WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.040 --> 00:00:01.600 Today, I want to tell you about a journey that 2 00:00:01.600 --> 00:00:03.879 I've been on for most of my life. Ever since 3 00:00:03.919 --> 00:00:05.799 I was a kid, I've heard tales of bigfoot and 4 00:00:05.839 --> 00:00:08.320 wild men while spending time with my friends and family. 5 00:00:09.039 --> 00:00:11.439 As I grew older and read more about the paranormal, 6 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:14.679 my interest in encryptids and other things strange only deepened. 7 00:00:15.240 --> 00:00:17.160 That's why I'm so excited to share with you what 8 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:21.640 I've personally become involved with the Untold Radio Network. The 9 00:00:21.719 --> 00:00:25.280 Untold Radio Network is a live streaming podcast network that 10 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:29.359 airs a new show every day across all podcast platforms, YouTube, 11 00:00:29.359 --> 00:00:32.119 and more. They have eight different shows on all sorts 12 00:00:32.159 --> 00:00:36.119 of exciting topics such as bigfoot, cryptids, UFOs, aliens, and 13 00:00:36.200 --> 00:00:39.479 much more. I even have my own show called Weird Encounters, 14 00:00:39.479 --> 00:00:42.439 where I talk about all things strange. This is more 15 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:45.280 than just a podcast network. It's a community that allows 16 00:00:45.320 --> 00:00:47.759 me to meet so many amazing people who share their 17 00:00:47.799 --> 00:00:51.520 stories and experiences with strange. If you're interested in hearing 18 00:00:51.520 --> 00:00:53.880 more of these stories and learning more about the paranormal 19 00:00:53.960 --> 00:00:56.679 and encryptids, make sure you check out the Untold Radio 20 00:00:56.759 --> 00:01:00.640 Network for all kinds of exciting shows. It's free to subscribe. 21 00:01:00.679 --> 00:01:04.439 So what are you waiting for Visit www dot untold 22 00:01:04.519 --> 00:01:06.560 radionetwork dot com today. 23 00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:13.359 Open up to an odyssey. Are there's something in the woods? 24 00:01:13.760 --> 00:01:17.439 Anato to you what you're about to see? 25 00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:22.239 You or something in the woods? Knock in the parking. 26 00:01:22.120 --> 00:01:24.840 Changer by the ooman said don't go outside. 27 00:01:24.959 --> 00:01:28.120 There's something in the woods tonight. I hear rim knocking, 28 00:01:28.239 --> 00:01:32.200 shaking bushits footprints howling on my lung. Open up to 29 00:01:32.319 --> 00:01:34.959 an odyssey something in the woods. 30 00:01:35.359 --> 00:01:38.280 I hope this finds you well. I've been a loyal 31 00:01:38.319 --> 00:01:40.959 listener of your show for a long time, and I 32 00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:43.280 remember the episode you did a few years back about 33 00:01:43.319 --> 00:01:46.760 the Vietnam rock apes. That's what made me realize you 34 00:01:46.840 --> 00:01:48.760 might be one of the few people out there who 35 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:51.959 would actually believe what I'm about to tell you. See, 36 00:01:52.359 --> 00:01:55.439 I was there. I fought in that damn war, and 37 00:01:55.519 --> 00:01:59.359 I saw things things they told us to forget. I've 38 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:02.079 kept this story he locked up for decades, but after 39 00:02:02.120 --> 00:02:04.680 hearing your show, I feel like it's time to finally 40 00:02:04.760 --> 00:02:07.680 let someone know the truth. Let me take you back. 41 00:02:08.039 --> 00:02:10.439 I signed up for the Army in sixty six, just 42 00:02:10.479 --> 00:02:13.039 a fresh faced eighteen year old kid from Kentucky who 43 00:02:13.039 --> 00:02:16.800 