The Yowie - mythical man/beast of the Australian bush.

Tales of strange beasts have been made since colonial times but is there any truth to the stories?

Could a race of hairy ape-men successfully conceal themselves from humanity for so long and in such an isolated continent like Australia?

If so, then proof of yowie existence would surely be one of the most amazing discoveries of all time!

However, crypto-zoology is and always has been a haven for nutters and charlatans and Yowie Research is no exception. Since beginning this crypto-zoological quest in late 2008 I have sought to independently investigate the yowie phenomenon and have found what few people involved in the yowie search are willing to acknowledge:

* There is no shortage of yowie claims and stories. This, however, stands in stark contrast with the available yowie evidence of which there is little to none.

* What little yowie evidence has been collected is either misidentified, suspect, or fabricated. Currently, there is no evidence which supports the existence of yowies.

* 95% +/- 5% of all reported yowie encounters are bogus - i.e. simply the result of misidentification, storytelling, practical jokes, personal fantasy/delusion, and hoaxing.

* Prominent Yowie Researchers - the self-proclaimed experts who often claim numerous yowie sightings and encounters - are among the most prolific storytellers and hoaxers.

* Authors of crypto-zoology and folklore often overlook hoaxing from the "researchers" who supply them with information in order to pad out there publications and propagate the myth.

* The search for the Yowie has largely been carried out by sensationalist paranormal-buffs and the vast bulk of Yowie information is little more than fiction presented as fact. As such, there is little reliable information about whether the yowie actually exists.

The history of Yowie Research is an interesting one. The line between fact and folklore has been purposely blurred by a virtual rogue’s gallery of eccentric characters, paranormal theories abound and nothing is quite what it seems. Storytelling and fabrication have long histories when it comes to the Hairy Man (i.e. its name before it became known as the Yowie) and even today fakery is widespread among self-proclaimed "researchers" of the Australian crypto-community.

This is where the Naked Yowie Project comes into it.

The Naked Yowie Project simply by-passes all that sensationalist nonsense - it is a complete re-examination of the Yowie-lore. Starting from scratch, all the available yowie information is to be put under tighter scrutiny and new reports will be critically examined in detail. The Naked Yowie Project aims to strip back the mass of fiction and false information which surrounds the Yowie in order to see what, if anything, remains...

The Yowie seems to be a people-driven phenomenon – remove people from the equation and there is no objective sign that the ecosystem is being impacted by a large undiscovered species of any kind. So why do apparently sincere people claim to see Yowies (and Bunyips, and ghosts, and whatever)? Why do people misidentify what they experience? Why do some fabricate evidence (like footprints)? What is really going on? 

An Alternate Yowie Hypothesis

Pranking, hoaxing, exaggeration, and good ol’-fashioned yarn-spinning seems to account for a significant proportion, perhaps even the majority, of modern cryptid claims. More than confounding the phenomenon, such tall tales and fakery are the phenomenon. Moreover, it has always  been the phenomenon -  the Yowie (or the Bunyip, or ghosts, or whatever) is part of a folkloric tradition of storytelling which stretches back more than 200 years.

Before the internet, before, T.V., before radio, before silent films, before newspapers, and before even literacy there was, and still is, storytelling. When it is bad it is invariably crude and cringe-worthy, when it is good it is engaging and entertaining, but when it is great it can become LEGENDARY.

There are no monsters other than the ones we, ourselves, create. The real mystery is why there are people who believe that there are and who are willing to fake it in order to prove it. That is what people are currently doing, it is what people have always done. People like doing it, people like hearing about it, it stimulates thought and the imagination, and it is brings people together to talk about it. It has a social function.

In essence, Yowie (and the Bunyip, and ghosts, and whatever), like all traditional stories and folk-art, is a reflection upon the society which fosters it. So, perhaps the important question is: What does the belief in Yowies (et al.) say about us as a whole?

The Naked Yowie Project aims to provide full and complete disclosure, or as much information as possible, about alleged yowie sightings as they are reported. In order to do so adequately, I am in need of participants who are willing and able to respond to and independently investigate alleged Yowie sightings in and around their local areas - primarily along Australia's eastern states. There are still large areas in New South Wales and Queensland, in particular, that require interested and well-grounded correspondents. Furthermore, those with arm-chair research expertise (internet, libraries, and/or archives) are also required - there is a great deal of information to find and adequately catalogue. If you think you fit the bill then feel free to contact me.