Puppy decapitation blamed on Yowie

[Romeo]

Hey guys... sorry I don't keep in touch these days, haven't posted for a while. I have some catching up to do

I came across this story this morning and thought you guys may be interested. No concrete evidence (as usual) although seeing as though there has been yowie sigtings in the area, you can never rule out the possibility of it's authenticity. See link below.

Dan Romeo

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/804 ... lled-puppy

[hillbilly]

Ya know, in the big guys defence,...some little yappers can really get on ya nerves, eh?

[Romeo]

It's true... Poor fella was probably just trying to get some shut-eye. I know of a certain four-legged foghorn around my neighbourhood that wouldn't be missed if it's head disappeared haha...

Jokes people. I love dogs.

[Atlis]

Hi all yes i saw the story and was inticed to read on (please see my post from new member) i mentioned the acacia hills just south of humpty doo, i really doudt the story is true, although maybe only a puppy would be foolish enough to run up to a yowie, im sure a mature dog would be running in the other direction as i would be, this is a local myth and like most myths at some time im sure it was true, these hills are substantial and sit overlooking 100's of Km's of flood prone bush, i think that sightings in this area would have been genuine in the past if they were between november and march (the wet season), i could imagine that many animals would find higher ground for fresh food which would have been plentifull and since the next closet highest ground is nearly 130km away a yowie may have had no choice but to go their to feed with everything else being drenched or drowned. i have a friend who is a hermet in this area and i used to work with him and im sure he looks at this site, i helped him pull up old railway sleepers near katherine for his garden beds and verhander, he lives on a 20 square kms of bush in these hills, when i visited his property in 1995 he was telling me and you could see how many new properties were being developed, the interesting point about this is that if it was true im sure the reports would have been proceeded by reports that fences were being pushed over, obviuosly yowies dont know how to jump fences or they run straight into them and then rip them apart. its a shame stories like this appear becuase they have no cred, and the Nothern territory news should be read with great scepticsim, the only truthfull section in paper is the date at the bottom of each page lol, although it makes for fantastic reading only and is only surpassed by the wollongong mercury which at least tries to be credibale but fails often. im sure this will rate mention on media watch. abc. if anyone seriuosly wanted to go up their to have a look i would suggest the France creek area east of pine creek 40kms from their on is nothing and it is barely accessable by 4x4, their are mountain ranges out their and even wild goats would not enter this area, very entertaining.

[AussieTrev]

The first thing I am going to do then, when I catch a yowie, is throw it over next doors fence!!!
But seriously..... was there any evidence on the puppy? I can't read the link at the moment!
Was there any claw or finger marks around the neck region or even hair samples around the vicinity?

Does it say what kind of puppy it was, because physically, a little dogs head doesn't sound that hard to rip off. Mentally on the other hand is a different story.
I personally couldn't do it (otherwise I would have jumped my fence already) but I'm sure there are many lunatics out there that wouldn't hesitate.

Has anybody ever heard of yowies eating dogs? Maybe the yowie got hungry but changed his mind when he opened it up to check what flavour it was. ... Trev

[Night Walker]

http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2009/0 ... tnews.html

'Dog killed by Yowie'
MATT CUNNINGHAM
April 21st, 2009

BIG: A photograph of a footprint taken on mango farmer Katrina Tucker's Acacia Hills property in 1997

FIRST it was UFOs, now it's feared Yowies could be on the loose in Darwin's rural area.
A Territory Yowie researcher believes the Big-Foot-like beast could be responsible for the recent death of a dog south of Darwin.
The dog's owners believed their seven-month-old puppy, which had its head ripped from its body, was mauled to death by dingoes.
But Andrew McGinn, who has been researching Yowies in the Top End for more than a decade, said it was possible the hairy ape-type beast was responsible for the attack.
"The way the guy's dog was killed was typical of a Yowie," he said.
"I know it sounds fanciful but over the past 100 years, dogs get killed or decapitated and people report feeling watched, having goats stolen or seeing some tall hairy thing in the days beforehand."
In the late 1990s there were several reports of Yowie sightings around Acacia Hills.
In August 1997, mango farmer Katrina Tucker reported being just metres away from what she described as a hairy humanoid creature on her Acacia Hills property.
Photographs of the creature's footprint were taken the next day and examined by the Northern Territory Museum, which concluded that Ms Tucker had been hoaxed.
But Mr McMinn said after speaking with Ms Tucker he had no doubt her story was true.
"After I met this lady I found she was clearly terrified," he said.
Carpenter Darryl Campbell reported seeing a similar creature near Adelaide River in 1998.
Mr McMinn contacted the Northern Territory News after reading a report that Acacia Hills resident Alan Ferguson had spotted UFOs flying around his home. He said the area seemed to be home to a lot of unusual activity.
"I have been here for 16 years and I hear time and time again reports of these strange things around Acacia Hills," he said.
But Mr Ferguson said he had never seen a Yowie.
"I only see things scootin' around the sky, I don't see hairy monsters," he said,
"But if that's really true, what's next, dinosaurs running around the streets?"

