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4 weeks ago
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A Florida man has spent nearly his entire life hunting what he claims is a real-life monster lurking in the swamps of the Everglades, a six-foot, ape-like creature known as the Skunk Ape.
Dave Shealy says he first saw the beast in 1974, when he was just ten years old, and the encounter has since shaped his life's work.
The mysterious creature, covered in hair and reeking of decay, has long been part of Florida folklore, with reports describing it as half-man, half-ape.
'My first encounter was with my brother. We were hunting, and he said, 'Hey, look, there's a skunk ape,' Shealy told Daily Mail. 'We had heard about skunk apes from our families at dinners. It was a big topic of conversation.'
Standing in long grass, Shealy's brother lifted him under the arms so he could see the creature, he same one that had filled their family's folklore for years.
'We were maybe 300 feet from it, and it was walking through the grasslands,' Shealy recalled. 'It was walking through the grasslands. And that's what got me started as a researcher. I've been doing this a while.'
The sighting came at the height of Skunk Ape hysteria, when reports of a stinking, hairy creature terrorizing Florida communities made national headlines.
The 1970s saw multiple alleged encounters, including one in 1971 when ten armed men went hunting for 'something big and hairy' that frightened two children near Fort Lauderdale.
Shealy first photographed the elusive creature in the 90s
Local rabies control officer Henry Ring investigated, saying, 'They said it was something really big, hairy, small eyes with a monkey face, long arms and gray splotches over the body.'
When patrol dispatchers received a terrified call asking if any orangutans were loose in the Everglades, they were initially skeptical.
But Ring said the children described it as 'bigger than their daddy,' and that he found deep tracks leading into the swamp, including 'knuckle prints.'
Local historian Brad Bertelli said that sightings persisted throughout the decade.
One 1977 report described a father and son stumbling across the creature in mangroves behind their home.
“I think I startled it,” said witness Charles Stoeckmann. “It sort of stayed there, like a deer does when the wind shifts and it catches your scent.
'But it stunk awful, like a dog that hasn’t been bathed in a year and suddenly gets rained on.”
He later captured video of the skunk ape in his native Everglades
Since then, Shealy has dedicated his life to tracking the Skunk Ape. His photos went viral in 1997, and a later video remains archived on the Smithsonian's website.
He has established a Skunk Ape Research Headquarters on his property, written spotter's guides, and appeared on multiple TV shows.
His pictures sparked discussion around the world
Shealy has also collected casts of footprints and other artifacts, earning him comparisons to the famed primatologist Jane Goodall, the 'Jane Goodall of Skunk Apes.'
'Skunk apes are generally reported as being six and a half to seven feet tall,' Shealy said.
'A large male Skunk Ape in good health probably would weigh around 350 pounds, whereas Bigfoot is reported to appear as much as 800 pounds.'
He believes the sheer size of the Everglades, three million acres, explains why the scientific community has yet to document the creature.
Shealy set up a Skunk Ape Headquarters on his property
'The Everglades, where my home is, are massive,' Shealy said. 'Every day I go into areas that nobody's stepped foot in in more than 20 years.
'Three million acres is a lot of land. I've been in it my whole life and haven't seen it all yet. This is the largest wild preserved area east of the Mississippi River.'
While Shealy believes the Skunk Ape is an animal, he keeps 'all things in mind' regarding its origins. Above all, he hopes the creature will one day be identified and protected.
'The result is whether or not this species is identified in my lifetime,' Shealy said.
'What I would like to see is word of this spreading, gaining world attention. I think that's good for the Everglades. While I do my research, I'd like to see the Skunk Ape used as a platform to promote conservation and preservation, not only of the Everglades, but of all wild areas.'
