05-11-2005 Harry Potter's monster foes based on real creatures?

For immediate release
2005-11-05
COULD HARRY POTTER'S MONSTER FOES BE BASED ON REAL CREATURES?

As the world braces itself for the next Harry Potter movie, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire", an English zoologist is posing the question: `could dragons actually be real?`

Gigantic reptiles have haunted the legends and folklore of every country on Earth since recorded history and are favourites in literature such as Tolkein's "The Hobbit", the Narnia series by C.S Lewis, and J.K Rowling's books.

Cryptozoologist Richard Freeman believes that dragons are very real animals that still exist in remote areas of the world today.

"I have travelled the globe in search of strange creatures, and heard astounding stories of latter day dragons in the rivers and caves of Thailand, the jungles of Sumatra, and the Gobi Desert in Mongolia." he says.

Richard (35) is the zoological director of the Devonshire based Centre for Fortean Zoology; the world's only full time mystery animal research organisation. He is also the author of a new book: "Dragons: More Than a Myth?" in which he follows this uber-monster right across the globe, from prehistory to the present day. He tracks it from the steamy jungles of the Congo, to the desolate lakes of eastern Siberia.

"Modern day dragon sightings are surprisingly common. In 2004 a doctor in Mongolia reported seeing a green dragon coiled up down a well. In the same year a man took a photograph from a plane that allegedly shows two dragons flying over a mountain in Tibet. There have been thousands of such sightings through history and all across the globe."

Some of the encounters sound like horror movies or scripts for Doctor Who, but they all supposedly happened well within living memory. They include.

Four teenage boys are dragged to their deaths by a reptilian monster that emerged from a fog-bound sea off the coast of Florida.

A shadowy cult in the northeast of England rumoured to have sacrificed human victims to a dragon-god well into the 20th Century.

Giant lizards in New Guinea, with huge teeth and claws that killed dozens of villagers and sent the natives into a panic.

An enraged dragon in West Africa that smashed a bridge, tipping people to their doom.

Richard tells of his own adventures and theories on the origin and nature of this not so legendary beast.

"The dragon is not content at being confined to storybooks and mythology", he says.

"There is something very real, very ancient, and very powerful behind these stories. When your parents told you there were no such thing as dragons, they lied."

"Dragons: More Than a Myth" is available from the Centre for Fortean Zoology website at www.cfz.org.uk

or from Amazon
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/095128729X/qid%3D1131208270/026-5014435\ -5519649

Telephone Mark on 01237 431413 for further details or to arrange an interview with Richard Freeman.

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

+ The Centre for Fortean Zoology is a non profit-making organisation, which was founded in 1992. Over the last 11 years we have mounted expeditions to Central America, Thailand, Mexico, various parts of the United States, as well as numerous investigations in the UK. Further information on the CFZ can be found on their website, www.cfz.org.uk.
+ C F Z director Jonathan Downes has written numerous books on the subject of mystery animals. The latest, entitled `Monster Hunter` is his long awaited autobiography.
+ The honorary life President of the Centre for Fortean Zoology is renowned explorer, author and soldier Colonel John Blashford-Snell OBE, best known for his pioneering Operation Drake and Operation Raleigh expeditions during the 1970s.
+ The CFZ is looking for corporate and private sponsors
+ Pictures to accompany this story are available on request