*Correspondence to : Tr ầ n H ồ ng Vi ệ t , Email: tranhvietsp@gmail com © RHI The R ELICT H OMINOID I NQUIRY 10:6 - 2 8 (20 21 ) Research Article RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM Tr ầ n H ồ ng Vi ệ t 1 * , Tr ầ n H ồ ng H ả i 1 , Jeff Meldrum 2 1 Vietnam Cryptozoic and Rare Animal Research Center, Hanoi University of Education 2 Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, 921 S 8th Ave, Pocatello, ID 83209 ABSTRACT The possible existence of relict hominoid species in various parts of the world persists as a question of limited overt interest for investigation by most scien tists Investigations in the C entral H ighlands of Viet n am have documented ethnographic traditions, recent anecdotal descriptions, and trace evidence , i e footprints, of possibly two forms of “wildmen ” – a great wildman and a small wildman A documented trackway, providing one fre sh hominoid footprint , herein attributed to the great w ildman , is larger than a typical local Vietnamese human footprint It s proportions , combined with indications of a longitudinal arch , ar e features distinct from the footprints attributed to a sasquatch - like hominoid , as evidenced in both North America and Asia Given historic impacts on montane habitat presumed to be occupied by the wildmen, their status is likely endangered and timely efforts to identify and u nderstand them are needed KEY WORDS : Relict H ominoids, Footprints, Indochina, Mainland Southeast Asia, Central H ighlands, Người rừng , Sasquatch INTRODUCTION The existence and nature of relict hominoids, or “wildmen , ” is now a topic of interest within t he scientific community (Meldrum, 2012 a, b ) H o w ever , research on wildmen attracts the involvement of only a limited number of scientists around the world ( Mã Tranh, 2002 ) In Vietnam, the legend s of “forest men” ha ve been recounted for hundreds of years, but it was not until the 1970s that the Vietnamese government showed serious interest in the potential existence of th ese creature s In 1974 , the Vietnamese government sponsored a research team , which included Prof Hoang Xuan Chinh (Archaeological I nstitute), Vo Quy, and Le Vu Khoi (Hanoi University) , to go to the Liberated A rea of Gialai - Kontum and Dak L ak P rovinces , to i nquire about the forest m e n and to gather pertinent information and evidence Many paleontological and archaeological studies in Vietnam have discovered evidence of primitive homini n s ( i e Homo erectus ) in Tham Hai, Tham Khuyen (Lang Son Province), as well as modern humans ( Homo sapiens ) at Hang Hum (Yen Bai Province), Thung Lang (Ninh Binh Province ; Schwartz et al , 1994, 1995 ; Le Trung Kha, 1974 ; Ho, PT, 1997 ) Fossil s keletal remains and tools dating back to the Old Stone Age were found in many places throughout the country (e g Nui Do, Nui Nuong, Nui Quan Yen, etc ; Tinh uy, UBND tinh Thanh Hoa, 2000) The latest finding was eleven primitive tools from the Lower Paleo lithic E ra (about 800 kya) in Roc Tung (An Khe, Gia Lai ; Doi et al , 2020) RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 7 With regard to anthropoids, evidence of Pongo pygmaeus, P hooijeri, Gigantopithecus blacki, etc have been found (Schwartz et al , 1 995) Lately, two complete sub fossil skeletons of orangutan (a n adult female and a juvenile), dating back 4 , 000 - 5 , 000 years ago , have been found at Cao Ram (Luong Son, Hoa Binh ; Bacon & Vu, 2001) During the two wars in Vietnam (19 45 - 1975), there were many eyewitness accounts of wildmen - encounters deep in the forest , experienced by American, South Korean and Vietnamese soldiers Some notable accounts include Captain Frank Hansen’s story of an alleged frozen wildman corpse , eventually exhibited in Minnesota ( Huevelmans & P orchnev , 1974; Huevelmans, 2016) ; Australian journalist Wilfred Bur chette’s story about the “forest man” in Dak Mil Province (Central Highlands ; see Forth, 2008) ; Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman’s tale about wildman at Thi V illage ( Dak Lak ; Coleman and Huyghe , 1999 ; see also Loofs - Wissowa, 1996 ) ; Columnist Kregg PJ Jorgenson’s accounts about the Ngư ờ i r ừ ng (Central Highlands ; Jorgenson, 2001) ; and other anecdotal accounts of American GI encounters with “rock apes” ( Meldrum, per s co m m ) The se persistent report s of encounters with w ildm e n raised the possibility of the existence a relict hominoid in Viet n am and drew the attention of Vietnamese scientists FIELD INVESTIGATION Vietnamese scientists had been involved with wildmen investigations since 1974, but it was not until 1977 that the research on wildmen was officially undertaken in the South of Vietnam In 1982, the research project title d “ Study and propose d measure s to protect the valuable and rare animals in Sa Thay, Gialai - Kontum ” coded 5202 - 0102b, which is a part of a key national program on environment (5 202), was con ducted with the main purpose of studying wildmen in the c entral area of Vietnam ( Viet , 1986 , 1998 ) When it was determine d that there were indeed some evidences of wildm e n in Kon T um Province , t he g overnment resolved ( number 65/HDBT, date 7/4/1982 ) to designate 35 , 500 ha of forest of Mom R ay Mountain region to protect and study them further As of 2002, it has been designated the Cum Mom Ray National Park (see F ig 1 , 2 ) Adjacent to the Chu Mom Ray National Park are protected areas in Cambodia and Loas T he entire area has about 700,000 ha of forests creating a large cross - country preserv e, which has particular i mportant to b io diversity conservation in Indo - china and Southeast Asia The region has been i dentified as the Southern Annamites Montane Rain Fores t E coregion by the World Wildlife Fund The intact forests of the ecoregion are wet closed broadleaf evergreen forests receiving up to 200 cm (78 inches) of precipitation It is otherwise little explored due to its remoteness and hazards (e g landmines) T he known flora and fauna attest to the region''''s biological diversity The tiger ( Panthera tigris ), Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus ), douc langur ( Pygathrix nemaeus ), gibbon ( Hylobates gabriel lae ), wild dog ( Cuon alpinus ), sun bear ( Ursus malayanus ), clouded leopard ( Pardofelis nebulosa ), gaur ( Bos gaurus ), banteng ( Bos javanicus ), and Eld''''s deer ( Cervus eldii ) are among the better known of the 122 mammal species found here ( Wikramanayake , n d ) Ten field investigations , comprising a total of 432 days , at 21 locations in Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak, and Lam Dong Provinces were undertaken (Fig 2) E yewitness accounts of the wildmen were gathered from the locals, and a thorough study of env ironmental habitat, traces, footprints, diet, activities, etc was made where the locals had reportedly encountered the wildmen Unfortunately, due to inadequate expedition conditions, the serious deficiency of the equipment, l imited time and interruption during the fieldwork, the data collected were RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 8 not as abundant as expected and no conclusive evidence of the existence of the wildm e n was found There were , however, some noteworthy observations as