thought he knew everything we all did. Back then, the 44 00:02:16.919 --> 00:02:19.520 draft was breathing down my neck, so I figured I'd 45 00:02:19.599 --> 00:02:22.000 rather enlist on my own terms than wait for Uncle 46 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:26.639 Sam to come knocking. Basic training was a blur, hard days, 47 00:02:27.000 --> 00:02:30.360 harder nights, and drill sergeants who seemed to enjoy making 48 00:02:30.439 --> 00:02:34.800 us suffer. Then came advanced individual training, and before I 49 00:02:34.879 --> 00:02:37.400 knew it, I was shipped off to Noam in early 50 00:02:37.479 --> 00:02:41.240 sixty seven, straight into the jungle. I was assigned to 51 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:44.280 an infantry platoon, just a bunch of kids like me, 52 00:02:44.840 --> 00:02:47.960 thrown into hell with a rifle and a prayer. None 53 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:50.479 of us knew what we were really walking into, but 54 00:02:50.560 --> 00:02:53.719 we learned fast. Some didn't make it long enough to 55 00:02:53.800 --> 00:02:57.360 learn at all. Most guys did one tour, maybe two 56 00:02:57.680 --> 00:03:01.840 if they were unlucky. I did three. That jungle became 57 00:03:01.919 --> 00:03:05.719 my whole damned world. I saw things that still haunt me. 58 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:10.080 Firefights that turned my friends into unrecognizable lumps of meat, 59 00:03:10.439 --> 00:03:13.840 booby traps that took legs, arms, and lives. In an instant, 60 00:03:14.599 --> 00:03:17.479 I learned to keep my head down, keep my rifle ready, 61 00:03:17.840 --> 00:03:21.560 and never ever trust the jungle. But the scariest thing 62 00:03:21.599 --> 00:03:24.840 in that war wasn't Charlie. It wasn't the land mines 63 00:03:24.960 --> 00:03:28.800 or even the snipers. It was something else, something that 64 00:03:28.879 --> 00:03:32.479 wasn't supposed to exist. The older guys in my unit 65 00:03:32.560 --> 00:03:36.560 talked about them first, Harry Bastard's, they said, walked on 66 00:03:36.599 --> 00:03:40.039 two legs, about five or six feet tall, broad shouldered, 67 00:03:40.039 --> 00:03:42.879 and mean as hell. They weren't like the little gibbons 68 00:03:42.919 --> 00:03:46.319 or monkeys you'd see in the trees. No, these things 69 00:03:46.319 --> 00:03:49.560 were built like linebackers, and they didn't like us being there. 70 00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:53.879 They called them rock apes, and the name fit. Those 71 00:03:53.919 --> 00:03:56.639 creatures had a nasty habit of hurling rocks the size 72 00:03:56.639 --> 00:03:59.800 of your fist into our camps at night, sometimes bigger. 73 00:04:00.599 --> 00:04:04.039 It wasn't playful either. It was meant to hurt, meant 74 00:04:04.039 --> 00:04:08.879 to drive us out. And the screams, Jesus, the screams, 75 00:04:09.680 --> 00:04:12.680 deep guttural howls that made your hair stand on end. 76 00:04:13.560 --> 00:04:16.040 We'd hear them just beyond the tree line, like they 77 00:04:16.040 --> 00:04:19.720 were warning us, or maybe just toying with us. The 78 00:04:19.800 --> 00:04:23.800 jungle is never quiet at night. It's a symphony of insects, 79 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:27.800 birds and whatever else is out there. But sometimes everything 80 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:33.959 would just stop. No birds, no crickets, just dead silence. 