Hunt is on for Bolam's Beast
Yeti hunters are heading to the North East to discover if the Beast of Bolam Lake is real or fake.
Jonathan Downes, director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology, will lead a team of four who will carry out the investigation in the Northumberland country park.
The Chronicle reported on Monday how anglers came across a strange figure in the woods at the end of a late-night outing. They described it as 8ft tall and with glowing eyes.
Since then explanations for what they saw have ranged from Bigfoot to a monk from a nearby Buddhist monastery on a late night stroll in the woods.
Mr Downes said: "I'm very wary about this one. I would like it to be true, but I've a sinking suspicion that it could have been a practical joker in a monkey suit. But my job is to discover the truth, and if it turns out the truth is prosaic and there's no mystery at all, then we'll still have done our job."
The team are bringing specialist equipment to carry out scientific observations in an effort to resolve the mystery.
Mr Downes, based in Exeter, is the author of several books and has travelled the world in search of mysterious creatures.
In 1992 he founded The Centre for Fortean Zoology, with the aim of co-ordinating research into mystery animals, bizarre animal behaviour and the paranormal.
His team for the trek to Bolam Country Park will include Richard Freeman who, in 2000, went to Thailand in search of the Naga, a gigantic snake with a scaly crest on its head.
Last July they were involved in the hunt for the biggest and oldest freshwater fish in England, at Martin Mere, Lancashire, after reports of a mysterious monster attacking swans in the lake of a nature reserve.
With the help of sonar equipment and a couple of sightings, they established it was a species of catfish about 8ft long.
Mr Downes said: "We expect to spend about a week or so in Northumberland, when we hope to speak to some of the eye witnesses."
A report of three encounters with the half-human, half-ape creature were sent to the British Hominid Research website,
www.lincolns.org.uk, run from Newcastle by Geoff Lincoln.
The report's unnamed author said he was between two friends walking on a wooden path back to the car park, just after midnight when he saw the 8ft figure.