follows: 1 ) Wildmen are suspected to exist in a few scattered, secluded areas in the e astern s outh - c entral c oast of Vietnam (from Quang Nam to Phu Khanh) and in five provinces in the Western Truong Son R ange (Annamite Range) Neverthe - less, during and after the wars, the habitat has been shrinking significantly 2 ) There are perhaps two kinds of wildmen co - existing in Vietnam: the “ g reat wildman” and the “ s mall wild - man” Their range may overlap in one area – Dak Lak Province GREAT WILD MAN Local nam es : Ngư ờ i r ừ ng (Kinh), Kdghăt (Ê Đê), Jring (Mơ nông), Bông bót, bơ ban mơ nâng (Giarai) The larger form is reported to be about 1 8 - 2 0 m (5 ft 11 in – 6 ft 7 in ) in height Their body is covered with long red - brown or dark - brown hair, excepting the face, which skin is pink - grey The hair on their head is unkempt, hanging down to the shoulder or middle of the back, longer than remaining body hair The hair on their back lies smooth while that on their belly is separated in two directions, parted in the midline of their body, from the neck to the end of the belly (compare Fig 3 ) The forearm hair on the outside is long and twirls up toward elbow The back of their hands and feet are also covered with hair They have a robust physique and disproportionately thick body They walk up - right and bipedally at a slow and leisurely pace with a slight stoop, hands hanging down t o the knees and fingers rather curved However, in the face of danger, they can leap and run very fast They are not afraid of humans, and do not run away unless approached They are active both diurnally and nocturnally They have been encountered at 7:00 - 9:00 am, 1:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 9:00 pm, and some indeterminate times based on discovered footprints, but the locals usually saw them during the daytime (11 out of 18 encounters) They were seen solitarily most of the time Out of 18 encounters, the loc als only saw a three - member group twice, and a male and female couple five times According to the locals, wildmen are omnivorous, with varied diets including leaves, wild sour berries, rattan sprouts ( Calamus bonianus) , tiger grass sprouts ( Thysanolaen a latifolia) , pith and fruit of banana ( Musa coccinae ) ; also, bird eggs, young birds, small trapped animals, frogs, toads, fish, shrimp, crab, snails, larvae, and insects There is no evidence of fire use, so food is presumed to be eaten raw They use simple sounds, such as long or short, monotonous yelling calls, or sometimes wails, to vocalize There is no evidence of communication using articulate speech It is noteworthy that no one has reported being attacked by wildmen in eighteen known encounters, which indicates that they are generally not fierce or aggressive towards humans Footprint Evidence Regarding trace evidence attributed to the great w ildman , more than ten human - shaped foot - prints were discovered on Ngoc Vin pass, Mom Ray Mountain, Sa Thay district, Kontu m province, on April 23, 1982 The f ootprints clearly indicated a bipedal walk The distance between s teps was approxim ately 70 cm (27 5 in) Regrettably, it was impossible to fully document all these footprints, because they were left on grass, or firm ground of the mountain road covered by a thin layer of dust RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 9 (Fig 3) Field investigators were only able to obtain one clear and detailed footprint , likely less than 24 hours old , coded 824 T1 (Fig 4 ) It had a depth of 1 5 cm, as it was left on the roadside n ear an abyss , on fine soft soil moistened by a rain The footprint indicate s that the great wildmen possess a plantigrade, pentadactyl foot Footprint 824 T 1 was 29 x 12 cm (11 4 x 4 7 in) in length x breadth The footprint presents elongated toe imprints and a broad rounded heel In general, it resemble s human footprints, but is bigger than that of typical modern Vietnamese, including habitually unshod indigenous human popula - tions The average Vietnamese man’s height is 162 cm (5 ft 3 in ) making them the fourth shortest human population in the world (NCD - RisC, 2016) That equates to an average foot length of ≈ 24 cm (9 5 in ) One of us (DJM) has suggested the possibility of slippage during the latter part of stance may be indicated in the footprint, which would somewhat exaggerat e the apparent length of the toes and would account for a prominent ly extruded pressure ridge proximal to the metatarsal heads (see Fig 5 ) However, both THV and THH, who examined and documented the footprint in situ first - hand , assert that no appearance of slippage was evident As only one distinct footprint was left in mud, we are left with no basis of comparison by which to conclusively distinguish potential foo tprint artifact from the actual dynamic morphology Fig ure 6 depicts a reconstruction of the outline of the foot without the potential dis tortion resulting from late stance slippage This contrast s with the outline in Fig 11, traced directly from the resulting cast of the footprint The foot length (from heel to the tip of hallux) is 29 ± 0 5 cm (11 4 in) , while that of a n aver age Vietnamese only measure s ≈ 24 cm (9 5 in) The forefoot is wide, narrows to the hindfoot, with the widest part across splayed toes (between hallux and the outermost to e) measuring 11 5 ± 0 5 cm (4 5 in T he sole pad breadth across the forefoot measures 9 ± 0 5 cm (3 5 in); aver age Vietnamese ≈ 7 cm (2 8 in ) ; heel breadth is 7 5 ± 0 5 cm (3 in); average Vietnamese ≈ 6 cm ( 2 4 in ) The heel has an evenly rounded outline instead of a tapered one Although f ootprint 824 T1 is larger than an average Vietnamese male, it is not as big as the footprints attributed to the sasquatch in North America , with an average length of 40 cm , or 15 75 inches (Fig 7) (Fahrenbach, 1997 - 1998 ; Meldrum, 2006, 2007 ) The potential presence of a sasquatch - like relict hominoid in East Asia is indicated by examples of equivalent footprints , in morphology and dimensions, discovered in various regions , such as those attributed to the Chinese yeren (Meldrum & Zhou, 2012) The footprint 824 T1 shows a non - divergent hallux, which resembles humans The toes decrease in size from the hallux to the outermost toes, slightly spread in fan - like shape, point forwards but slant rather medially ( perhaps due to slippage of the forefoot ); the lateral toes are somewhat splayed initially, but become closely appressed to the hallux, as they flex ed into the soil Adjusting for possible distortion, t he hallux pad imprint measures ≈ 4 6 cm long by 3 0 cm wid e (1 8 in x 1 2 in) ; the lateral toepads are approximately 2 5 cm long by 2 0 cm wide (1 in x 0 8 in) The impression s of the toe stems of the first three digits are evident , as in a human - like footprint The location of the pressure ridge of extruded mud, produced proximal to the imprint of the metatarsal heads indicates the presence of a longitudinal arch , either tra nsient of fixed That the arch is rather obscured by the extruded pressure ridge, and no additional footprints are available for comparison, establishing whether the arch is fixed or transient , remains uncertain The medial prominence of the extruded pressure ridge suggests