Meldrum Interview

8/9/2019 Meldrum Interview

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QUESTIONS:

1. ARE YOU STILL OF THE OPINION THE 14.5" TRACK OBSERVED IN ASSOCIATION

WITH THE P-G SUBJECT IS THE SAME AS THE 15" TRACK OBSERVED AND

PHOTOGRAPHED MONTHS EARLIER BY RENE DAHINDEN?

It has often been asked whether the Patteron-Gimlin film subjects footprints had been

seen on any other occasions. As I have suggested, it seems logical that given the apparent

rarity of these individuals, when footprints are found repetitively in a given locale, they

would frequently be repeat appearances of the few individuals in that region. Hence the

question Is there any similarity between the 14.5-15-inch footprints from the P-G film

site and footprints of comparable size discovered elsewhere and in that region? Examine

the attached photo as an example of just one case in point and, taking into account such

variables as differences in substrate firmness, depth of impression, and degree of toe

flexion, judge for yourself.

2. WHAT ARE YOUR EXPECTATIONS FOR THIS UPCOMING IDAHO BIGFOOTCONFERENCE?

Brandon Tennant has organized an informative and entertaining event that I anticipate

will promote an awareness and appreciation of the many and diverse facets of this

phenomenon.

3. IS THE CONFERENCE DESIGNED FOR THE BIGFOOT PUBLIC, THE MEDIA OR

FELLOW SCIENTISTS AND IS THERE A SLANT THERE FOR FAMILIES?

Brandons vision of the Rendezvous is to provide a varied experience for all with a

decided Rocky Mountain spin. Bigfoot/Sasquatch is often associated with the Pacific

Northwest and many are unaware of the regional traditions and contemporary accountsfrom the Intermountain West. Brandon has lined up speakers for the conference element

that will in part reflect that regionalism. The presentations will focus primarily on the

evidence and implications for the reality of an unrecognized species. Other activities

celebrate the role of sasquatch in folklore and its place in the cultural landscape. Events

are aimed to involve community merchants and performers. There will be a variety of

activities for entire family.

4. WHAT IS THE HOLD UP WITH YOUR UPCOMING BOOK,SASQUATCH: LEGEND MEETSSCIENCE, AND DO YOU THINK THE WORK WILL HAVE A FAVORABLE IMPACT ON THEPUBLIC?

Production is squarely on track with a release date set for the end of August 2006. Basedon reactions by prepublication reviewers, I am hopeful that it will cast the question in an

objective, balanced, and informative light, and extend the inroads made by previous

serious authors.

5. YOU HAD A VERY CRITICAL REVIEW OR DR. DAVID DAEGLING'S BIGFOOT BOOK, DO

EXPECT HIM TO RETURN THE FAVOR WITH YOUR BOOK?


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I expect my book will have very little impact on the mindset of card-carrying skeptics of

the sort Dr. Daegling appears to number himself among. I expect he will have little

grounds to criticize the representation of data in the book, although I am confident he will

espouse differing interpretations for much of it.

6. IF THERE IS A UNDETECTED SPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA, ARE WE PREMATURE,SCIENTIFICALLY SPEAKING, TO BE CALLING THEM AN "APE" AS OPPOSED TO

"HUMAN?" WOULD WE BE BETTER OFF WITH THE BROADER CATEGORY OF SIMPLY

PRIMATE?

Certainly it is premature to come to any conclusive position on the matter, which remains

open. But we can certainly evaluate the plausibility of a null hypothesis based on the

indications at hand. There are certain anatomical and behavioral traits that the

anthropological community recognizes as characteristic of modern humans (Homo

sapiens). These seem to be consistently absent from descriptions of sasquatch. On the

other hand, many aspects of observed sasquatch behavior and anatomy are comparable or

analogous to such anatomy and behavior present among the known great apes.

7. DO YOU THINK DR. DAVID DAEGLING'SBIGFOOT EXPOSED BOOK, RELEASED IN 2004WAS ONE-SIDED AND CARELESSLY RESEARCHED?

Yes, to a large extent.

8. FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT, IF THERE IS NO SASQUATCH, WOULD YOU AGREE

THE WILDMAN MOTIF PERPETUATED THROUGH THE AGES IS FAR MORE POWERFUL

THAN ANY OF US IMAGINED?

Even if it were not to exist, the persistence and pervasiveness of the icon is indeed a

fascinating facet of the human experience, whose roots likely extended far back into

prehistory. The bushiness of the hominid family tree has gained considerable recognitionin anthropology of late, and the reality that at any given time there were multiple hominid

species coexisting. The fact thatHomo erectus is accepted to have survived until as

recently as 27,000 years ago; neandertals until 23,000 years ago; the Flores hominid until

12,000 years ago, suggests the very reasonable possibility that the present may be no

exception to this prevailing condition we may continue to share the planet with a

diversity of relict populations of hominids and/or apes.

9. WHAT IS THE NORTH AMERICAN APE PROJECT 2006 AND TO WHAT EXTENT IS IT

FUNDED?

I continue to conduct collaborative field investigations, as well as laboratory-based

research, with an ongoing commitment of funding sufficient to our immediate objectives.

10. DID THE DEATHS OF RENE DAHINDEN, DR. GROVER KRANTZ AND DR. BERNARD

HEUVELMANS HAVE ANY AFFECT ON YOU, IN THAT ALL OF THEM WENT TO THEIR

GRAVES WITHOUT EVER RESOLVING THE MYSTERY OF BIGFOOT?

Indeed, the passing of prominent members of the first watch is sobering. It reminds one

of the finite nature of our tenure here and gives pause as one reflects on priorities. I didnt


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come to know each of these men personally, but I suspect they were individuals who lead

full lives, with diverse interests, surrounded by friends and family. Everything needs to be

kept in perspective.

11. YOU MENTIONED TO ME IN CONVERSATION THAT IF THE QUESTION OF

SASQUATCH IS NOT RESOLVED WITHIN YOUR LIFETIME THAN IT HAS BEEN AN

ENJOYABLE RIDE. IF YOU LIVE TO BE 100, DO YOU THINK WE MIGHT HAVE ANANSWER TO THE QUESTION?

This continues to be as much aprocess for me as the anticipation of a destination. I have

learned a great deal through wrestling with questions of casts and habitat efforts that

have provided insights into other aspects of my research programs. I have experienced

the thrill and adventure of approaching an unknown, just short of reaching out and

touching it. I have spent time in some of the most spectacular wilderness the West has to

offer. I have made life-long friends and acquaintances.

If this is to be resolved in the next 50+ years it will be either a stroke of luck, or the result

of concerted incremental effort, or both. I have witnessed modest progress through

incremental effort.

12. FORGET ABOUT FOSSILS, DON'T YOU THINK BONES OR SOME PHYSICAL REMAINS

OF THE SASQUATCH SHOULD HAVE BEEN COLLECTED BY NOW?

Certainly this remains a vexing situation, but when considered from an informed position

of the nature of remains and the natural mechanisms for their dispersal and disposal, of

the chemistry of soils in various habitats, and of the inferred natural history of the

sasquatch, it is in no way a damning state of affairs. The lack of bones should not in itself

be taken as compelling negative evidence.

13. THE LATE PAUL FREEMAN COLLECTED A LOT OF "EVIDENCE" FOR BIGFOOT. DO

YOU THINK IT WAS ALL LEGITIMATE OR MIGHT HE HAVE FABRICATED SOME OF IT?

There are some items of his that are questionable, which I have little confidence in. In

some cases it is unclear where responsibility for these items ultimately lies. There were

some handprints that apparently went through successive iterations of embellishment, but

these were it seems derived from an original that appears quite credible. I have as much

confidence as is reasonably possible in the footprints Paul took me to in 1996. I have

already discussed these extensively elsewhere.

14. DO YOU STILL HOLD A FAVORABLE OPINION OF THE REDWOODS BIGFOOT

VIDEOTAPE SHOT IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ON AUGUST 28, 1995?

