Sunday 27 December 2009

29-07-2008 Scientists hunting apemen return from Russian to headline UK conference

For immediate release:
2008-07-29
SCIENTISTS HUNTING APEMEN RETURN FROM RUSSIA TO HEADLINE UK CONFERENCE

A team of British scientists have returned from a three-week expedition to the Caucasus Mountains in Russia with what may be evidence of a creature closely related to man. The five man team from the Centre for Fortean Zoology teamed up with Russian and Ukrainian scientists to hunt the almasty, a huge, hairy wildman said to inhabit parts of Russia and the former USSR.

Cryptozoologist Richard Freeman said "We found hair, dung and skull shards that may be from an almasty. These are going to be analysed by geneticists in order to establish if the DNA points to an unknown species."

Freeman, who nearly died no less than four times on the mountain adventure, says he and his colleague, the explorer Adam Davis, may have come within 12ft of an almasty whilst staking out an abandoned farm at 2.30 in the morning.

"We were in a room in the farmhouse with a door facing out on to the veranda. The 7ft high door was open a couple of inches and starlight was flooding through. We heard a deep, guttural vocalisation. A few seconds later something passed by the door blocking out the starlight to a height of at least 7ft. We grabbed our cameras and rushed out into the night, but whatever it was had vanished."

Richard and his team will be revealing their findings at the Centre for Fortean Zoology's annual conference, the Weird Weekend. Among the other firsts at the conference will be a new book launched by world renowned zoologist Dr Karl Shuker. Dr Shuker's Casebook examines a whole menagerie of bizarre and mysterious beasts from all over the planet.

The Weird Weekend is held in Woolsery, North Devon, from the 15th to the 17th August. More information can be gained on the Weird Weekend website at www.weirdweekend.org

This Year's Speakers:

The CFZ take no responsibility for disappointment caused by the non-appearance of any of the advertised speakers

MATTHEW WILLIAMS: Crop Circles
POLLYANNA PICKERING: Yeti skull in Bhutan
MIKE HALLOWELL: The Tyneside poltergeist
LEE WALKER: New Ferry after dark
JON DOWNES + RICHARD FREEMAN: An introduction to cryptozoology
JON DOWNES: The Owlman and Others
Dr MIKE DASH: In Search of Dr MacRae (Loch Ness)
MATT SALUSBURY: Water elephants of the Congo
TIM MATTHEWS: Weird stuff happens - my part in UFOlogy's downfall
RONAN COGHLAN: The theology of extra-terrestrials
BOOK LAUNCH: `Dr Shuker's Casebook` by Dr. Karl Shuker
RICHARD FREEMAN ET AL: Guyana 2007 Expedition report
GRAHAM INGLIS: CFZ Museum - annual report
PAUL VELLA - the last 12 months in BHM
OLL LEWIS: The last 12 months of lake and sea monster reports
CHRIS MOISER: Confessions of a fortean zookeeper
RICHARD FREEMAN ET AL: Russia 2008 Expedition report
MICHAEL WOODLEY: In the wake of Bernard Heuvelmans
Dr GAIL-NINA ANDERSON: Fairies in art
MIKE HALLOWELL: Invizikids - Childhood imaginary friends
GEOFF WARD: Spirals - the Pattern of Existence
RONAN COGHLAN: The Duncannon incident
JONATHAN DOWNES: Keynote Speech and Closing Remarks.

Exhibition: Nature art by Rebecca McGowan-Griffin
Exhibition: Wildlife photography by Benjiman Leese
Exhibition: Metamorphosis - exotic insects

There are also stalls, music, drama, films, and a full programme of entertainment for children.

Tickets are £20/adult in advance. Accompanied children under 15 free.

Buy tickets online:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Weird-Weekend-2008-15-17-August_W0QQitemZ150210919807QQihZ\ 005QQcategoryZ88433QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

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