differential plantar pressure exerted through the medial ball and RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 10 hallux (Fig 7 ) This is further indicated by the greater depth under the hallux compared to the lateral digits (Fig 8 ) A cast was made of the footprint, which provides additional insigh ts into the differential topography of the footprint (Fig 9 ) further indicating the presence of a medial longitudinal arch, differential expression of the metatarsal pressure ridge proximal to the hallux, and differential depth of impression beneath the h allux The configuration of shape and proportion, as well as the signs of dynamic animation make it unlikely that this footprint is the result of an artificial contrivance Furthermore, it neither appear s to be a n ursid hind paw or the registered fore and hind paw of an ur sid Nor the composite of overlapping spoor of other species No other footprints of a second animal were visible on site , within a 2 m radius This morphology of 824 T1 stands in contrast to the diagnosis of the foot print form attributed to sasquatch , based on a large sample of footprints attributed to that possible hominoid (M eldrum, 2007) The sasquatch foot is characterized by a flat flexible foot form, with a considerable range of movement in the midtarsal joints (Meldrum, 2004) A pressure ridge is frequently present associated with flexion at the transverse tarsal joint , i e , calcaneocuboid + talonavicular joints (Fig 10) The relative position of the pressure ridge, proximal to the metatarsal heads in the case of 824 T1, in contrast to a position proximal to the inferred location of the transverse ta r sal joint in the case of the sasquatch (Fig 11) When the footprint was discovered, alternate hypotheses to account for its attribution were considered: that it was possibly a large human footprint, or it belonged to a bear, or orangutan It has been pointed out that the feet of the indigenous human populations of the central highlands are notably smaller than 824 T1 (Fig 1 2 ) It seems unlikely that the footprints were made by a barefoot Vietnamese There are two species of black bear found in southeast As ia , the Asiatic black bear , or moon bear ( Ursus thibetanus ) , and Malaysian sun bear ( Helarctos malayanus ) These are quadru - peds with distinctive fore and hind paw prints However, the elongated hind paw and five digital pads lend only a superficial resemblance to a human footprint Notable distinctions include the tapering pointed heel, usually claw impress ions, and reversed appearance of the toe row ( the shortest toe is located medially ) Members of the IUCN Bear Specialist Group were consulted for an additional opinion conce rning the possibility of attributing the footprint to a bear Asiatic Black Bear Expert Team co - chairs, Dave Garshelis and Mei - hsiu Hwang examined photos of 824 T1 and concluded that it did not convincingly resemble any bear spoor they were familiar with in form or dimensions and offered in ked paw prints for comparison ( Fig 13; Meldrum, pers comm ) The bear hind print in this instance measures 20 cm (7 9 in) , compared to f ootprint 824 T1 at 29 cm (11 4 in) It has also been suggested that the footprint was left by a surviving orangutan, known to have existed on the mainland during the Pleistocene However, the extant orangutan foot morphology is very different from that of the 824 T1 footprint , because the known extant orangutan is a quadrumanus arboreal homin - oid, with very specialized prehensile feet, with a short hallux diverging from and opposing t he other extremely elongated toes (Fig 1 4 ) The only subfossil skeletal rema ins of a mainland orangutan are rather gracile and possess a more extreme intermembral index (165) than the extant species (Bacon & Long 2001) These exceptional limb proportions , with dispropor - tionately elongated forelimbs, are associate d with committed arboreal locomotion Another possibility is that it was a footprin t of a surviving Gigantopithecus sp , but unfortunately, the locomotor mode of these hominoids remain unknown in the absence of RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 11 postcranial skeletal remains N o pedal fossil specimen s are available with which to make a comparison Besides , G blackii is inferred to have been of enormous dimensions , 200 - 300 kg (440 - 660 lb) or more Extinct hominin species known from the region include Homo erectus and Homo heid el bergensis The size, shape, and kinematic structure of the footprint 824 T1 indicate that it could reasonably be attributed to the great wildman, confirming descriptions of this potential relict hominoid as a large bipedal terrestrial non - human primate , namely a h ominin with derived foot morphology , inhabiting the forests of mountainous areas of southeast Asia SMALL WILDMAN Local name s : Ngư ờ i r ừ ng nh ỏ (Kinh), Kdjhăt, Jring tan, Arăc tan, Mnuih (Mơ Nông) , Hăng háy, Ma lay (Giarai), D ạ tày nông (Xê Đăng), (Ha Lăng) The small wildman form is reportedly 1 2 - 1 5 m (3 ft 11 in – 4 ft 11 in) in height on average, tail absent, entirely covered with long grey - brown or grey - black hair, including the back s of the hands and dorsum of the feet The head hair is said to be about waist - length for females and a bit shorter for males; the old individuals also have white hair The face is hairless, and the skin is a light yellow - grey or light grey - black color They walk upright and bipedally , like the great wildmen, but without a stoop, and can also leap and run very fast The small wildmen are said to be diurnal Reports of e ncounter s by locals have occurred duri ng the daytime 13 times, but only once at about 9:00 pm and once at 2:00 am out of 15 encounter cases Small wildmen are said to live in caves and find food ( e g , small crabs, snails and fish) alongside springs and streams , which are eaten raw , as there is no indication of fire use They socialize in larger groups than the great wildmen, often numbering 3 - 5 members The locals described seeing a group of small wildmen twice, a four - member group once, a male and female couple four times, a pair made of moth er and juvenile twice, and a solitary individual seven times Small wildmen display no evidence of articulate speech Apart from monotonous yelling calls, they are described as communicating by gestures and sound signals during daytime activities Their opportunistic tool - use compares to other non - human hominoids, such as using rock s for digging and throwing Interestingly, both kinds of wildmen in Vietnam are described as not fierce, lacking language, fire use or tool manufacture , and are f requently encountered in proximity of human settlement They have been seen on the hills, in the fields , or on the roads , where people commonly pass near by Small wildmen in particular, are not afraid of humans They do not run away unless approached Some eyewitnesses also claimed to have seen them entering the locals’ shacks They are even per ceived to be so friendly and human - like that the locals refer to them as “brothers in the forest ” Perhaps with the rapid proliferation of smartphones, phot o graphic evidence of the small wildmen will eventually be forthcoming CONCLUSION Vietnam harbors