BIZZARE
Prehistoric Bird - A bird the size of a small airplane, with a 14-foot wingspan � twice the size of an eagle's � mesmerized several witnesses last week in southwest Alaska, who compared it to a creature from Jurassic Park.
Pilot John Bouker told the Anchorage Daily News he spotted the huge creature in the sky. "The people in the plane saw him," he said.
At first he discounted the sighting, until he saw the huge creature with his own eyes, just 1,000 feet from his plane.
"He's huge," Bouker said. "He's really, really big. You wouldn't want to have your children out."
After another big bird sighting, a heavy equipment operator radioed the nearby town of Togiak, warning residents to protect their children, and causing more than a bit of unrest.
Monkey Man - A mysterious "monkeyman" menaced India last year, biting and robbing 60 people on the outskirts of New Delhi.
In one 10-day period, police received 328 calls about the half-man, half monkey. They dispatched about 1,000 officers and imposed a curfew in one area. After an investigation, officials later declared the entire event was a hoax perpetuated by mass hysteria.
The Mothman - This year, Mothman, the red-eyed, 7-foot flying man-bird, got what every monster wants for everlasting fame � a major motion picture.
The Mothman Prophecies, starring Richard Gere, told the story of the car-chasing, animal-mutilating critter that menaced the Appalachian town of Point Pleasant, W.Va., between 1966 and 1967.
Several Point Pleasant residents say that when the town's Silver Bridge collapsed on Dec. 15, 1967, and 46 people died, Mothman's eerie squeal rang out.
With a movie finally released, Point Pleasant had hoped to cash in on its infamy. The town prepared with cheap souvenirs (including Mothman Christmas ornaments), improved hotel accommodations, and tours.
But the movie bombed. And even worse, Mothman may have returned.
On Jan. 25, when the movie opened, the town suffered a blackout.
Within the next six days, eight people died in traffic accidents � the most in 40 years, according to Loren Coleman, author of Mothman and Other Curious Encounters (Paraview Press).
"The timing was not lost on the local town folks," Coleman says. "It was as if Mothman returned. Folks there are hesitant to talk about it."
Monster Watch
