SRI: The Sasquatch Research Initiative
submitted by Paul Pinkham
In 1959, millionaire Tom Slick financed the
first true team of sasquatch researchers for his
Pacific Northwest Expedition. In the nearly
half-century since that unsuccessful venture,
new organizations have emerged with the
purpose to solve the great sasquatch mystery.
To date, none have been even remotely
successful. With the wealth of resources
available with the Internet, there is now more
information and opportunities than ever to
finally lay this mystery to rest. Unfortunately,
many of these organizations do not take
advantage of this huge opportunity, and choose
instead to keep their information closely
guarded. Much of the research done by these
organizations has been documented or
published without guidelines or standards, and
may include misinformation that could be
detrimental to their existing databases.
Furthermore, we believe the lack of success by
these groups is in large part due to poor
investigation standards, lack of accountability,
and poor leadership.
It was for this reason, and many others, that the
Sasquatch Research Initiative, or SRI, was
formed. SRI could best be described as an
association of independent researchers working
together to investigate and research Sasquatch.
SRI differs from those who have come before in
that:
1) SRI is the product of itís members. All
actions and decisions are voted on and agreed
upon in a democratic fashion.
2) All members of SRI are held to very high
standards and a strict code of ethics, insuring
the kind of professionalism this field
desperately needs.
3) SRI will accept no reported sighting at face
value. Each report will be thoroughly
investigated. No report will be published until it
has been investigated to the fullest and has met
the approval of the SRI membership.
4) All investigators will be held responsible for
the work they present and will be required to
answer for any mistakes that are made.
5) SRI has nothing to hide. We are about
sharing quality information with the public and
creating a database of reliable sightings. We are
not concerned with the quantity of sightings,
but rather with the quality. Our primary
directive is not to entertain the public, but to
finally solve the mystery of Sasquatch once and
for all.
Simply stated, SRI is unlike any other group of
Sasquatch researchers. Never before has such a
large and diverse group of independent
researchers stood together as one to solve this
mystery. The time for change is now, and SRI
looks forward to working with researchers and
the public to bring about that change.
Visit us at www.sasquatchonline.com.
Cryptid of the Month
B I G F O OT E R ' S DAT E S
Oct 14-16 Texas Bigfoot Conference
Jefferson. TX
The Bili Ape
In the last couple of years there have been two
discoveries that have rocked the boat of
scientists and skeptics alike. We've already
discussed the most impressive paleontological
find in a long while: Homo floresiensis. That's
the 3.5' tall "littlefoot" hominids unearthed in
Indonesia. (see Vol1 No3) The other cryptozoological
breakthrough is the mounting evidence
and acceptance by primatologists of a "living
legend" in the form of a potentially new species
of anthropoid ape. It resides in the jungles of
the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in an
area known as the Bili forest.
What evidence do we have for this new ape?
Anecdotal local native reports, plaster casts of
extra large ape footprints, hair and scat samples
and a photo or two. The locals having been
relating stories of large "lion-killer" apes to
Western explorers since 1908. Michael
Crichton's novel "Congo" (it was made into a
movie as well) is based on these local accounts.
But it wasn't until a primatologist was stalked
and charged by a group of these extra large
chimps, that scientific minds finally opened to
the reality of this cryptid. Shelly Williams and her
trackers used some hunting tricks to lure the
mystery apes. "One of my trackers made the
sound of a duiker, a small antelope, as if it were in
pain," said Williams. "Four or five of the mystery
primates fell for the ruse and came running to
kill it."
Now, wait just a minute, don't we have the same
sort of evidence for bigfoot? We certainly have
stories and tracks by the thousands. We also 
have hair and fecal samples labelled "unknown
primate." Then there's the P/G Film. Plus a
number of people have been stalked an "bluff
charged" as well. Granted in the case of the Bili
Apes, it was a primatologist who saw the apes
run in for the kill, not just an amateur cryptozoologist.
But the real reason for the reluctance
of anthropologists to accept bigfoot most likely
springs from it's bipedal gate. These giant
chimps are knuckle-walkers and don't upset the
scientific applecart nearly as much as a North
American bipedal ape does.
Nonetheless, the fact that science is now willing
to "discover" the Bili apes, coupled with proof of
"littlefoot" in the Indonesian archipelagos, goes a
long way towards establishing credibility for the
ongoing study of rumored animals. Cryptozoologists
can walk a little taller now, and perhaps
someday soon the study of hidden animals
will be officially recognized and developed into 
a disciplined scientific specialty.