much biodiversity, including rare and unique endemic organisms and an unusual mixture of tropical and temperate species (Sterling et al , 2006) The description of the size, shape, and behavior of “wildmen,” bas ed on eyewitness accounts and alleged specimens examined , suggest s the existence of two forms of relict hominoid – the great wildm a n and the small wildm a n – in some provinces of Tay Nguyen (Vietnam) Evidence indicates the primary habitat of the w ildm e n to be the forests in mountainous regions of the RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 12 Central Highlands, stretching from Kom Tun to Lang Don Provinces The impacts of war and recent settlement, cultivation and development of natural resources, means the habitat has been shrinking considerably , raising concern that both species are being pushed to the verge of extinction Vietnam ese authorities have y et to show appropriate interest, let alone m ake proper investment of resources and effort in determining the existence of and researching the na ture of wildmen, considering their likely endangered statu s LITERATURE CITED Bacon A - M and Long V (2001) The first discovery of a complete skeleton of a fossil orang - utan in a cave of the Hoa Binh Province, Vietnam Journal of H uman E volution 41 : 227 - 41 Coleman L and Huyghe P The Field guide to Bigfoot, Yeti, and Other Mystery Primates Worldwide New York: Avon Books, 1999 Doi, Nguyen gia and Doan khai quat hop tac Viet - Nga ( 2020 ) Overview on excavation process and research into An Khe Paleo li thic site complex Gialai province in 2015 - 2019 Khao co hoc 3:9 - 23 Fahrenbach WH (1997 - 1998) Sasquatch: s ize, scaling and statistics Cryptozoology , 13:47 - 75 Forth G Images of the Wildman in Southeast Asia: An Anthropological Perspective New York: Routledge, 2008 Ho P T ( 1997 ) Nguon goc loai nguoi , Nxb Giáo D ụ c, 75 tr Heuvelmans B and B Porchnev L’homme de Neanderthal est toujours vivant , Paris: Plon, 1974 Huevelmans B The Strange Saga of the Minnesota Iceman , translated by Paul LeBlond, San Antonio: Anamolist Books, 2016 Jorgenson KPJ, Very Crazy G I , New York: Presidio Press, 2001 Kha LT ( 1974 ) Tim hieu van de Neanderthal Khao co hoc so 16 / 1974: 31 - 36 Loofs - Wissowa H, “Seeing is believing or is it? How scientific is ‘Wildman’ research?” ANU Reporter 27(12):4 (17 July 1996) Mã T ( 2002 ) (translated by Nguyen Duy Chiem) Bi an ve Nguoi rung , Hanoi : Hanoi P ublishing H ouse, 335p Machusin, GN ( 1986 ) Nguon goc loai ngưoi (Ph ạ m Thai Xuyen d ị ch), Nxb KHKT Hanoi , 240p Meldrum DJ (2004) Midfoot Flexibility, Fossil Footprints, and Sasquatch Steps: New Perspectives on the Evolution of Bipedal - ism Journal of Scientific Exploration 18:65 - 79 Meldrum J Sasquatch: Legend Meets S cience , New York: Tom Doherty Associates , 2006 Meldrum, DJ (2007) Ichnotaxonomy of giant hominoid tracks in North America In: SG Lucas, JA Spielman and MG Lockl e y (eds) Cenozoic Vertebrate Tracks and Traces New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 42:225 - 331 Meldrum DJ (2012 a ) Adaptive radiations, bushy trees, and relict hominoids The Relict Hominoid Inquiry 1:51 - 56 Meldrum DJ (2012b) Are other hominins (hominoids) alive today? The Relict Hominoid Inquiry 1:67 - 71 Meldrum DJ and G Zhou (2012) Footprint evidence of the Chinese yeren The Relict Hominoid Inquiry 1:57 - 66 NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD - RisC) “A century of trends in adult human height ” eLife vol 5 e13410 26 Jul 2016 Schwartz JH, VT Long, NL Cuong, LT Kha, I Tattersall ( 1994 ) A diverse Hominoid fauna from the late middle Pleistocene breccia RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 13 cave of Tham Khuyen, Socialist Republic of Vietnam Anthropological P apers of the American Museum of Natural History , Number 73 , 11p Schwartz JH , VT Long, NL Cuong, LT Kha, I Tattersall ( 1995 ) A review of the Pleistocene Hominoid fauna of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam ( e xcluding Hylobatidae) Anthro - pological P apers of the American Museum of Natural History , Number 76 , 23p Sterling E , M Hurley and M Le (2006) Vietnam: A Natural History New Haven: Yale University Press Tinh uy, UBND, HDND tinh Thanh Hoa, 2000 Thanh Hoa thoi tien su, Dia chi Thanh Hoa, tap I, Nxb Van Hoa Thong Tin: p 519 - 524 Viet TH ( 1986 ) Thu hoang dai vung Sa Thay va y nghĩa kinh te cua chung Truong DHTH Hanoi , 225p Viet TH (1 998 ) Báo cáo nghi ệ m thu de tai Nguoi rung, DHQG, DHSP HN : 25p Wikramanayake E, P Rundel and R Boonratana (n d ) Southeastern Asia: Vietnam into Laos and Cambodia https://www worldwildlife - org/ecoregions/im0152 (retrieved 4/8/2021 WWF Dong Duong ( 2000 ) Gioi thieu mot so loai thu o Dong Duong va Thai Lan , 255p RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 14 Figure 1 Map of the forbidden forest of Mom Ray (Sa Thay, Gia Lai, Kon Tum Province ) RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 15 Figure 2 Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong and Lam Dong Provinces (Central Highlands of Viet n am ) Chu Mom Ray National Park indicated by the red dot RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 16 Figure 3 Descriptions of the great w ildman resemble this rendition of “Pongoid Man,” by Alika Lindbergh, based on Heuvelmans ’ reconstruction of the Minnesota Iceman RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 17 Figure 4 The site at Ngoc Vin pass, Mom Ray Mountain, Sa Thay district, Kontum P rovince , where the trackway t race attributed to the great wildman was left on a mountain road X marks the location of the single footprint 824 T1 RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 18 Figure 4 Footprint 824 T1 , attributed to the great wildman RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 19 Figure 5 Footprint 824 T1 Alternate interpretation of the footprint , allowing for distortion dues to slippage during the late stance phase (DJM) Yellow indicates the initial position of the toe pads in early stance ; blue the final position of toe pads after inferred slippage (smaller arrow) Direction of e xtrusion feature proximal to metatarsal heads ( larger arrow ) RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 20 Figure 6 A r econstruct ed outline of footprint 824 T1 (left) , compared to three examples of outlined footprints attributed to sasquatch in North America (right) RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 21 Figure 7 Footprint 824 T1 O blique proximodistal view RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 22 Figure 8 Footprint 824 T1 Details of the forefoot viewed proximodistally Note differential depth of the hallux imprint RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 23 Figure 9 Cast of footprint 824 T1 RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 24 Figure 10 Multiple views of a 3D scan of a f ootprint cast attributed to sasquatch , made by Bob Titmus at the Patterson - Gimlin film site in northern California, 1967, illustrating a midtarsal pressure ridge RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 25 Figure 1 1 (Left to Right) Footprint 824 T1; Cast of 824 T1; Diagram of measurements taken from the cast of 824 T1; Cast of a footprint attributed to sasquatch from the Patterson - Gimlin film site, California RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 26 Figure 1 2 Left A r econstruc ted outline of the footprint 824 T1 , removing potential distortion caused by slippage (29 cm) Right Habitually unshod human footprint (24 cm) RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 27 Figure 1 3 (Left to Right) Inked footprints of the left hind paw and left fore paw of an Asiatic black bear , Ursus thibetanus (courtesy of Garshelis and Mei - hsiu ) RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 28 Figure 1 4 Life mold of an orangutan right foot (credit: Bone Clones)
