'Scary' creature is a monster story for Maine

Genetic tests may show that the mystery beast of Androscoggin County was actually a dog, but don't expect its legend to die with it.

People all over the world have become fascinated by the carcass found in Turner, and by news stories describing it as evil-looking and the possible culprit in a spate of pet killings. Perhaps enhancing the story is its connection to Maine, the sparsely populated, heavily wooded land of the author Stephen King.

Elizabeth Eames, chairwoman of the anthropology department at Bates College, said that the test results may not matter because people tend to be enthralled with the idea of something that defies categorization.

"Having scientific evidence is not going to kill this story. It's like an unslayable monster that will keep coming back," predicted Eames.

The Lewiston Sun Journal has obtained part of the animal's leg and has shipped samples to University of Maine professor Irv Kornfield and to HealthGene in Toronto for genetic tests to determine the type of animal, said Judith Meyer, managing editor.

"We've heard so many crazy things and so many plausible explanations for what this thing could be, we're reserving judgment until we get the science back," Meyer said.

The Sun Journal first reported in Wednesday's editions about the creature that was hit by a car while chasing a cat. The story quickly began making the rounds on the Internet, crashing the newspaper's Web server.

Readers' comments accompanying stories about the creature on MaineToday.com, the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram's Web site, have ranged from criticism that the state did not pick up the animal's remains to theories that the creature is just a mutt gone wild.

John Banta, who owns a cleaning business in Nobleboro, said he does not believe the animal is a mystical creature but thinks it is certainly a mystery as to what it is.

"My opinion is, it's something that certainly is scary, that has attacked little animals and it could get a kid," Banta said.

Loren Coleman, a Portland author and cryptozoologist, examined the creature's remains on Wednesday and concluded that it was likely a feral dog. Scott Lindway, a state wildlife biologist, agreed with that assessment after looking at the photos.

On Thursday, a Sun Journal reporter went with Coleman to inspect the carcass, which had been picked over by other animals, according to Meyer. Coleman took part of a leg for himself, and dismembered another one for the reporter, Meyer said.

Back at the newspaper, Meyer asked for a volunteer to split the lower leg into two laboratory samples.

The Maine Warden Service has been deluged with calls from people, many of them critical of its decision not to examine the remains.

Deputy Chief Gregg Sanborn defended the warden who declined to check it out when called on Sunday. The warden service is a law enforcement agency, and wardens are too busy on summer weekends to look at dead animals, Sanborn said.

As for Eames, she said people seem to enjoy a little brush with the unusual. People tend to want to categorize things, and they're unsettled when they can't. At the same time, people are drawn toward that which they fear.

"People approach this thing with trepidation, but they want to approach it," Eames said. "Fear is exciting."

Reader comments
Post your comment here:

To top of page