When Monsters Appear, the “Escaped Apes” Theory Surfaces its Head Time and Time Again

[staarker]

One of the most enduring explanations put forth to explain sightings of anomalous apes is that they are not unknown animals, but actually escapees from zoos and menageries. If there were just one or two cases on record, one might be inclined to suggest the stories possess a degree of merit. That there are, however, dozens of such stories, is a good indication they are a relatively modern day myth that has a habit of taking hold and perpetuating. In 2009, paranormal expert and author Mike Dash was leafing through a copy of the December 8, 1878 edition of England’s Sheldrake’s Aldershot & Sandhurst Military Gazette, and came across a fascinating story in its pages that sat below the eye-opening headline of: Capturing a Gorilla in Shropshire. The article began in an appropriately controversial fashion: “For a fortnight past the district around Madeley Wood, Salop, has been in a state of intense excitement, by the alleged depredations committed by a gorilla, which is said to have escaped from a wild beast menagerie traveling to Bridgnorth [italics mine]. The animal was stated to have first made his appearance in the neighborhood of that town, where in the darkness of the night it was severally seen by a clergyman and a policeman, both of whom fled. It is also said to have appeared at several places in the immediate neighborhood.”
https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2022/03/ ... ime-again/

[ricky1874]

I thought about this theory before years ago. What if alot of the Bigfoot sightings are actually primates that escaped from zoos 100-200 years ago and have since then...cross-breed with other primates and have evolved somewhat because of the new environment.

[mr_iqman]

I thought about this theory before years ago. What if alot of the Bigfoot sightings are actually primates that escaped from zoos 100-200 years ago and have since then...cross-breed with other primates and have evolved somewhat because of the new environment.

This theory actually makes sense when you think about it. Maybe some of these Bigfoot sightings are from escaped gorillas that have either evolved through habitat change or mutated over time.

[patrickwass]

I thought about this theory before years ago. What if alot of the Bigfoot sightings are actually primates that escaped from zoos 100-200 years ago and have since then...cross-breed with other primates and have evolved somewhat because of the new environment.

This theory actually makes sense when you think about it. Maybe some of these Bigfoot sightings are from escaped gorillas that have either evolved through habitat change or mutated over time.

Or maybe they are government experiments that have somehow got loose into the public. I think this theory is more believable than the mutation theory.

[davidworth]

I don't really buy into this theory. For one reason, because, usually the reports you hear about big-foot don't sound like regular apes. Big-foot report descriptions that I've heard about usually sound like a whole other species. Big-foot reports usually say that it's around 7 or more foot tall and walks more like an human.

[GudrunHelga]

One of the most enduring explanations put forth to explain sightings of anomalous apes is that they are not unknown animals, but actually escapees from zoos and menageries. If there were just one or two cases on record, one might be inclined to suggest the stories possess a degree of merit. That there are, however, dozens of such stories, is a good indication they are a relatively modern day myth that has a habit of taking hold and perpetuating. In 2009, paranormal expert and author Mike Dash was leafing through a copy of the December 8, 1878 edition of England’s Sheldrake’s Aldershot & Sandhurst Military Gazette, and came across a fascinating story in its pages that sat below the eye-opening headline of: Capturing a Gorilla in Shropshire. The article began in an appropriately controversial fashion: “For a fortnight past the district around Madeley Wood, Salop, has been in a state of intense excitement, by the alleged depredations committed by a gorilla, which is said to have escaped from a wild beast menagerie traveling to Bridgnorth [italics mine]. The animal was stated to have first made his appearance in the neighborhood of that town, where in the darkness of the night it was severally seen by a clergyman and a policeman, both of whom fled. It is also said to have appeared at several places in the immediate neighborhood.”
https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2022/03/ ... ime-again/

The enduring explanation for sightings of anomalous apes often attributes them to escapees from zoos and menageries. While individual cases might hold some merit, the prevalence of such stories suggests they are more likely modern-day myths perpetuated over time. An example from 1878, where a purported gorilla sighting in Shropshire was linked to a traveling menagerie, underscores this phenomenon.