Latest news with #BigFoot
Otago Daily Times
3 days ago
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Moose on the LOOSE?
Two alleged sightings of the elusive moose in Fiordland have begged the age-old question — is it still out there? Mary Williams speaks to the yay-sayers, nay-sayers and maybe-sayers. It is a question of what we hold deer. Two Fiordland moose sightings, both this year, by groups of Canadian and United States trampers on the Kepler track, were treated as a yeah-nah by the Department of Conservation (Doc). Te Anau Doc manager John Lucas said he had to check that one sighting, which landed on his desk on April Fool's Day, wasn't a prank. They were most likely "deer or possibly a red/wapiti cross that has been mistaken for moose." But this is not a hunt for the proverbial Big Foot. Ten Canadian moose were released at Dusky Sound in 1910, after a tortuous journey from their colder homeland. They bred but by all accounts never got much of a hoof-hold and, "it is believed they are now extinct", Mr Lucas said. Belief and extinct are dangerous words to bandy around in Fiordland. Te Anau residents celebrate Dr Geoffrey Orbell, the man who tracked the "extinct" flightless takahe in 1948 and found a few of the surviving birds in the mountains immediately opposite the township. Four years later, the last definitive Fiordland moose photos were taken, so anyone claiming they are still out there in the 21st century must steel themselves for a storm of scorn from social media and some deer hunters. At the eye of the storm is the affable, long-married, Te Anau couple Ken and Marg Tustin, who have spent years — yes, years, often in month-long stints — living under canvas in a remote corner of Fiordland National Park, looking for moose. They have used scientific approaches, have a hopeful, fun-loving attitude as well as some compelling evidence, and are convinced that a remnant moose population is still, probably, a yeah-nah-yeah. Mr Tustin — a trained biologist, helicopter pilot and now in his 80th year — is riled at Doc's recent negative reactions. "It is absolutely astounding," he says. He is responding by inviting people to report their sightings or other evidence to him and has set up an initiative called Moose Log NZ to help people do just that. "It amazes me that they [Doc] were so disrespectful, dismissing the sightings so out-of-hand, telling them 'what they saw'. "We are talking about Fiordland megafauna here, not stick insects." Camera shy If a moose walks through the forest, but there is no-one there to snap its photo, is it still a moose? According to Doc's Mr Lucas, no. He demands "photographic proof". Mr Tustin, who has been looking for moose since the 1970s, points out that Fiordland is 1.25million hectares. Moose are huge, look different from deer but the chance of snapping a photo is slim. Only a few may be left, and if they are out there, they are solitary and likely on the move, looking for a limited supply of edible leaves. They don't hang out in clearings because, unlike deer, they are neither grass-grazers nor are they sun-seekers. They are meant to have a different diet in a colder clime. However, the two recent sightings by two groups — certain about their ability to ID moose, including a vet, and not colluding — have a ring of truth. Antoine Beauchamp, from Quebec, explains why his group of three didn't snap a pic. Their phones were in their backpacks because they were on their final day trudging the track and focused on making it to the carpark not nature photography. There is an argument that NZ deer hunters only see deer — not moose — because they are wired for that. Did Mr Beauchamp only see moose because he is Canadian and wired to see moose? "I don't think so. I have seen hundreds of deer in my life and only a couple of moose, and I know what a moose looks like." "Everyone wants to see something with their eyes but even then might call it false. We have seen the comments on Facebook saying 'Why didn't they take a picture?' but our phones were not in our hands. We noticed the animal, started talking about it, it crossed the track so we got a good look, then it disappeared into the forest." He admits there is always a chance they could be wrong but "it is important, first, to be kind and understanding, especially in a situation like this. I understand the takahe's story so it is only fair to be open to the possibility of moose." Mr Beauchamp then rattled off the moose characteristics they saw — wide flat antlers, wide nose, very long legs, brown body. If it looks like a moose, it's a moose, he thinks. Matches During 1951-52 three moose were shot by hunters, one of them at a small lake called Moose Lake. It is a wild, forested, moody spot fed by Herrick Creek and emptying into the southern edge of Wet Jacket Arm, not very far from the 1910 moose release site. Moose Lake is named thanks to Mr Tustin. He persuaded the NZ Geographic Board to name it because two moose had been shot there, the other in 1934. In 1952, a moose was also photographed standing in the lake. The area around Herrick Creek and Moose Lake has been the primary focus for much of the studies by the Tustins and Mr Tustin describes