- The dingo was just in the process
of coming out of the tent here and I could see just
the upper part of the dingo's head.
- The benefit is in all that extra food
in the form of human flesh available
and in case of the humans they're obviously
getting some sort of therapeutic benefit.
- And we found what we interpreted to be Sasquatch tracks
and other evidence.
- What is the mystery behind Turkey's
flesh eating fish and the hunt for the elusive Bigfoot.
Animal X investigates the intriguing world of
bizarre animals.
First%2c a profile of a predator
Australia's dangerous dingo.
- Central Australia%2c the outback.
To Europeans it's known as Ayers Rock.
To the aboriginal people. it's called Uluru.
A wild place full of myth and legend.
One that plays an important part in their dream time.
- The dingo is associated with Uluru%2c
and there's a song cycle concerning the
dingo that goes through
right through even into Alice Springs%2c
where there's a rock in Alice Springs
that contains the spirit of the dingo spirit.
Near Uluru%2c there is a whole set of rocks there
that are the dingo pups%2c
which are like the souls of people in many ways.
And they are in this rock that's near Uluru.
- Ayers Rock is in the northern territory
close to the border with south Australia.
All kinds of stories are centered around
this mythical place%2c but none like this.
Australia's dingoes were on trial%2c
and so was this woman%2c Lindy Chamberlain%2c
the mother of a baby called Azaria.
- I got to admit when I looked up and saw
that one in the cage%2c and it was staring straight down
it just%2c it gave me the creeps.
- On August 17th%2c 1980 Lindy and her husband
Michael where on a camping holiday with their
three children at Ayers Rock.
Nine year old Reagan%2c and six weeks old baby Azaria
were asleep in the Chamberlain's tent.
Just 20 meters from where Lindy and Michael were cooking
on a camp site barbecue.
- The tent was pitched here
just a little four man tent.
The picnic here%2c
the camp fire barbecue there.
Now Reagan was sleeping here%2c
and Azaria's carry basket was across sideways
with her head here.
Azaria cried out%2c
Lindy went back to see what was wrong.
What she saw%2c was every mother's nightmare.
Her child was being taken.
- The dingo was just in the process of coming out
of the tent here%2c
and I could see just the upper part of the dingoes head.
I could see her blankets.
There was some little bits of blood round the door.
- No trace of the dingo or Azaria was found%2c
despite an intensive search.
And inquest was held.
Evidence in support of Lindy's story
filled the newspapers%2c but there was just
as much speculation that a dingo
couldn't have taken Azaria and that Lindy
had murdered her daughter.
In February%2c 1981 the northern territory coroner
concluded that the evidence was sufficient
to indicate that a dingo had taken Azaria.
But the judgement did nothing to solve the mystery.
Could Australia's wild dog have done such a thing%3f
If it wasn't a dingo%2c who%2c or what had taken
baby Azaria%3f
The dingo was truly a wild dog%2c
difficult to tame%2c and not suitable as a family pet.
And it is fully equipped for a tough life
in the vast wilderness areas of Australia.
- And everything about them is attuned to being
extremely sensitive%2c ya know.
Their ears are like a little radar screeners
to pick up sounds.
Their nostrils are large to pick up any scent.
They'll even lick the air to pick up scent.
They can't be desensitized because that's
the way their made.
- Bernice Walters has been studying
dingoes for over 30 years.
And now runs a dingo sanctuary in New South Wales.
Bernice wrapped five kilograms of meat and bone
in a wool shawl and watched several of her dingoes
as they tried to run off with it.
Well the early experiments were on the lifting
and carrying capacity of dingoes%2c
and he picked it up in a point of balance
and carried it about
six to ten yards and put it down%2c
and none of them were able to carry it more than
that short distance.
- But Lindy's story had put dingoes under
increasing scrutiny.
Had they attacked before%3f
In June 1980%2c Max and Felix Cranwell%2c took time off
from their dairy farm near Melbourne and
traveled to Ayers Rock with their two daughters%2c
Melissa aged seven%2c and Amanda aged three.
They stayed at the same camping ground
where only two months later%2c Azaria's tragedy
was to be played out.
- We just heard Amanda make some sort of a noise%2c
and because we're setting up the caravan%2c
we just went out and walked around the car
and she was just laying on the ground
with the dingo standing over her head.