[Night Walker]

It's all just mindless speculation.

Can anyone from the NT shed any light on the people mentioned - particularly Andre McGinn?

"The way the guy's dog was killed was typical of a Yowie," he said.
"I know it sounds fanciful but over the past 100 years, dogs get killed or decapitated..."

Sure, dogs have been reported killed by Yowies but how many by decapitation? Dogs have been reportedly whacked, thrown, clubbed, and smothered - never decapitated. Are there any documented reports or personal experiences that state otherwise? Decapitation would leave grip marks or heavy bruising on both the body and head/neck. Even the owner is not impressed.

Other than getting Yowies in the news this report does little good and potentially more harm for crypto credibility.

Note that the image of the footprint is from the August, 1997 Acacia Hills sighting. That case seems more interesting - does anyone have more information about that one?

[Romeo]

I agree that it is easy to speculate.... people sometimes jump to conclusions when confronted with an odd occurance. I would however be interested in knowing how big the puppy actually was. I own a 6-month old Bull Arab pup and I'd put money on him decapitating a dingo rather than vise-versa. A yowie on the otherhand...

Didn't have to look far to find a full report on the 1997 Acacia Hills encounter... It was in the Reports/Sightings section. I find it interesting that the police involved were certain that she saw something... but were also certain she was hoaxed, even though this took place on a very remote property. One would think a hoaxer would stage something a little closer to the spotlight.

"Kate Jones and her husband operate a 20 acre mango farm. They have lived in the Acacia Hills area for around 20 years. Kate was previously unaware of the yowie legend - this fact was quite clear given the questions she asked me during and after the interview. The Jones's property is quite remote - it's around an hour drive to the nearest shop.

For about the past five years, Kate and her husband had heard strange sounds emanating from beyond a mountain ridge around 5-10km. away. The ridge has a large number of caves. On the other side of the ridge is the Adelaide River.

The sounds were only noticeable during the dry season, July - August. The area has abundant wildlife, and she is quite familiar with dingoes and various birds, but this animal was clearly different. Kate described the sound as a high-pitched noise, like a howler-monkey. The sound changed in pitch from low to high. At one time, Kate heard the sound, and an 'answer' from another location. Whenever the sound occurred, her dogs (2 Doberman's and 2 German shepherds) would start to cry. There were other witnesses to the sounds.

Just prior to the sighting, it appeared that something had been upsetting nearby animals. Across the road from their place, a farmer's cows had jumped a fence. Another nearby property, a horse stud, reported that their horses had been spooked.

On the night of the incident, Kate was awoken at 3am (she checked her bedside clock) by the same sound she had heard previously, except the sound was much closer, and whatever was making it seemed distressed. All her dogs were going berserk. Katherine went out onto her verandah, as the really loud sound continued from close to their 'shadehouse'.

Kate took the 4 wheeler bike to locate the source of the sound - at this stage, she still felt that it could have been a farm animal caught in the high tensile fenceline. The shadehouse was located up a slight incline, in an open area. The night was dark, with heavy cloud cover - the previous week had seen nights with a full moon and no cloud cover. As she travelled up the hill, her mind was on what she would do if it was a trapped animal.

The lights then hit the creature, and she thought 'What the...". She swung the bike around, almost coming off in the process. As she swung the bike, Kate was hit with a smell that made her dry retch. As she recovered, she glanced back at the animal, which was then running off beside the fenceline. The smell resembled a cave full of bats, or the inside of a chookhouse, or urine. At the closest point, she was around 8 feet from the creature.

The creature never faced Kate, but was right side-on to her. It was around 6.5 to 7 feet tall and covered in dull, dark reddish-brown hair. more brown than red. Its arms were longer than a human. The hair was around 2cm long and appeared matted. The creatures shoulders were sloped, not square like a human. It had no neck. It seemed more animal than human.

