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^^^^ this is pretty much right, maybe a little terse, but correct. When a substantial body of data falls along a bell curve, the thing it describes is real. Unless coordinated (conspiracy), hoaxes simply do not do that. You'd have to somehow go back in time 400 years, 1000 years, and more, and edit the cultural history of indigenous peoples to do that. Seems ridiculously unlikely. MIB

You'd probably be tracking lava movement under the volcanoes in the PNW.

As I stated in my initial post, Gombe has not improved the local villages situation to that of a comparable sized town in the Western nations. And it never will because the research areas restrict land and natural resources use by the local population (I use "local" to describe the populations immediately adjacent to the research area, not the cities and towns 25 or more miles away.) IMF and World Bank contribute far more to these economies than primate-tourism ever will. As for habituators coming forward, you've proved that they will not be believed (see your reply to jayeti March 14, 07:07 AM). So there is no point for them to come forward: there's nothing in it for them. Like I wrote the cat's meow is the dog's dinner. These people have nothing to look forward to other than mockery and disdain. But I'll play along. So let's say Mr. Abee Cee is a habituator and sends samples to Dr. Meldrum. What's in it for Mr. Abee Cee? (Answer: a warm fuzzy feeling that he's anonymously contributed to BF research.) The reality is warm fuzzy feelings don't buy food for him or his BFs. And if he wants or asks for monetary compensation, he's not in it for the 'right' reasons, he's in it for filthy lucre, which means he's a creep, which means anything he has should be discredited because he's a creep who's only in it for the m.o.n.e.y. I find this discussion to be quite revealing: Habituators should come forward, but if they do.....they're only doing so for fame and fortune, so they should not be taken seriously because they're not doing it for the 'right' reason. Yeah, right....and you wonder why these people don't want to go public.... You do raise some good points. But, the bolded absolutely does not prove anything. It is my opinion (and experience) that most people who positively reinforce a statement in the way that was done above are usually fabricating the story, at the least it is a very well known warning sign in some circles! My position is very simple in that if habituators claim regular activity they should be able to provide the evidence to back that up. How can they expect to be taken seriously when they make extraordinary claims with no evidence or withold evidence. If they didn't want people to know for fear of mockery, then how come they seem to be continually telling people who forward this information on to all and sundry? Don't you think something is off with this scenario? If they are that desperate to avoid publicity and interest then don't tell anyone at all. I would have no problems with someone making money from what would be a genuinely astounding discovery. I would. Also, I have never said that the motivations are good, bad or indifferent - I would like to think if it was me that I would be interested in the right parties being involved to secure the future of habitats for the continued survival of these creatures and I would love to make money from it too by selling my HD film of the creatures in my back yard - I'd be on the phone to the aptly named Matt Moneymaker as quick as I could...........I wouldn't care what others thought. I believe there is a strong possibility that the sasquatch is a real animal, the PGF is impossible for me to rule out, but if that animal is real and it's in your back garden regularly there should be some very real, tangible evidence for that, failure to produce that evidence after making a claim in the first place is very suspicious to me. We'll have to just disagree on the 'benefits' thing as there seems to be an impasse

I'm a fan of "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" by The Beatles.

↑↑ I completely agree. Even the invite came with built in excuses. Just more campfire stories. This subject needs more serious researchers like you . Ones who go out and try to a collect specimen in the name of science.

I snorted at the notion one can communicate telepathically with another species.