A viral video allegedly showing a Bigfoot-like creature in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado has drawn skepticism from experts.
The 16-second clip, filmed by a passenger on the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, shows a furry brown figure walking in a meadow. Shannon Parker and her husband Stetson claim they spotted the “creature” while looking for elk.
“It wasn’t moving like a bear or anything else I’ve ever seen,” Stetson told Cowboy State Daily.
But wildlife biologists urge caution about jumping to conclusions. They point out that the figure is distant, blurry and only visible for a few seconds. The shaky video makes it hard to discern key details.
“The footage is simply too poor quality to make a definitive assessment,” said Dr. Jeff Meldrum, professor of anatomy and anthropology at Idaho State University. “Without more contextual information, this could be anything from a prankster in a costume to a bear foraging on all fours.”
Bigfoot proponents say the creature’s unusual gait rules out a person in a suit. But skeptics note the figure largely disappears behind bushes and its lower half is never fully visible. They accuse believers of seeing what they want to see.
“The desire to find a Sasquatch can cause your mind to ‘fill in the blanks’ based on expectation rather than reality,” said Dr. Benjamin Radford, deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine. “An ambiguous video like this one likely shows a bear or possibly a hoax, not a mythical creature.”
While sightings continue, most scientists agree that more concrete evidence is needed to confirm the existence of Bigfoot. But the legend endures, with videos like this one adding new fuel to the debate.
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