The RELICT HOMINOID INQUIRY 10:6-28 (2021) Research Article RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM Trần Hồng Việt1*, Trần Hồng Hải1, Jeff Meldrum Vietnam Cryptozoic and Rare Animal Research Center, Hanoi University of Education Department of Biological Sciences, Idaho State University, 921 S 8th Ave, Pocatello, ID 83209 ABSTRACT The possible existence of relict hominoid species in various parts of the world persists as a question of limited overt interest for investigation by most scientists Investigations in the Central Highlands of Vietnam have documented ethnographic traditions, recent anecdotal descriptions, and trace evidence, i.e footprints, of possibly two forms of “wildmen” – a great wildman and a small wildman A documented trackway, providing one fresh hominoid footprint, herein attributed to the great wildman, is larger than a typical local Vietnamese human footprint Its proportions, combined with indications of a longitudinal arch, are features distinct from the footprints attributed to a sasquatch-like hominoid, as evidenced in both North America and Asia Given historic impacts on montane habitat presumed to be occupied by the wildmen, their status is likely endangered and timely efforts to identify and understand them are needed KEY WORDS: Relict Hominoids, Footprints, Indochina, Mainland Southeast Asia, Central Highlands, Người rừng, Sasquatch INTRODUCTION inquire about the forest men and to gather pertinent information and evidence The existence and nature of relict hominoids, or “wildmen,” is now a topic of interest within Many paleontological and archaeological the scientific community (Meldrum, 2012a, b) studies in Vietnam have discovered evidence of However, research on wildmen attracts the primitive hominins (i.e Homo erectus) in involvement of only a limited number of Tham Hai, Tham Khuyen (Lang Son Province), scientists around the world (Mã Tranh, 2002) as well as modern humans (Homo sapiens) at In Vietnam, the legends of “forest men” have Hang Hum (Yen Bai Province), Thung Lang been recounted for hundreds of years, but it was (Ninh Binh Province; Schwartz et al., 1994, not until the 1970s that the Vietnamese 1995; Le Trung Kha, 1974; Ho, PT, 1997) government showed serious interest in the Fossil skeletal remains and tools dating back to potential existence of these creatures In 1974, the the Old Stone Age were found in many places Vietnamese government sponsored a research throughout the country (e.g Nui Do, Nui team, which included Prof Hoang Xuan Chinh Nuong, Nui Quan Yen, etc.; Tinh uy, UBND (Archaeological Institute), Vo Quy, and Le Vu tinh Thanh Hoa, 2000) The latest finding was Khoi (Hanoi University), to go to the Liberated eleven primitive tools from the Lower Area of Gialai-Kontum and Dak Lak Provinces, to Paleolithic Era (about 800 kya) in Roc Tung (An Khe, Gia Lai; Doi et al., 2020) *Correspondence to: Trần Hồng Việt, Email: tranhvietsp@gmail.com © RHI RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM With regard to anthropoids, evidence of wildmen in the central area of Vietnam (Viet, Pongo pygmaeus, P hooijeri, Gigantopithecus 1986, 1998) When it was determined that there blacki, etc have been found (Schwartz et al., were indeed some evidences of wildmen in 1995) Lately, two complete subfossil Kon Tum Province, the government resolved skeletons of orangutan (an adult female and a (number 65/HDBT, date 7/4/1982) to designate juvenile), dating back 4,000-5,000 years ago, 35,500 of forest of Mom Ray Mountain have been found at Cao Ram (Luong Son, Hoa region to protect and study them further As of Binh; Bacon & Vu, 2001) 2002, it has been designated the Cum Mom Ray National Park (see Fig 1, 2) Adjacent to the During the two wars in Vietnam (1945- Chu Mom Ray National Park are protected 1975), there were many eyewitness accounts of areas in Cambodia and Loas The entire area wildmen-encounters deep in the forest, has about 700,000 of forests creating a large experienced by American, South Korean and cross-country preserve, which has particular Vietnamese soldiers Some notable accounts important to biodiversity conservation in Indo- include Captain Frank Hansen’s story of an china and Southeast Asia alleged frozen wildman corpse, eventually exhibited in Minnesota (Huevelmans & The region has been identified as the Porchnev, 1974; Huevelmans, 2016); Southern Annamites Montane Rain Forest Australian journalist Wilfred Burchette’s story Ecoregion by the World Wildlife Fund The intact about the “forest man” in Dak Mil Province forests of the ecoregion are wet closed (Central Highlands; see Forth, 2008); broadleaf evergreen forests receiving up to 200 Cryptozoologist Loren Coleman’s tale about cm (78 inches) of precipitation It is otherwise wildman at Thi Village (Dak Lak; Coleman little explored due to its remoteness and and Huyghe, 1999; see also Loofs-Wissowa, hazards (e.g landmines) The known flora and 1996); Columnist Kregg PJ Jorgenson’s fauna attest to the region's biological diversity accounts about the Người rừng (Central The tiger (Panthera tigris), Asian elephant Highlands; Jorgenson, 2001); and other (Elephas maximus), douc langur (Pygathrix anecdotal accounts of American GI encounters nemaeus), gibbon (Hylobates gabriellae), wild with “rock apes” (Meldrum, pers comm.) dog (Cuon alpinus), sun bear (Ursus These persistent reports of encounters with malayanus), clouded leopard (Pardofelis wildmen raised the possibility of the existence nebulosa), gaur (Bos gaurus), banteng (Bos a relict hominoid in Vietnam and drew the javanicus), and Eld's deer (Cervus eldii) are attention of Vietnamese scientists among the better known of the 122 mammal species found here (Wikramanayake, n.d.) FIELD INVESTIGATION Ten field investigations, comprising a total of Vietnamese scientists had been involved with 432 days, at 21 locations in Gia Lai, Kon Tum, wildmen investigations since 1974, but it was Dak Lak, and Lam Dong Provinces were not until 1977 that the research on wildmen was undertaken (Fig 2) Eyewitness accounts of the officially undertaken in the South of Vietnam wildmen were gathered from the locals, and a In 1982, the research project titled “Study and thorough study of environmental habitat, traces, proposed measures to protect the valuable and footprints, diet, activities, etc was made where the rare animals in Sa Thay, Gialai-Kontum” locals had reportedly encountered the wildmen coded 5202-0102b, which is a part of a key Unfortunately, due to inadequate expedition national program on environment (5202), was conditions, the serious deficiency of