And the dog must have just grabbed her%2c
and she's toppled out of the car.
She had bites down the back of her neck%2c
across her shoulders%2c in one ear%2c
and a mark on the side of her face.
- There have been other cases too%2c
up to 50 according to some%2c either hushed up
or long forgotten.
They have lead to claims of a cover up%2c
but in aboriginal dream time
it's all been heard before.
- When I was young%2c like very young%2c
we used to live in a place outside of town
and camp and we could hear dingoes howling in the night.
And my parents are always warning us to stay close to camp
'cause the dingoes would come and take us.
- According to Lindy%2c very little
was done to warn the tourist of the possible danger.
- Although they were warning the big bus tours and groups
that they had been having attacks%2c
there was nothing at all telling
the families coming in in private cars
they were not warning.
- At the time%2c many felt that Lindy's
dingo story was just too bizarre.
In September%2c 1981%2c the northern territories chief
minister ordered police to re-open the case.
In February%2c 1982 Lindy Chamberlain was charged
with the murder of Azaria.
After an eight month trial%2c she was found guilty
and sentenced to life imprisonment.
In 1986%2c there was a major development.
Azaria's matinee jacket%2c bloodied%2c torn%2c
and barring what looked like teeth marks
was found near Ayers Rock.
Crucial evidence which supported Lindy's account
and implicated the dingo.
Lindy was released from jail%2c
and six years later%2c awarded 1.3 million dollars
in compensation for wrongful conviction.
To this day%2c the controversy and mystery continue.
A recent inquest into baby Azaria's death%2c
the fifth investigation since that dreadful night
in 1980 has returned an open verdict.
No culprit%2c no body%2c and no dingo.
- The dingo may be a unique creature%2c
but it takes some doing to beat the exceptional sacred
flesh eating fish of Turkey.
Their purpose is not to harm%2c but to help cure%2c
and their origins date back to biblical times.
- Your worst nightmare.
No one can imagine what it's like to be taken
by one of these monsters.
The great white shark is one of natures most
feared carnivores.
- The razor sharp teeth of the deadly
piranha fish.
- So are these%2c the Amazon's most infamous
residents are also attracted by blood.
These razor toothed piranha's could reduce a mammal
to it's skeleton in a matter of minutes.
But here's a flesh eating fish of a different kind.
One that devours human flesh to enhance
rather than destroy life.
For sufferers of painful skin complaints
like psoriasis%2c the amazing doctor fish of Turkey
are literally eating their ailments away.
Animal X traveled to the small mountain village of
Chanak in Turkey.
Home to these unique creatures that help to cure.
Psoriasis is a skin disorder effecting as many as
one in forty people.
Psoriasis manifests it self as swollen skin lesions%2c
covered in white scales.
For victims%2c the pain is more than skin deep.
Aside from a constant raging itch%2c
sufferers also must deal with the emotional pain
caused by physical disfiguration.
Various treatments are available%2c
but none has proved successful.
Locals call them doctor fish because of their
amazing ability to heal.
Ranging from two to nine centimeters in length%2c
the fish thrive in warm water.
Incredibly there are three types of doctor fish%2c
which work together to alleviate the symptoms
of psoriasis.
Their called strikers%2c jabbers%2c and lickers
according to their unique talents.
- Well the doctor fish appear to have a sort
of behavior that a lot of other fishes may have%2c
and that's called a cleaning mutualism.
Now%2c mutualism involves an interaction between
two organisms where both get some sort of benefit.
And in the case of the doctor fish%2c
I'd imagine the benefit is in all the extra food
in the form of human flesh available.
And in the case of the humans%2c
they're obviously getting some sort of
therapeutic benefit.
- The strikers attack the hard flaky skin
to expose the inflamed area.
Next the jabbers draw blood from the wound.
Finally%2c the lickers wrap up the procedure
by secreting saliva to heal the wound.
They only attack the diseased areas%2c
and in a strange twist that continues to mystify
the medics%2c leave the healthy skin unscathed.
- I don't believe that there a cure for psoriasis exists%2c
but I think the phenomenon of the doctor fish is interesting
and that it seems to alleviate some suffers of psoriasis.
The doctor fish would be the most unusual treatment
that I've heard of for psoriasis today.
- Patients of the doctor fish
consider them a miracle.
A heavenly healing force of mystical powers.
