Belief in Bigfoot due to sociological factors, researcher claimed. Pic credit: John Thomas Didymus/AI-generated
An expert offered a surprisingly skeptical explanation of reported encounters with Bigfoot and orange orbs in the woods around Leominster in Massachusetts.
Cryptozoologist Andy McGrath told the Daily Star that “sociological” factors could explain the alleged sightings.
McGrath’s attempt to explain the more than a century-long claims of strange activity in the woodlands around Leominster comes after Paranormal Papers reported that enthusiasts dubbed the area west of Boston in central Massachusetts “Monsterland.”
McGrath previously claimed that Bigfoot-like creatures were extinct in Britain but acknowledged that the Loch Ness Monster could still be alive.
Expert claimed Bigfoot sightings due to local beliefs
According to McGrath, the high incidence of paranormal activity and alleged encounters with Bigfoot creatures in the woods around Leominster could be explained as the sociological effect of the oral traditions passed down through generations.
He claimed there was a correlation between strange encounters people in a region claimed to have had and legends adults shared with the younger ones around them.
The author of Beasts of the World: Hairy Humanoids argued that the observation that the sightings occurred in a “relatively small catchment area” suggested it reflected the traditions of the local people rather than real spooky creatures in the woods.
He cited similar reports of creepy activity around Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, England to back up his claim.
Paranormal Papers previously reported that residents in communities near the forest at Cannock Chase reported scary activity involving Bigfoot-like creatures, werewolves, dogmen, spirits, demons, UFOS, and black-eyed children.
Older people scare children with creepy stories for their safety
McGrath said that older people often tell children scary stories intended as “cautionary tales” to keep them from going to places such as the woods where they could get lost or attacked by dangerous animals.
Likewise, older people in small communities around big cities share spooky tales about trolls and monsters to discourage kids from playing near highways with fast traffic.
Traditions about river spirits, such as Mamlambo, lake monsters, such as the Loch Ness Monster, and bog spirits, such as Will-O’-The-Wisp, could be explained as adults attempting to dissuade adventurous children from straying or wandering into danger.
Monsterland Bigfoot tradition dates back to 19th century
Ronny Le Blanc, who grew up in Leominster, said he first witnessed strange activity in the area when he was only 11 years old.
Bigfoot folklore in the area dates back to the 18th century but gained traction in the 1950s following reports that a man had a close encounter with the cryptid on Old Mill Road. The man reportedly went into the woods in search of the creature and never returned.
Many people in the area have reported encountering Bigfoot since the alleged incident in the 1950s. Some claimed they sighted a mysterious bright orange orb floating in the woods. Others reported a Bigfoot holding the glowing orb.