the conducted with the main purpose of studying equipment, limited time and interruption during the fieldwork, the data collected were RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM not as abundant as expected and no conclusive They are not afraid of humans, and not run evidence of the existence of the wildmen was away unless approached They are active both found There were, however, some noteworthy diurnally and nocturnally They have been observations as follows: encountered at 7:00-9:00 am, 1:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 9:00 pm, and some indeterminate times 1.) Wildmen are suspected to exist in a few based on discovered footprints, but the locals scattered, secluded areas in the eastern usually saw them during the daytime (11 out of south-central coast of Vietnam (from 18 encounters) Quang Nam to Phu Khanh) and in five provinces in the Western Truong Son They were seen solitarily most of the time Range (Annamite Range) Neverthe- Out of 18 encounters, the locals only saw a less, during and after the wars, the three-member group twice, and a male and habitat has been shrinking significantly female couple five times 2.) There are perhaps two kinds of According to the locals, wildmen are wildmen co-existing in Vietnam: the omnivorous, with varied diets including leaves, “great wildman” and the “small wild- wild sour berries, rattan sprouts (Calamus man” Their range may overlap in one bonianus), tiger grass sprouts (Thysanolaena area – Dak Lak Province latifolia), pith and fruit of banana (Musa coccinae); also, bird eggs, young birds, small GREAT WILDMAN trapped animals, frogs, toads, fish, shrimp, crab, snails, larvae, and insects There is no Local names: Người rừng (Kinh), Kdghăt (Ê evidence of fire use, so food is presumed to be Đê), Jring (Mơ nơng), Bơng bót, bơ ban mơ eaten raw nâng (Giarai) They use simple sounds, such as long or The larger form is reported to be about 1.8- short, monotonous yelling calls, or sometimes 2.0 m (5 ft 11 in – ft in) in height Their wails, to vocalize There is no evidence of body is covered with long red-brown or dark- communication using articulate speech brown hair, excepting the face, which skin is pink-grey The hair on their head is unkempt, It is noteworthy that no one has reported hanging down to the shoulder or middle of the being attacked by wildmen in eighteen known back, longer than remaining body hair The hair encounters, which indicates that they are on their back lies smooth while that on their generally not fierce or aggressive towards belly is separated in two directions, parted in humans the midline of their body, from the neck to the end of the belly (compare Fig 3) The forearm Footprint Evidence hair on the outside is long and twirls up toward elbow The back of their hands and feet are also Regarding trace evidence attributed to the great covered with hair They have a robust physique wildman, more than ten human-shaped foot- and disproportionately thick body prints were discovered on Ngoc Vin pass, Mom Ray Mountain, Sa Thay district, Kontum They walk up-right and bipedally at a slow province, on April 23, 1982 The footprints and leisurely pace with a slight stoop, hands clearly indicated a bipedal walk The distance hanging down to the knees and fingers rather between steps was approximately 70 cm (27.5 curved However, in the face of danger, they in) Regrettably, it was impossible to fully can leap and run very fast document all these footprints, because they were left on grass, or firm ground of the mountain road covered by a thin layer of dust RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM (Fig 3) Field investigators were only able to measuring 11.5 ± 0.5 cm (4.5 in The sole pad obtain one clear and detailed footprint, likely breadth across the forefoot measures ± 0.5 cm less than 24 hours old, coded 824 T1 (Fig 4) (3.5 in); average Vietnamese ≈ cm (2.8 in); It had a depth of 1.5 cm, as it was left on the heel breadth is 7.5 ± 0.5 cm (3 in); average roadside near an abyss, on fine soft soil Vietnamese ≈ cm ( 2.4 in) The heel has an moistened by a rain The footprint indicates evenly rounded outline instead of a tapered that the great wildmen possess a plantigrade, one pentadactyl foot Footprint 824 T1 was 29 x 12 cm (11.4 x 4.7 in) in length x breadth Although footprint 824 T1 is larger than an average Vietnamese male, it is not as big as the The footprint presents elongated toe imprints footprints attributed to the sasquatch in North and a broad rounded heel In general, it America, with an average length of 40 cm, or resembles human footprints, but is bigger than 15.75 inches (Fig 7) (Fahrenbach, 1997-1998; that of typical modern Vietnamese, including Meldrum, 2006, 2007) The potential presence habitually unshod indigenous human popula- of a sasquatch-like relict hominoid in East Asia tions The average Vietnamese man’s height is is indicated by examples of equivalent 162 cm (5 ft in) making them the fourth footprints, in morphology and dimensions, shortest human population in the world (NCD- discovered in various regions, such as those RisC, 2016) That equates to an average foot attributed to the Chinese yeren (Meldrum & length of ≈ 24 cm (9.5 in) Zhou, 2012) One of us (DJM) has suggested the The footprint 824 T1 shows a non-divergent possibility of slippage during the latter part of hallux, which resembles humans The toes stance may be indicated in the footprint, which decrease in size from the hallux to the would somewhat exaggerate the apparent outermost toes, slightly spread in fan-like length of the toes and would account for a shape, point forwards but slant rather medially prominently extruded pressure ridge proximal (perhaps due to slippage of the forefoot); the to the metatarsal heads (see Fig 5) However, lateral toes are somewhat splayed initially, but both THV and THH, who examined and become closely appressed to the hallux, as they documented the footprint in situ first-hand, flexed into the soil Adjusting for possible assert that no appearance of slippage was distortion, the hallux pad imprint measures ≈ evident As only one distinct footprint was left 4.6 cm long by 3.0 cm wide (1.8 in x 1.2 in); in mud, we are left with no basis of comparison the lateral toepads are approximately 2.5 cm by which to conclusively distinguish potential long by 2.0 cm wide (1 in x 0.8 in) The footprint artifact from the actual dynamic impressions of the toe stems of the first three morphology digits are evident, as in a human-like footprint Figure depicts a reconstruction of the The location of the pressure ridge of extruded outline of the foot without the potential mud, produced proximal to the imprint of the distortion resulting from late stance slippage metatarsal heads indicates the presence of a This contrasts with the outline in Fig 11, traced longitudinal arch, either transient of fixed That directly from the resulting cast of the footprint the arch is rather obscured by the extruded The foot length (from heel to the tip of hallux) pressure ridge, and no additional footprints are is 29 ± 0.5 cm (11.4 in), while that of an available for comparison, establishing whether average Vietnamese only measures ≈ 24 cm the arch is fixed or transient, remains