Cryptozoologist Richard Freeman is risking terrorist attack in a remote area of Russia perilously close to Chechnya in an attempt to hunt down evidence of the mysterious wildmen, or “Almasty” as they are also known.
The Almasty is a legendary Sasquatch-like creature that is rumoured to live in the Caucasus Mountains, a large humanoid hairy creature which some scientists believe could be a remaining race of primitive man or possibly a hybrid race of Neanderthal and human inter-breeding.
Freeman and his team of explorers arrived in Kabardino Balkaria on the 22 June and met with Ukrainian biologist Grigory Panchenko who has personally seen the creature himself on several occasions and is the leading authority on the Almasty. Unfortunately, the Channel 4 film crew that were meant to be accompanying the expedition were forced to pull out when they were refused work visas.
Panchenko will be guiding the group, and sharing the faecal and bone samples he has already obtained in his previous research. So far the group have set camera traps in locations where previous sightings of the Almasty have been made, and also searched over treacherous terrain for a reported Almasty corpse with unfortunately little success.
Freeman and his group who run The Centre For Fortean Zoology here in the UK have managed to obtain hair samples from what they believe could be an Almasty nest.
The team is set to return with a full report on 12 July, and will hopefully be speaking about their exploits at this year’s Weird Weekend, which The Morningstarr* intend giving a full report on as the weekend unfolds.
Until we get further news the group’s exploits can be read as they are chronicled on the official expedition blog by fellow cryptozoologist and musician Jonathan Downes. Follow this link to the blog: RUSSIA 2008: Search for the Wildman