This man has had the disease for 14 years.
He's been here for five days%2c and says
so far%2c all's going well.
And this man says he's suffered from psoriasis
for four years%2c it covered both his hands and
the souls of his feet.
At times%2c he was unable to walk.
Since ancient times%2c fish that live in such springs
have been considered sacred by Muslims and Jews alike.
According to Turkish mythology%2c
while Abraham was waiting at the town of Ur
on his way to the promised land%2c
he was captured by locals and thrown onto a funeral pyre.
But then in an act of divine intervention%2c
God created two pools of water%2c
and used them to extinguish the fire%2c
thus saving Abraham.
Even now%2c it's forbidden for locals to catch
or eat the fish from these pools.
Despite such incredible results%2c
science is still at a loss to explain the mysterious
workings of the doctor fish.
But there's a good chance these hot springs
will become the new Mecca for psoriasis
sufferers everywhere.
- From devoted followers of flesh eating
fish to those dedicated to finding one of the world's
greatest legends.
After the break%2c Animal X goes on the hunt for Bigfoot%2c
with some unexplained encounters along the way.
- Something tripped over the corner of my tent.
And sent the whole tent rocking.
- There's sounds that I've never heard before.
- Welcome back to Animal X.
Hundreds of people have claimed to have seen it.
Some even have pictures they believe offer proof
that it's out there.
The legend of Bigfoot is world famous.
We met up with those determined to show
that it's more than just a myth%2c
that Sasquatch is alive and well and living
in North America.
- For more than a century reports of a creature
half man%2c half ape living in North America's wilderness
absorbed adventurers.
But Bigfoot%2c or the Sasquatch as the Indians call it%2c
has remained elusive.
The best images that remain%2c are artists impressions.
But in a new expedition to separate fact from fiction%2c
a well equipped team of experts has recorded a series
of chilling experiences in one of the most remote
parts of the United States.
They say the animal they encountered%2c
could only have been one thing.
- And we found what we interpreted to be
Sasquatch tracks.
And other evidence cause%2c
and also visitations at night%2c having food stolen%2c
things like that.
Definitely not bear.
- Animal X obtained exclusive Hi8 video
from the teams visit to northern California
in their search for the Bigfoot in the Sisque mountains.
After two day so trekking%2c crytozoologist
Richard Greenwell%2c his son Darwin%2c
primatologist Jeffrey Meldrum
and their guide Mark Slack are deep in the rugged
Californian wilderness.
They stumble upon tracks that fit
the description of Bigfoot.
- We've got compression of the sediment
all the way back to here%2c and this rock's
been dislodged so we know that that occurred
all the way back this far.
So what we have is we've got something that
is roughly in the neighborhood of twelve inches.
- Thrown across the front end.
- The tracks are not easily distinguishable%2c
but the evidence of toes and a human shaped foot
as well as the number of prints%2c give the team reason
to rule out bears.
- There's the foot%2c there are toes visible%2c
so it's%2c that would be two coincidental
for a bear to%2c
for a bears hind foot to register.
- Repeatedly. - Repeatedly.
I'm perfectly comfortable with including
that what we've seen here are Sasquatch.
- Well your the team primatologist.
- But the group isn't just hoping
to bump into a Sasquatch.
They're aiming to get Bigfoot to come to them.
They're armed with infrared sensors%2c
cameras%2c as well as stereo equipment.
From a car stereo system%2c
recorded Bigfoot calls have broadcast
from the mountain tops.
The reclusive Sasquatch is believed to communicate
using this eerie howl.
- It's now a matter of waiting for the calls
to bring out the hairy primates.
- Within about five minutes of our getting back to camp
it was activated by something that was at least
five feet tall%2c we're not sure what.
- Jeff Meldrum is looking for clues.
Perhaps a bear standing on its hind legs%2c
or the antler of a deer has triggered the device.
- And that could have been from last night.
- Yeah.
- With no sign of Sasquatch in the area%2c
Jeff and Mark head off deeper into the remote countryside%2c
in pursuit of Bigfoot.
The evidence they uncover leaves them convinced
the Sasquatch is out there.
A series of footprints 16 inches long
attracts their attention.
Then%2c something very odd happens.
- We're sitting there talking for some time when
suddenly there was a crash behind us.
Something had been thrown.
