Chinese Coverup Silences Bigfoot Hunters

[CorpCommander]

(a great intro for a Pulp Adventure if there ever was one - note, not the original headline)

 

SHANGHAI, China (AP) - China has temporarily closed parts of a nature reserve that attracts scores of people each year hunting for evidence of an ape-like Bigfoot creature, a park official said Tuesday.

 

Sections of Shennongjia Nature Reserve will remain closed for at least three months to allow its natural attractions to recover from the wear and tear of visitors, said Wang Yong, an official from the park's tourism bureau.

 

"During this period, we are going to do some research on how to improve the attraction of Shennongjia," said Wang. Proposals included a possible airport in the area to facilitate tourist arrivals.

 

Located deep in the remote mountains of Hubei province, the park has long been rumoured as the home to the elusive creature known in Chinese as the "Yeren," or "Wild man."

 

Scientists say there is no scientific evidence the creature exists, but scores of people claim to have seen it roaming the park, about 1,200 kilometres southwest of Beijing.

 

Sightings of a similar yeti-like creature have been reported in Tibet, though its existence hasn't been proven either.

 

China's government has previously urged tourist agencies to cut down on creature-hunting safaris in Shennongjia, saying they were misleading and could harm the environment.

 

However, the park itself has sought to lure tourists with a 500,000 yuan, about $60,000 US, reward for the Yeren's capture.