Alleged Bigfoot tracks found in Wales were “joke footprints,” cryptozoologist claims. Pic credit: Pixabay
A researcher has debunked a claim made earlier in the week by a Bigfoot hunter that they found evidence of Sasquatch in Wales.
Paranormal Papers reported that Jason Kenzie and his team claimed they found oversized footprints alongside a primitive shelter on Caerphilly Mountain in South Wales while filming a new TV series
Enthusiasts compared the footprints (see photo below) to Shaquille O’Neal’s shoe size after Kenzie reported they were 16 inches long.
Shaq reportedly wears size 22 shoes.
Bigfoot hunters allegedly found Sasquatch footprints. Pic credit: via New York Post/YouTube
Alleged Sasquatch footprint was a “joke”
However, an expert in British cryptids has come forward to explain the origin of the gigantic footprint.
Cryptozoologist Andy McGrath told the Daily Star that while he believed that Bigfoot exists, the footprints Kenzie and his team stumbled upon on Caerphilly Mountain were “joke prints.”
He claimed he was part of a TV production team that created the footprints while filming a skit for the TV show Weird Britain, scheduled to premiere next spring.
The skit was about Brenin Llwyd, a legendary figure from Welsh folklore, also known as the Grey King or The Monarch of the Mist.
[Note: Folklloe claims that Llwyd lived alone in mountainous regions of Wales and appeared to lonely travelers clad in mist or a grey robe.]
McGrath said the crew left multiple oversized footprints and built a crude stick shelter for the comedic segment.
According to McGrath, their producer, a gigantic man about 6 foot 7 inches tall, inspired the footprints. Some members of the crew cracked jokes, comparing him to a Sasquatch.
McGrath claimed Bigfoot is extinct in Britain
The latest development comes after McGrath said he believed Bigfoot-like creatures were extinct on the British Isles.
Paranormal Papers reported that the cryptozoologist concluded after a fruitless six-year search that British Bigfoot, also known as Woodwoses, were extinct.
But he said he believed the Loch Ness Monster was probably still alive in its native loch in the Scottish Highlands.
Woodwoses have been part of English folklore since medieval times. Folklore described them as big, muscular, and hairy humanoid creatures that lived in the forest.
Representation in decorative art often showed them wielding wooden clubs.
Reports of Bigfoot-like creatures come from around the globe
Although Bigfoot is usually associated with North American folklore, cultures around the globe have versions of the creature.
They are known as Agogwe in East Africa and Yeti in Tibet. The Tibetan Yeti allegedly lives in remote regions of the Himalayan ranges.
A version native to Japan is called the Hibagon. The creature allegedly lives on the slopes of Mount Hiba in the Hiroshima Prefecture.
The Mogollon Monster is native to the Mogollon Rim region of Arizona.