As it ran, its arms did not 'pump' as a human's would - it did not bend its elbows. It ran by bending its knees, and was stooped over. The animal also swayed from side-to-side. Kate said it appeared to run in 'slow motion', although it took large strides. She felt the animal was scared.

In the morning , Kate returned to the area and found footprints along the fenceline. The prints had 3 big toes, with another 'thumb' located down on the instep. The prints were in an area that was spray irrigated, so Kate covered one of the best prints. A high tensile fence had also been 'crushed' Kate stressed that it was impossible for a man to even move the fence.

Not knowing what to do, she called the NT Museum. Kate was fairly 'cagey' talking to the Museum representative, only asking her to identify an animal's print. Eventually she did tell the full story. The NT Museum did apparently call the Litchfield Times and the Palmerston Police. A local naturalist also visited at the same time.

In the end, the NT Museum staff felt that Kate had been hoaxed - they did not dispute that she had seen something. The NT staff told her that no animal had 4 toes as the prints indicated. Palmerston Police appeared equally nonplussed. The officer who visited returned again with another officer to view the prints and talk to Kate. The officer, who was 6 foot 4" high, could not stretch to duplicate the stride between the prints - he was too short. The police indicated that they would be checking 2 empty farmhouses to try and locate a 'hoaxer'. Kate warned them that locals tended to shoot first and ask questions later!

[The prints certainly looked artificial, but the witness' story was extremely credible. A truly puzzling case.]"

[iwanttobelieve]

Can anyone from the NT shed any light on the people mentioned - particularly Andre McGinn?

Hi All.

Andrew is a respected long term researcher in the NT and has spent considerable time investigating reports around the NT and Acacia Hills in particular.

The reason the dog attack caught his attention is that dog did not seem to have been mauled by dingoes or other dogs which are about the only things up here that might behead a dog. It's possible a human may have been involved but walking around behind people's properties and ripping the heads off dogs is a good way to get shot up here.

Andrew's research has uncovered a surprisingly tight pattern of reports and incidences around Acacia Hills from residents and an Aboriginal community in the same area. All the properties are on the fringe area of human habitation and back onto the same mountain range and river system. The theory is these fringe properties are being used as a convenient food source with some unusual damage to fences being reported on properties with mango plantations.

The recent dog attack (which actually happened a few weeks ago) occurred in the same area of activity as other reports which is why some credence was placed on the Yowie theory. It may not be what happened but it does fit in with a lot of other occurrences in the same area.

I'm not sure how this caught the attention of the NT News (which loves attention grabbing headlines) as Andrew is a fairly low-key operator. I can only assume the owner of the dog got in touch with the paper after Andrew contacted him for some details on the event.

At the very least this will hopefully raise awareness levels in the NT and get people to be a bit more forthcoming if they see something odd. If more reports start to trickle in as a result then it's good for the few of us researching this type of thing in the NT. There was certainly some entertaining discussion at the local last night.

In any case Andrew has invested quite a lot of time and resources into Yowie research and there are quite a few more pieces to the puzzle than was reported in the NT News.

Cheers.

[Romeo]

I would have LOVED to be at your local last night mate.

[Jo Blose]

I wouldn't jump to the conclusion of it being just 'mindless speculation'.

It depends on how the dog was decapitated. The evidential remains of a dog having had it's head pulled from it's body is significantly different to a clean cut by a blade, or the throat being torn at by teeth until the head separates. I would assume the Northern Territory 'ýowie researcher' is someone here? Topender perhaps?

As for decapitated animals and yowies, in the Blue Mountains West of Sydney, quite a few grizzly remains of cats and dogs have been found with their heads pulled from their bodies, not unsimilar to that report, and in specific areas where yowies had been seen by humans. There was even a couple of unsolved deaths in the Blue Mountains where decapitated human remains indicated the heads had been 'pulled' from the bodies, along with their limbs pulled off from the torsos, and again, in specific areas where yowies had been sighted. My guess is, forensically it is possible to differentiate between flesh torn by teeth and flesh separated with no teeth involved in the process.

[Night Walker]

Do you have the references or links to any of the unsolved Blue Mountains cases?

