An odd series of sightings have been reaching 911 operators as witnesses report a gorilla near Newbern Alabama’s Road 61. The Gorilla has been spotted by multiple witnesses and while some are theorizing it may have escaped from a private collection in the area, others are suggesting it might have something to do with similar sightings that took place in the area years ago.
Loren Coleman, foremost leading researcher on cryptids including Bigfoot shared on his website cryptumundo, newspaper reports of two other occurrences in the region that bore a striking similarity to the recent gorilla sightings being investigated by police. One took place in nearby Hale County where several school children spotted a mysterious gorilla outside their bus. And there are more sightings of gorillas leading back all the way to the 1940’s in the state.
In 2004 in Dallas, Texas a 300 lb escaped Gorilla terrorized those visiting the zoo before it was shot and killed by a Dallas SWAT team. The gorilla managed to slip out of one of the cages somehow unnoticed and soon found itself in a confined crowded area with many park visitors. Zoo workers pursued the Gorilla with tranquilizer guns, but during the 40 minutes it was out could not reach it and land a successful shot. The gorilla attacked and injured three park patrons after his escape. While there is no suspected link between the 2004 incident and the recent sightings in Alabama, the high profile event that took place in Dallas just goes to show how potentially dangerous an escaped Gorilla can be if the circumstances get out of control.
BFRO, the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization lists Alabama as having approximately 60 Bigfoot sightings since the 1980’s. While this might sound like a high number, when compared to the 3,700 sightings seen nationally it still falls short of the national average of 74 per state, or a little over 77 when only counting the lower 48 states.
You may recall earlier this month we brought you information on the states most and least likely to have Bigfoot sightings, and the highest concentrations appeared in Texas, Ohio, Florida, and the west coast states of California, Oregon, and Washington. That data based partially on information gained from the Bigfoot Field Research Organization (BFRO) encompasses the entire United States but does not include sightings taking place elsewhere in the world.
One of the most interesting aspects of this latest string of sightings is the possibility that it may or may not actually be a gorilla, depending on who you ask. Some are suggesting this creature could be one of the long lost legendary Bigfoot. Others are suggesting it could actually be a person in a suit attempting to deceive witnesses who drop by and see it. While we don’t know for sure just what this creature is or where it is coming from, with time perhaps the local authorities will be able to unearth what is really behind the sightings and – maybe- even catch the creature.