12-11-2007 Five explorers in giant snake adventure

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12TH NOVEMBER 2007
FIVE EXPLORERS IN GIANT SNAKE ADVENTURE

On Wednesday evening, 14th November, a five-person expedition flies from Heathrow Airport in search of adventure. The five explorers from the UK based Centre for Fortean Zoology [CFZ] – the world’s largest organisation dedicated to the search for unknown animals – are on the track of three potentially deadly monsters.

1. The giant anaconda. Although the largest known specimen of this snake was a mere 28 foot, there have been reports for centuries of far larger reptiles in the swamps of South America. Snakes measuring 40 – 50 feet have been reported from the trackless swamps of Guyana in the past few years. Are these creatures giant specimens of a known species? Or something entirely new? We aim to find out.
2. The didi. Often described as a bigfoot-type creature, some reports confuse it with the mapinguari; another huge South American mystery beast that some people believe is a surviving giant ground sloth. Giant ground sloth bear, hominid, or bogeyman? We aim to find out.
3. The water tiger. This poorly known aquatic beast is practically unknown in the west, but across South America it is famed for its ferocity. Is it something entirely new? Or is it something based upon sightings of the extremely rare giant river otter? We aim to find out.

The expedition will be keeping in touch with CFZ headquarters in rural North Devon by satellite ‘phone, and CFZ Director Jonathan Downes hopes to be able to post daily bulletins on a dedicated blog: http://cfzguyana.blogspot.com/

The expedition members are: Richard Freeman, Zoological Director of the CFZ - expedition leader
Dr. Chris Clark, cryptozoologist
Lisa Dowley, photographer
Jon Hare, science writer and explorer
Paul Rose, journalist and author

Photographs of expedition members, a press pack, and other information are available. Please telephone Jon or Corinna on 01237 431413 for further details.

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, Mongolia, Sumatra, West Africa, 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
+ CFZ Press are now the world’s most prolific publishers of books on mystery animals.
+ 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.
+ The CFZ make their own documentary films which can be seen at http://www.cfztv.org
+ `Lair of the Red Worm`, the 60 minute film of their 2005 expedition to Mongolia has now been seen by 27,000 people