Bigfoot 'shares human roots'

2006-07-03 15:00

Kuala Lumpur - Mysterious Bigfoot creatures said to be roaming Malaysian jungles are probably descended from humankind's ancient African ancestor homo erectus, an environmentalist said on Monday.

"The species probably evolved from 'homo erectus'. It has evolved over time and is a distinct species specific to Malaysia," said Vincent Chow, a member of the Malaysian Nature Society.

Homo erectus is a species of hominid believed to be an ancestor of modern humans that existed about two million to 400 000 years ago.

Chow, who has been lobbying the government to look into the hairy man-like beasts, has ventured into the jungles of southern Johor state to look for the creatures.

He said studying Malaysia's Bigfoots, whose existence have never been proven, could shed new light on human evolution.

"It could have evolved into a new species over thousands of years," Chow said. "It will revolutionise the way how we look at our origin."

Chow said his opinion was based on footprints and eyewitness accounts from indigenous people and loggers.

He warned their survival was being threatened by deforestration.

"I fear for its survival. It has lost its traditional home. Many parts of the jungle have been converted to palm oil estates," he said.

Sightings of the animals in Johor hit headlines last December and generated intense interest from international wildlife experts.

The mythical ape-like creatures have been reported in wilderness areas all over the world. They are known as Bigfoot or "Sasquatch" in the United States and Canada, and "yetis" in the Himalayas.

Chow said the Bigfoot found in Malaysia was about 2.3 to four metres tall and hunts wild boars and catches fish in the river.

- AFP