his time there with Mrs Tustin as "demanding, primeval but we thrived on it — lucky us!" They concluded that "browse sites" — where bush and tree stems have been broken and munched higher than a deer or wapiti could likely reach — demonstrated seasonal moose movements. They installed self-triggering cameras, that snapped 1500 red deer and, in 1995, "one probable female moose", captured on a blotchy picture, taken from a video frame. Max Quinn, 75, is a natural history film-maker and was making a film about the Tustins at the time. "We saw social groups of deer but the time we filmed that solitary, dark animal was the only time we saw it — a one-off, indicative of moose. "They can climb a mountain, go down a valley, swim a fiord and never be captured again." In 2000, two hunters found large hoof prints and some unusually-long, snagged animal hair at Shark Cove in Dusky Sound. It was sent to Invermay Agricultural Centre for mitochondrial DNA testing and came back 98% moose. Jamie Ward works at Otago Fish and Game now, but was a lab technician at Invermay. It was "dumb luck", he says, that the sample was less than a few days old and therefore still testable. Mr Ward is aware humans share 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees, but the hair follicles came back with lower matches for deer or wapiti that "weren't even close". "If not a moose, it was a moose hybrid and its mother was a moose, and if it was a moose hybrid that would be even more remarkable than finding a moose in New Zealand." Cross-contamination was unlikely, he says. "There had never been a moose in the lab and it was hard to believe that anyone had moose meat in the freezer". He joined forces with Mr Tustin to co-author a paper, still available on ResearchGate. In 2002, the Tustins also found a hair clump, on the northern coast of Wet Jacket Arm opposite Oke Island, and sent it to a forensic lab at Trent University in Ontario. It came back moose positive. Other samples they sent were found, predictably, to be deer. Mr Ward has views about negative reactions to the recent sighting claims. "With all the vitriol handed out, I felt, you guys, you don't know what you are talking about. Ken is one of New Zealand's foremost ungular researchers who has sat up on a mountainside for months on the dark side, from dawn to dusk, and you are none of those things so you don't really have the right to a strong opinion." In 2011, the clothing retailer Hallenstein Brothers offered a bounty of $100,000 for a photo, saying it was time to "help Ken Tustin out" but ended the offer six weeks later. Since the DNA results, there has been nothing so helpful to prove moose, but in 2020, Ben Young, a young helicopter pilot at Southern Lakes Helicopters, said he saw one from the sky. He has worked as a hunting guide in northern Canada and said he was sure. The moose waggled its big ears at him. The Tustins think there may have been other sightings not reported to Doc, because people fear ridicule. Poo possibility? In a few weeks, there is another chance of moose news. The Tustins will be studying pictures from cameras they have placed in the Seaforth Valley, which leads from Dusky Sound towards the northeast, in the direction of the Kepler track. Last year, Mr Tustin collected faeces from the valley in a place that he says was moose-browsed. He sent it to be DNA tested by Massey University but, sadly, it had degraded too much. Dr Nick Sneddon, who did the checks, explains that only the mucus on faeces can be tested and it degrades fast. Moose-seekers should "carry a clean bag, grab and bag the poo without touching it, and get it tested as soon as possible." Meanwhile, the hunting community are variably likely to start collecting poo or holding cellphones at the ready. David Veitch, experienced hunter and president of the Southern Lakes Deer Stalkers Association, is an ardent nay-sayer and uses an age-old argument. He has walked "thousands of kilometres" through Fiordland bush and never seen one with his own eyes. "It is people not identifying what they are looking at, simple as that." Owner of Te Anau hunting shop Fiordland Frontier Stephen Dobson is less damning. He would love to be proven wrong about moose extinction but preferably not with a carcass as evidence. "Nobody wants to be that person who proves it by shooting the last one." Roy Sloan, spokesman for the Wapiti Foundation, which is calling for wapiti to be protected as a Herd of Special Interest, is also up for good news and ready to rename his organisation the Wapiti and Moose Foundation — just as soon as he sees a photo. "Ken is very honest and not out for a story. If the DNA evidence wasn't moose, what else could it be?" Meanwhile, Mr Tustin is still smiling broadly at the recent sightings and a lifetime of fun in the forest with a woman he loves. He also cherishes the friendships made along the way. "It means the world that smart, observant people have been so lucky to have their tracks crossed by this rare, rare animal and recognise the importance and want to share it. We are thrilled for them and ourselves." "They have brought the project back to life, just when we've been struggling to do the fieldwork, and when moose numbers are at their likely lowest ebb." "It's something to celebrate in this mean old world of ours. A flash of bright light. I love it that when man believes he knows everything, then here comes moose, unheralded, the size of a horse, outwitting — or out-moosing? — us all for years. What does that tell us about ourselves and the quality of Fiordland wilderness? Moose 1, humans 0." — To register a sighting with Ken, email mooselognz@