[Romeo]

Here's a Blue Mountains story similar to the one from Darwin:

http://www.yowiehunters.com.au/index.ph ... Itemid=132

And I do know of the unsolved murder in the Blue Mountains that Joe speaks of... A dismembered and decapitated body was found in an area infamous for yowie activity. Apparently the poor bloke looked like he had been beaten to death with his own arms before having his head ripped off... would be funny if it wasn't so sick. I'm pretty sure we've discussed it here before, buggered if I could find it though...

[Night Walker]

I wouldn't jump to the conclusion of it being just 'mindless speculation'.

There is nothing in the article to suggest that Andrew McGinn spoke to the puppy's owners, visited the site, or examined the body (which the owners believe was "was mauled to death by dingoes").

Mr McMinn contacted the Northern Territory News after reading a report that Acacia Hills resident Alan Ferguson had spotted UFOs flying around his home.

"Speculation" - definitely.
"Mindless" - harsh, perhaps, but not wide of the mark.
"Illinformed" may have been a more accurate adjective.

[Night Walker]

Unfortunately there are no actual references or investigations into the above mentioned Blue Mountains incidents. Healy and Cropper (2006) also mention it but fail to give any specific references.

Is it unreasonable to suggest that the media (especially current affairs shows and local or statewide newspapers) - ever on the lookout for a sensational story - would have been all over the alleged Blue Mountains incidents?

Most likely it is exaggeration and conjecture. We need to be cautious and vigilant when considering potential evidence and there is little chance of the validity of these incidents to be verified.

[Dion]

Hamish and Andy having a crack at the puppy decapitation Yowie story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJsInqsHaaI

At least at the end they get a real person on the phone lines putting them in their place, good on your victoria , thought I doubt Hamish and Andy paid much attention.

[Dean Harrison]

Merrick and Russo did an ENTIRE radio show about the A.Y.R. a few years ago.

DMH

[Dion]

Merrick and Russo did an ENTIRE radio show about the A.Y.R. a few years ago.

DMH

I hope it went down well, I'm sure there would have been a few laughs

If only they knew

[Foil_Hat_Guy(1)]

Didn't Trevor Chappel (no, not the underarm odour one!) do a Yowie show on ABC National late night radio a year or two ago with reporters based in the Pilliga?

I recall having the radio on a night or so after the event, hearing them mention it, and being very angry with myself for having missed it!

[mikka]

Interesting to me that "Victoria" mentioned Bellingen, as I will be down that way sometime in the next few months, might have to spend an extra few days their for a look round

[Dion]

Didn't Trevor Chappel (no, not the underarm odour one!) do a Yowie show on ABC National late night radio a year or two ago with reporters based in the Pilliga?

I recall having the radio on a night or so after the event, hearing them mention it, and being very angry with myself for having missed it!

You and me both anything on the pilliga has me in a trance as its not to far away from my personal sighting.

[Dean Harrison]

That is where I was subjected to one telling us off at 4am one night. Vocals were far closer to Human than others I have heard. Sounded much like you would imagine a Caveman to speak. Our vocal capacity, yet without the dialect or diction. Very grumpy demeanor indeed. Busy walking around mumbling to himself like an angry Elderly Grandfather in a retirement home afterwards.

He had been with us for 2 hours prior to his outburst, and I had written him off as a Kangaroo in the bushes. Complacency - strikes again.

He sounded nothing similar to the large diaphramed 6"+ variety. Added more weight to my argument that there are far more than one variety still living out there. I was reading a book last night from 1983 (which most likely means nothing today), that there are more than 150 known Neanderthal species.


DMH

[topender]

Well well, the things thta go on when your away, just got back FRi night

1. I have been 1200 kms out in central Oz working when i supposedly spoke with NT News, in fact ive been out there for 3 weeks
2. Most of what was written is c**p
3. NT News can NOT be trusted to write anything remotely like the truth
4. i made a simple comment to one person and its become an epic ..like some interview
5. I usually fly very low under the radar when snooping around possible activity, now its made me look like a dick, from now on i will simply forward any info to several trusted people

signed Mr Looks like a Dick

[mikka]

Sorry to see Topender, dont let the facts get in the way of a good story as per usual media standards.

Try not to take it to heart as I hope most know how the media works, and I look forward to anything in the future you wish to share

Signed Mr a Hoon

[Night Walker]

Thanks for clearing that up for us, topender.

I did not want to imply that you are "mindless" nor "misinformed" but it does go to show the need for caution when dealing with the media - even (or especially) when giving casual comments.