I do. In fact, I just recently had the opportunity to speak again with one of the principals

involved in the incident, Dean Hamilton. That conversation simply reaffirmed my

opinion of the veracity of these witnesses. However, since the quality of the film renders

it largely unpersuasive, the issue remains largely moot.

15. THE MIDTARSAL BREAK OBSERVED IN BOTH PLASTER CASTINGS AND FOOT


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IMPRESSIONS IN THE GROUND. WOULD I BE CORRECT TO SAY WE HAVE A FOOT THAT

LOOKS SUPERFICIALLY LIKE MAN'S BUT OPERATES LIKE THE GREAT APES?

The foot exhibits several trends evident in both great ape and hominid evolution: a

reduction in the length of the toes, alignment of the great toe (hallux) with the remaining

digits; and a lengthening and broadening of the calcaneus. The retention of flexibility in

the mditarsal joint and the lack of a fixed arch or well-differentiated ball of the foot are

similar to the condition of the early hominid foot. I argue that the condition of the

sasquatch foot is analogous to that seen in hominids from the advent of bipedalism to the

emergence ofHomo sapiens, who ambulated bipedally for several million years on flat

flexible feet.

16. THE SKOOKUM BIGFOOT BODY CASTING, 2000, IS STILL A RATHER

CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC. DON'T YOU THINK THE IMPRESSION LENDS ITSELF TO

MULTIPLE INTERPRETATIONS?

Certainly multiple interpretations have been offered by various individuals, some without

the benefit of ever having examined the cast. The only alternate interpretation, excludinghoaxing, initially worthy of serious consideration was that the imprint was made by an

elk. However, this hypothesis was readily falsified by comparing the impression to those

left by elk, to their anatomy, hair patterns, and behavior. At this point, no reasonable

argument can be made for elk as the responsible candidate. I found it curious how readily

many individuals adopted an opinion that the reconstructed posture was quite

unreasonable for a large primate. Rick Noll recently filmed a gorilla at the Seattle Zoo

feeding inprecisely this posture, right down to the heel plants. It ate selectively and

sloppily as was also indicated at the site.

17. AGAIN, FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT, IF THE P-G FILM WAS FAKED, HOW DO YOU

THINK THEY DID IT, IN LIGHT OF THE BOLD FACT THAT UPON CLOSE-UP ANALYSISMUSCLE MASSES CAN BE SEEN TO EXPAND AND CONTRACT?

I dont see how it could have been accomplished. The materials that would be used to do

it today were not readily available, if to be had at all, in 1967. Knee-jerk responses about

it obviously portraying a man in a fur suit pale when the film is examined with todays

technologies. Every revelation substantiates rather than undermines its authenticity. From

my perspective, the evident anatomy and kinematics of the foot alone, and the correlated

aspects of the documented footprints, speak volumes to its authenticity.

18. DO YOU THINK YOUR COLLEAGUES IN THE WORLD OF ANTHROPOLOGY/

ANATOMY REFER TO YOU AS "THAT BIGFOOT GUY," AND HAVE MADE DEROGATORY

REMARKS ABOUT YOUR WORK ON THIS TOPIC?

Certainly some have behaved that way, but I would like to think these are the vocal

minority. On the other hand, I have received solid expressions of support, encouragement,

and interest from numerous colleagues. The positive endorsements for my book,

Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science have come from highly esteemed colleagues and are

representative of these expressions.


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19. IF YOU WERE TO DO IT OVER AGAIN WOULD YOU WADE INTO THE WATERS OF

BIGFOOTING?

There have been moments rare and brief when I have wondered that. But of course I

would have for all the reasons cited previously.

20. THE BOSSBURG TRACKS, 1969, DO YOU THINK THE LATE IVAN MARX OR ANYONEELSE WOULD HAVE THE SOPHISTICATION TO FABRICATE SOMETHING OF THAT

NATURE?

When you consider the quality of his efforts at costume fakery, I suspect not. From an

anatomical perspective, the Bossburg footpints remain one of the most impressive sets of

data at hand. Through the courtesy of Chris Murphy and the Dahindens, I have had the

opportunity to examine the original casts quite closely and remain very impressed by

them, as are numerous other professionals.

END.

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