Wanted: Bigfoot

Canadian Press

July 17, 2007 at 6:25 PM EDT

Red Deer, Alta. — Seen Bigfoot lately?

If so, the Western Canadian Sasquatch Research Organization wants to hear about it.

The group recently advertised in the Mountaineer weekly newspaper in Rocky Mountain House, Alta., seeking anyone who may have found traces of the furry beast.

Mainstream researchers say Bigfoot is either a myth or a hoax. They say eyewitness accounts are unreliable and there's a lack of solid physical evidence.

But group founder Sean Viala, 29, of Red Deer thinks the sasquatch may actually exist. That belief is based on an experience he and some friends had about 10 years ago while camping about 20 kilometres west of Nordegg in west-central Alberta. It was about 5 p.m. and still light.

He said a hairy figure was moving along a cutline and strode into the trees.

“I would guess it was six-and-a-half feet to seven feet tall, covered in brown hair,” he said.

Mr. Viala was stunned and a little scared.

“I've been camping in the ... country all my life and I've seen all kinds of animals. This was nothing I could recognize.”

The campers tried to find clues as to what they had just seen, but there were no footprints.

Mr. Viala connected with other sasquatch watchers online and founded the precursor to his organization in 1999. About 30 members now belong.

Some go on expeditions and use special techniques developed by sasquatch researchers. The group concentrates on the front range of the Rockies from Waterton Lakes National Park on the border with the United States to Jasper National Park.

Each report filed on the group's website is also checked. The dubious ones are weeded out.

“One woman wanted us to find one so she could mate with it,” laughed group member Brian Baillie, a chemist from Calgary.