uncertain (9.5 in) The forefoot is wide, narrows to the The medial prominence of the extruded hindfoot, with the widest part across splayed pressure ridge suggests differential plantar toes (between hallux and the outermost toe) pressure exerted through the medial ball and RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 10 hallux (Fig 7) This is further indicated by the There are two species of black bear found in greater depth under the hallux compared to the southeast Asia, the Asiatic black bear, or moon lateral digits (Fig 8) bear (Ursus thibetanus), and Malaysian sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) These are quadru- A cast was made of the footprint, which peds with distinctive fore and hind paw prints provides additional insights into the differential However, the elongated hind paw and five topography of the footprint (Fig 9) further digital pads lend only a superficial resemblance indicating the presence of a medial longitudinal to a human footprint Notable distinctions arch, differential expression of the metatarsal include the tapering pointed heel, usually claw pressure ridge proximal to the hallux, and impressions, and reversed appearance of the differential depth of impression beneath the toe row (the shortest toe is located medially) hallux Members of the IUCN Bear Specialist Group were consulted for an additional opinion The configuration of shape and proportion, as concerning the possibility of attributing the well as the signs of dynamic animation make it footprint to a bear Asiatic Black Bear Expert unlikely that this footprint is the result of an Team co-chairs, Dave Garshelis and Mei-hsiu artificial contrivance Furthermore, it neither Hwang examined photos of 824 T1 and appears to be an ursid hind paw or the concluded that it did not convincingly resemble registered fore and hind paw of an ursid Nor any bear spoor they were familiar with in form the composite of overlapping spoor of other or dimensions and offered inked paw prints for species No other footprints of a second animal comparison (Fig 13; Meldrum, pers comm.) were visible on site, within a m radius The bear hind print in this instance measures 20 cm (7.9 in), compared to footprint 824 T1 at 29 This morphology of 824 T1 stands in contrast cm (11.4 in) to the diagnosis of the footprint form attributed to sasquatch, based on a large sample of It has also been suggested that the footprint footprints attributed to that possible hominoid was left by a surviving orangutan, known to (Meldrum, 2007) The sasquatch foot is have existed on the mainland during the characterized by a flat flexible foot form, with Pleistocene However, the extant orangutan a considerable range of movement in the foot morphology is very different from that of midtarsal joints (Meldrum, 2004) A pressure the 824 T1 footprint, because the known extant ridge is frequently present associated with orangutan is a quadrumanus arboreal homin- flexion at the transverse tarsal joint, i.e., oid, with very specialized prehensile feet, with calcaneocuboid + talonavicular joints (Fig 10) a short hallux diverging from and opposing the The relative position of the pressure ridge, other extremely elongated toes (Fig 14) The proximal to the metatarsal heads in the case of only subfossil skeletal remains of a mainland 824 T1, in contrast to a position proximal to the orangutan are rather gracile and possess a more inferred location of the transverse tarsal joint in extreme intermembral index (165) than the the case of the sasquatch (Fig 11) extant species (Bacon & Long 2001) These exceptional limb proportions, with dispropor- When the footprint was discovered, alternate tionately elongated forelimbs, are associated hypotheses to account for its attribution were with committed arboreal locomotion considered: that it was possibly a large human footprint, or it belonged to a bear, or orangutan Another possibility is that it was a footprint It has been pointed out that the feet of the of a surviving Gigantopithecus sp., but indigenous human populations of the central unfortunately, the locomotor mode of these highlands are notably smaller than 824 T1 (Fig hominoids remain unknown in the absence of 12) It seems unlikely that the footprints were made by a barefoot Vietnamese RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 11 postcranial skeletal remains No pedal fossil locals described seeing a group of small specimens are available with which to make a wildmen twice, a four-member group once, a comparison Besides, G blackii is inferred to male and female couple four times, a pair made have been of enormous dimensions, 200-300 of mother and juvenile twice, and a solitary kg (440-660 lb) or more Extinct hominin individual seven times species known from the region include Homo erectus and Homo heidelbergensis Small wildmen display no evidence of articulate speech Apart from monotonous The size, shape, and kinematic structure of yelling calls, they are described as the footprint 824 T1 indicate that it could communicating by gestures and sound signals reasonably be attributed to the great wildman, during daytime activities Their opportunistic confirming descriptions of this potential relict tool-use compares to other non-human hominoid as a large bipedal terrestrial non- hominoids, such as using rocks for digging and human primate, namely a hominin with derived throwing foot morphology, inhabiting the forests of mountainous areas of southeast Asia Interestingly, both kinds of wildmen in Vietnam are described as not fierce, lacking SMALL WILDMAN language, fire use or tool manufacture, and are frequently encountered in proximity of human Local names: Người rừng nhỏ (Kinh), Kdjhăt, settlement They have been seen on the hills, in Jring tan, Arăc tan, Mnuih (Mơ Nông), Hăng the fields, or on the roads, where people háy, Ma lay (Giarai), Dạ tày nông (Xê Đăng), commonly pass nearby (Ha Lăng) Small wildmen in particular, are not afraid of The small wildman form is reportedly 1.2 - humans They not run away unless 1.5 m (3 ft 11 in – ft 11 in) in height on approached Some eyewitnesses also claimed average, tail absent, entirely covered with long to have seen them entering the locals’ shacks grey-brown or grey-black hair, including the They are even perceived to be so friendly and backs of the hands and dorsum of the feet The human-like that the locals refer to them as head hair is said to be about waist-length for “brothers in the forest.” Perhaps with the rapid females and a bit shorter for males; the old proliferation of smartphones, photographic individuals also have white hair The face is evidence of the small wildmen will eventually hairless, and the skin is a light yellow-grey or be forthcoming light grey-black color They walk upright and bipedally, like the great wildmen, but without a CONCLUSION stoop, and can also leap and run very fast Vietnam harbors much biodiversity, including The small wildmen are said to be diurnal rare and unique endemic organisms and an Reports of encounters by locals have occurred unusual mixture of tropical and temperate during the daytime 13 times, but only once at species (Sterling et al., 2006) The description about 9:00 pm and once at 2:00 am out of 15 of the