- Had a Sasquatch been trying to
frighten the two men out of its territory%3f
During their time in the remote wilderness%2c
Richard and Mark begin to feel that they're
the ones under surveillance.
- Something tripped over the corner of my tent
and sent the whole tent rocking.
- There's sounds I've never heard before%2c
in years%2c all the years of guiding.
- At night%2c whistles and rappings
go on around their tents.
Howls can be heard in the distance.
Mark's backpack is raided and three sets
of tracks are discovered
that don't fit the description of a bear.
- So your conclusion is that it
it's Bigfoot.
- Yeah%2c well by process of elimination%2c
that's the only reasonable alternative explanation.
- After three weeks in the wilderness%2c
the hunters become the hunted at base camp as well.
Sounds outside the tents give everyone
the distinct impression that they've
been visited by a Sasquatch%2c
perhaps even more than one.
- It's sort of a sweeping sound and
what seem to be two very brisk footsteps%2c
but they were very light padded footsteps%2c
very distinct.
- The encounters take place out of the range
of night scope cameras%2c
or after team members have left the observation hide.
Yet the team members finish their mission
with the same conclusion.
- If Sasquatches don't exist%2c we've got something else.
- Bigfoot has been reported all over
the North American continent.
It's consistently described as between seven
and eight foot tall.
A massive hairy ape like animal
that walks on two feet.
It's often said to give off a repugnant odor.
In the Florida Everglades%2c Bigfoot is known as the
Skunk Ape for just that reason.
A spate of sightings has captured the public imagination.
Fire Chief Vince Doerr was driving alone a quiet stretch
of road when he spotted something unusual lumbering
across his path on two feet.
He reached for his camera and leapt out of the car.
- Hey!
- Vince Doerr captured the mysterious creature
as it disappeared into the dense bush land.
- And if you look%2c see that.
- His photograph shows an upright animal.
Could it be the elusive Skunk Ape%3f
- I've seen nearest seen anything to it would be a bear.
Ya know they're on all four.
When they move any distance%2c they go down on four.
This stayed upright%2c two legs%2c
walking with a long stride and
around six foot high there about.
- The Florida Everglades%2c
play host to an array of beautiful and menacing animals.
Many people are convinced the Skunk Ape is among them.
Six English visitors were out on a regular tour when
they encountered an animal not on the usual program.
- One of the two boys aboard the van said
Bigfoot%2c Bigfoot and the opposite side of the road
we saw this creature standing up alongside the bushes
and it looked like a huge gorilla.
- The creature appeared once again before
it disappeared into the bushes.
Perhaps the summer infestation of mosquitoes
had forced the Skunk Ape out of the bush land
and into the open.
A set of tracks near the roadside suggest it did.
- Tracks.
- Crytozoologist Richard Greenwell
was brought to Florida to investigate.
- Looks like about
almost 13%2c almost 14 inches.
- The tracks are remarkably similar
to the casts taken from another set of footprints
found in the area three months earlier.
- If this is hoaxed%2c
think this is probably hoaxed too%2c our vice versa
because they're very similar.
And if the one's authentic%2c then there's a good
chance the other one's authentic.
- The tracks proximity to the road%2c
raises the possibility that they've been faked%2c
but Richard Greenwell isn't prepared to dismiss them.
Up to the 1840s%2c gorillas were regarded as
African folklore.
It wasn't until skulls were discovered by Europeans%2c
that they were given a legitimate place in the
animal kingdom.
Will Bigfoot be next%3f
- I don't have any absolute proof%2c nobody does.
With those films%2c those footprints%2c those eye witness
reports%2c those hairs.
When you combine all of this%2c you build up a pretty strong
case%2c just like you would in a court of law.
- A possible explanation lies 300%2c000 years
back in time.
An eight foot tall primate called Gigantopithecus
is believed to have roamed what's now China.
- There was the Bering Land Bridge from Asia
to North America
up to about 11%2c000 years ago.
Which could have permitted%2c just like when Asians
crossed that land bridge to become
today's American Indians%2c
possibly a large primate came over that one%2c
and remained in the forest here.
- Many Americans have testified that
something strange certainly lives in the forests.
For them%2c the most logical explanation is Bigfoot.
- It's said there are stranger things
in heaven and Earth then we can think of.
- Their ears are like little radar screeners
to pick up sounds.
Their nostrils are large to pick up any scent.