoken to the officer but processed paperwork to fire him.

"Once he perpetrated a fraud, that goes into his credibility and integrity," Mr Turner told the Associated Press. "He has violated the duty of a police officer."