size, shape, and behavior of “wildmen,” encounter cases based on eyewitness accounts and alleged specimens examined, suggests the existence of Small wildmen are said to live in caves and two forms of relict hominoid – the great find food (e.g., small crabs, snails and fish) wildman and the small wildman – in some alongside springs and streams, which are eaten provinces of Tay Nguyen (Vietnam) Evidence raw, as there is no indication of fire use They indicates the primary habitat of the wildmen to socialize in larger groups than the great be the forests in mountainous regions of the wildmen, often numbering 3-5 members The RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 12 Central Highlands, stretching from Kom Tun to extinction Vietnamese authorities have yet to Lang Don Provinces The impacts of war and show appropriate interest, let alone make recent settlement, cultivation and development proper investment of resources and effort in of natural resources, means the habitat has been determining the existence of and researching shrinking considerably, raising concern that the nature of wildmen, considering their likely both species are being pushed to the verge of endangered status LITERATURE CITED Bacon A-M and Long V (2001) The first ANU Reporter 27(12):4 (17 July 1996) discovery of a complete skeleton of a fossil Mã T (2002) (translated by Nguyen Duy orang-utan in a cave of the Hoa Binh Province, Vietnam Journal of Human Chiem) Bi an ve Nguoi rung, Hanoi: Hanoi Evolution 41:227-41 Publishing House, 335p Machusin, GN (1986) Nguon goc loai ngưoi (Phạm Coleman L and Huyghe P The Field guide to Thai Xuyen dịch), Nxb KHKT Hanoi, 240p Bigfoot, Yeti, and Other Mystery Primates Meldrum DJ (2004) Midfoot Flexibility, Fossil Worldwide New York: Avon Books, 1999 Footprints, and Sasquatch Steps: New Perspectives on the Evolution of Bipedal- Doi, Nguyen gia and Doan khai quat hop tac ism Journal of Scientific Exploration Viet-Nga (2020) Overview on excavation 18:65-79 process and research into An Khe Paleolithic Meldrum J Sasquatch: Legend Meets Science, site complex Gialai province in 2015-2019 New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 2006 Khao co hoc 3:9-23 Meldrum, DJ (2007) Ichnotaxonomy of giant hominoid tracks in North America In: SG Fahrenbach WH (1997-1998) Sasquatch: size, Lucas, JA Spielman and MG Lockley (eds) scaling and statistics Cryptozoology, 13:47- Cenozoic Vertebrate Tracks and Traces 75 New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 42:225-331 Forth G Images of the Wildman in Southeast Meldrum DJ (2012a) Adaptive radiations, Asia: An Anthropological Perspective New bushy trees, and relict hominoids The Relict York: Routledge, 2008 Hominoid Inquiry 1:51-56 Meldrum DJ (2012b) Are other hominins Ho PT (1997) Nguon goc loai nguoi, Nxb Giáo (hominoids) alive today? The Relict Dục, 75 tr Hominoid Inquiry 1:67-71 Meldrum DJ and G Zhou (2012) Footprint Heuvelmans B and B Porchnev L’homme de evidence of the Chinese yeren The Relict Neanderthal est toujours vivant, Paris: Plon, Hominoid Inquiry 1:57-66 1974 NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) “A century of trends in adult human height.” Huevelmans B The Strange Saga of the eLife vol e13410 26 Jul 2016 Minnesota Iceman, translated by Paul Schwartz JH, VT Long, NL Cuong, LT Kha, I LeBlond, San Antonio: Anamolist Books, Tattersall (1994) A diverse Hominoid fauna 2016 from the late middle Pleistocene breccia Jorgenson KPJ, Very Crazy G.I., New York: Presidio Press, 2001 Kha LT (1974) Tim hieu van de Neanderthal Khao co hoc so 16 / 1974: 31-36 Loofs-Wissowa H, “Seeing is believing or is it? How scientific is ‘Wildman’ research?” RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 13 cave of Tham Khuyen, Socialist Republic of Thanh Hoa thoi tien su, Dia chi Thanh Hoa, Vietnam Anthropological Papers of the tap I, Nxb Van Hoa Thong Tin: p 519-524 American Museum of Natural History, Viet TH (1986) Thu hoang dai vung Sa Thay Number 73, 11p va y nghĩa kinh te cua chung Truong DHTH Schwartz JH, VT Long, NL Cuong, LT Kha, I Hanoi, 225p Tattersall (1995) A review of the Pleistocene Viet TH (1998) Báo cáo nghiệm thu de tai Hominoid fauna of the Socialist Republic of Nguoi rung, DHQG, DHSP HN: 25p Vietnam (excluding Hylobatidae) Anthro- Wikramanayake E, P Rundel and R Boonratana pological Papers of the American Museum (n.d.) Southeastern Asia: Vietnam into Laos of Natural History, Number 76, 23p and Cambodia https://www.worldwildlife.- Sterling E, M Hurley and M Le (2006) org/ecoregions/im0152 (retrieved 4/8/2021 Vietnam: A Natural History New Haven: WWF Dong Duong (2000) Gioi thieu mot so Yale University Press loai thu o Dong Duong va Thai Lan, 255p Tinh uy, UBND, HDND tinh Thanh Hoa, 2000 RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 14 Figure Map of the forbidden forest of Mom Ray (Sa Thay, Gia Lai, Kon Tum Province) RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 15 Figure Kon Tum, Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong and Lam Dong Provinces (Central Highlands of Vietnam) Chu Mom Ray National Park indicated by the red dot RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 16 Figure Descriptions of the great wildman resemble this rendition of “Pongoid Man,” by Alika Lindbergh, based on Heuvelmans’ reconstruction of the Minnesota Iceman RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 17 Figure The site at Ngoc Vin pass, Mom Ray Mountain, Sa Thay district, Kontum Province, where the trackway trace attributed to the great wildman was left on a mountain road X marks the location of the single footprint 824 T1 RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 18 Figure Footprint 824 T1, attributed to the great wildman RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 19 Figure Footprint 824 T1 Alternate interpretation of the footprint, allowing for distortion dues to slippage during the late stance phase (DJM) Yellow indicates the initial position of the toe pads in early stance; blue the final position of toe pads after inferred slippage (smaller arrow) Direction of extrusion feature proximal to metatarsal heads (larger arrow) RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 20 Figure A reconstructed outline of footprint 824 T1 (left), compared to three examples of outlined footprints attributed to sasquatch in North America (right) RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 21 Figure Footprint 824 T1 Oblique proximodistal view RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 22 Figure Footprint 824 T1 Details of the forefoot viewed proximodistally Note differential depth of the hallux imprint RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 23 Figure Cast of footprint 824 T1 RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 24 Figure 10 Multiple views of a 3D scan of a footprint cast attributed to sasquatch, made by Bob Titmus at the Patterson-Gimlin film site in northern California, 1967, illustrating a midtarsal pressure ridge RESEARCH ON WILDMEN IN VIETNAM 25 Figure 11 (Left to Right) Footprint 824 T1; Cast of 824 T1; Diagram of measurements taken from the cast of 824 T1; Cast of a footprint attributed to sasquatch from the Patterson-Gimlin film site, California