(Original headline: Local experts want priority in the hunt )
With reports of Bigfoot sightings creating a stir overseas, local scientists want to be given first shot at carrying out an expedition to determine its existence.
International media have been carrying reports and comments about the sightings and some overseas groups have asked permission to enter the jungles of Johor in search of the creature.
Some international organisations have lauded the State Government’s recent pledge carry out a scientific study on the creature’s existence.
A local animal science expert said yesterday, although there were many foreign requests from foreign experts and media agencies to help in the search, the State Government should give local experts a go at it first.
Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Animal Science Department head Professor Dr Azahar Kassim said, with numerous Bigfoot sightings reported and physical evidence like footprints and hair samples, it was high time Johor launched a full-scale search for the creature.
"I personally would like to join the expedition. I am sure many other experts in the country are looking forward to it, too, so I hope the Johor Government and other authorities go ahead with it."
The US-based Bigfoot Field Researchers Organisation (BFRO), on its website, had praised Malaysia for its willingness to openly investigate the Bigfoot sightings.
It stated that Malaysia’s findings would be relevant to American/Canadian research because the Bigfoot seen there were believed to be descendants of a species that originated in South-East Asia. It pointed out that the Malaysian Government’s supportive attitude in wanting to investigate the sightings was a first for any country.
Dr Azahar, a veterinarian by profession, said that all researchers needed was some hair or blood of the creature Bigfoot and he could run a DNA analysis on it.
"Such a find would revolutionise the scientific community’s understanding of human existence in the world."
Dr Azahar said Malaysia was ideal for the Bigfoot study, compared to the US or China, as the search would be over a smaller area.
He said one of the reasons rare animals like the Bigfoot were being sighted in recent years could be the onset of development.
"As we press forward in the virgin jungles areas with our plantations, the animals could be exposed to new food alternatives, such as oil palm fruits, bananas and coconuts.
"The shy creatures could have tasted these foods and acquired a taste for them, so they are now frequently venturing out," he said. — NST
See also: Singapore Paranormal Investigators To Launch Bigfoot Hunt
Malaysia's Bigfoot: Remnants Of Malaysia's Apes?
Malay Villagers Describe Bigfoot Encounters