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
8 Things to do this weekend: Mother's Day events, Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live & Apple Blossom Festival
CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — Looking for fun activities this Mother's Day weekend? We have eight ideas for you! All weekend, check out Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-n-Fire at Total Mortgage Arena. See vehicles like Big Foot, Mega Wrex, Tiger Shark and more! CT Families: Wicked Tulips farm has become a wickedly-popular family destination Saturday, take some beautiful pictures at the first annual Apple Blossom Festival at Bishop's Orchards with hands-on learning and springtime festivities. The Garden Club of New Haven is celebrating 100 years of community service on Saturday with fun events on and around the Green like kids workshops. Commemorate the Burning of the Ships in Essex Harbor in 1814 with a fife and drum parade on Saturday afternoon, remembering loss and celebrating recovery. Saturday, celebrate the 85th anniversary of the Connecticut Trolley Museum with family-friendly activities, rare exhibits and interesting presentations. Nyberg: Staying fit and active later in life Sunday, celebrate mom at the Olde Mistick Village Mother's Day event with live music, a photo contest and great shopping. Enter to win lovely prizes. All weekend, find treats for Mom at the New England Spring Craft Festival at Mohegan Sun with 250 plus artisans and gourmet food. On Sunday, Mother's Day, see Ballet Hartford perform The Sleeping Beauty at The Wadsworth Mansion. This event also includes a special luncheon. Here's an extra: don't forget to visit Wicked Tulips in Preston before the season ends. Please send information about upcoming events to Have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend, everyone! Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Yahoo
Female NY shrink known as ‘Big Foot' was serial molester who asked teen victims if they liked ‘big boobs': docs
An accused rapist shrink known as 'Big Foot' was allegedly a serial molester who abused at least five victims at an upstate New York juvenile detention facility, including one as young as 15, whom she groped and asked if they liked 'big boobs,' according to two lawsuits. Maya Hayes allegedly plied the teens in her care at the Brookwood Youth Facility near Albany with phone privileges, hair products and food, while regularly fondling them and forcing them to squeeze her breasts, four victims claimed in court papers. One victim, who was just 15 when he arrived at Brookwood in October 2019, said Hayes, 47, confessed her reasons for going after young boys. 'Hayes said that because she was sexually frustrated at home, [she] wanted to give oral sex to residents,' the victim said in a Manhattan Federal Court lawsuit filed by three accusers. He added Hayes claimed 'it was her fantasy and it gave her a rush to give residents 'blow jobs.'' The ex-resident also accused Hayes of 'ordering' him 'to fight three or four other residents on her behalf.' He 'was threatened by Hayes that if he did not fight other residents, [she] would have him jumped and it would affect his Parole Board reviews,' the alleged victim, who left Brookwood in June 2022, said in court papers. 'Do you like big boobs?' she allegedly asked another boy, who was 16 when he arrived at Brookwood, a secure facility for those under 21, in October 2020, before lifting her shirt to show off her chest, he said in the legal filing. Another time Hayes was accused of asking the boy to squeeze her breasts — and then complaining that he was 'not squeezing her breasts hard enough,' he said in the litigation. Staff knew about the abuse and allegedly joked with victims about Hayes, referring to her as 'Big Foot.' A third victim, who was 18 during his stay at Brookwood from April to September 2021, claimed in court records Hayes gave him audio recordings 'of people having loud sex,' would show him racy YouTube videos, and forced him to touch her genitals. Hayes allegedly told a fourth accuser, a 17-year-old from the Bronx, 'he was a handsome and pleasant young man;' 'referred to the bulge in his pants as a 'prince;'' and touched his penis with her foot under a desk in March 2020, he claimed in a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit. 'The scale of sexual abuse at Brookwood represents a fundamental failure of the system itself,' a lawyer for the victims, Evan Brustein, said. 'What happened to our clients is horrific, and we are committed to holding both the sexual predator and those who enabled the abuse fully accountable.' New York State Police arrested Hayes in April on 65 counts of criminal sexual act in the third degree and rape. She pleaded not guilty, and was released. The case is pending. Hayes denied 'all allegations' in court papers responding to the federal lawsuit, asking for the case to be paused pending the outcome of her criminal case. Hayes did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- Yahoo
NYC teen raped more than 30 times by female shrink known as ‘Big Foot' at juvie jail: lawsuit
A Staten Island teen was allegedly raped dozens of times by his female counselor — known as 'Big Foot' — at an upstate juvenile detention facility, while staffers joked about it, he claimed in a lawsuit. The victim, now 21, was just 17 in 2021 when he was sent to Brookwood Youth Facility, about 45 minutes south of Albany, and first encountered associate psychologist Maya Hayes, who held frequent counseling sessions with him in her private office, according to the litigation. The sexual abuse began about three months after the accuser, whose name is being withheld by The Post, arrived, the suit claims. It didn't end until he had been raped more than 30 times, he claimed. Hayes, 47, allegedly 'groomed and manipulated [the victim] into trusting that what she was doing had some basis in legitimate care and treatment. It did not,' he said in court papers. Hayes 'used and exploited her position of trust and authority . . . to her disgusting advantage and her own depraved benefit . . . to sexually abuse and exploit as many children as possible under the guise of performing routine and necessary counseling sessions,' the teen alleged. Staff apparently knew what was going on. 'Are you doing things with Big Foot?' workers asked the teen, according to the Brooklyn Federal Court filing. 'We see you in there with Dr. Hayes doing nasty stuff,' they allegedly told him. It's unclear why Hayes was called 'Big Foot.' Hayes told the teen that she dreamed about him, and that she 'had a previous guy inside Brookwood' who resembled the victim and 'broke her heart,' the suit claimed. The counselor even conned the victim's parents into sending $100 payments to her CashApp, ostensibly to pay for his food and hygiene products, according to the lawsuit New York State Police arrested Hayes in April on 65 counts of criminal sexual act in the third degree and rape. She pleaded not guilty, and was released. The case is pending. The teen is suing Hayes and a dozen other Brookwood staffers for unspecified damages for failing to stop the 'depraved' abuse. 'When I was at Brookwood I was sexually assaulted for months by my psychologist while youth development specialists and administration knew and did nothing to stop it,' the teen said in a statement. 'The responsibility lies with New York State employees who knew the sexual abuse was happening and enabled it,' said the teen's lawyer, Evan Brustein, who is representing four other victims who said they were abused by Hayes. A lawyer for Hayes did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Congressman Cohen encourages people to get into ‘good trouble' during town hall
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Hundreds of people flooded a town hall in Midtown hosted by Congressman Steve Cohen on Tuesday evening. Congressman Cohen coined the event as 'one of the largest recent town halls in the country.' The issues discussed centered around the changes brought about by the Trump Administration. And with so much public concern, the town hall lasted an hour and a half longer than it was expected to. 'There are a lot of people in this room and around the country who ask right now, what can I do,' one attendee said. More than 800 people from both sides of the aisle shared their concerns, including air traffic controllers. Local IRS employee waits to see if she'll return to work 'The only thing keeping us is our pension,' one said. 'We're all very, very tired.' The concerns come as the Trump Administration cut several federal jobs and increased the mass exodus of immigrants in the country. 'I know people are upset,' Cohen said. 'I'm upset too but we heard them.' Congressman Cohen wasn't alone. Other officials like Max Richtman, the President and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, spoke with people about the importance of preserving their benefits. Memphis City Council approves Elon Musk's xAI land deal 'I've seen polls of younger people saying they are more likely to see a UFO or Big Foot than to ever get a social security check,' Richtman said. 'And that's wrong.' The Trump Administration last week, maintained their stance, saying cutting waste fraud and abuse from the federal program is essential. 'President Trump has been unequivocally clear on this. He is going to protect Social Security and Medicare benefits and Medicaid for hardworking Americans who paid into these entitlement programs and deserve those hard-earned benefits,' said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. Congressman Cohen urged his constituents to remain hopeful and to act. 'People need to be activised and mobilized, demonstrate,' Cohen said. 'Get into good trouble sometimes in the future.' Congressman Cohen is set to speak before a democratic caucus on Wednesday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