81 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:38.079 That's when we knew we weren't alone. Then the noises 82 00:04:38.120 --> 00:04:43.959 would start, strange whoops, almost human, but not quite. Other 83 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:47.959 times we'd hear eerie owl hoots that sounded off too deep, 84 00:04:48.360 --> 00:04:51.839 too deliberate, like something was mimicking a real owl but 85 00:04:51.920 --> 00:04:55.439 getting it wrong. There were loud, shrill whistles that would 86 00:04:55.439 --> 00:04:58.319 bounce between the trees, as if they were signaling to 87 00:04:58.360 --> 00:05:02.879 one another. There were the howls, low drawn out moans 88 00:05:02.920 --> 00:05:05.720 that would start soft and build into something so loud 89 00:05:05.759 --> 00:05:09.480 and primal you could feel it in your chest. One night, 90 00:05:09.720 --> 00:05:12.480 we were camped in thick brush, the kind of place 91 00:05:12.519 --> 00:05:15.639 you didn't want to be after dark. I remember hearing 92 00:05:15.639 --> 00:05:19.519 a whisper. It sounded like my name, floating through the air, 93 00:05:19.600 --> 00:05:23.720 like a cold breeze. My blood turned to ice. I 94 00:05:23.720 --> 00:05:26.199 wanted to believe it was one of the guys messing around, 95 00:05:26.720 --> 00:05:28.680 but the look in their eyes told me they heard 96 00:05:28.680 --> 00:05:32.800 it too. The rocks would come next, sailing through the trees, 97 00:05:33.160 --> 00:05:37.160 smashing into equipment, sometimes hitting guys hard enough to leave bruises. 98 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:41.319 We'd fire warning shots, but they didn't care. They'd just 99 00:05:41.360 --> 00:05:44.480 screamed back at us. This horrible mix of a gorilla's 100 00:05:44.560 --> 00:05:48.000 roar and a man screaming in rage. That's what really 101 00:05:48.040 --> 00:05:51.720 got to me. It wasn't just animalistic, it was angry, 102 00:05:52.240 --> 00:05:56.040 almost vengeful. It was laid into my third and final tour. 103 00:05:56.439 --> 00:05:59.920 Sometime in sixty nine. We were on a recon mission 104 00:06:00.040 --> 00:06:03.079 deep in the jungle, a small group of us, maybe 105 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:06.720 eight guys plus our squad leader. We had set up 106 00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:10.480 a temporary night position in thick vegetation, hoping to avoid 107 00:06:10.639 --> 00:06:15.000 enemy patrols. Just after midnight, the first rock came flying 108 00:06:15.040 --> 00:06:19.519 out of the darkness, then another, then a barrage. We 109 00:06:19.560 --> 00:06:22.040 thought it was the VC at first, but the way 110 00:06:22.079 --> 00:06:25.920 the rocks came from multiple angles didn't sit right. The 111 00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:31.040 jungle was alive, with noises, low grunts, whoops, and strange 112 00:06:31.120 --> 00:06:35.720 chattering that sounded almost like a language. Then the screaming started. 113 00:06:36.319 --> 00:06:39.360 They came in fast, at least a dozen of them, 114 00:06:39.600 --> 00:06:44.040 their eyes reflecting the moonlight like burning coals, huge hulking 115 00:06:44.079 --> 00:06:47.480 figures at least six feet tall, their thick hair matted 116 00:06:47.480 --> 00:06:51.680 with dirt and sweat. Their screams weren't just loud, they 117 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:55.680 were deep, guttural, full of fury. They were hunting us. 118 00:06:56.519 --> 00:06:59.600 We opened fire bullets, ripped through the jungle, and I 119 00:06:59.600 --> 00:07:02.800 saw it. At least three of them drop, their massive bodies, 120 00:07:02.879 --> 00:07:05.800 hitting the ground hard, but it didn't slow them down. 121 00:07:06.399 --> 00:07:09.920 They kept coming, throwing more rocks, charging at us through 122 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:13.079 the undergrowth. One of them slammed into a big guy 123 00:07:13.120 --> 00:07:16.800 from Chicago and threw him like a rag doll. Before 124 00:07:16.839 --> 00:07:19.800 I could react, another rock the size of a basketball 125 00:07:19.879 --> 00:07:22.279 hit him in the head. He was dead before he 126 00:07:22.360 --> 00:07:25.360 hit the ground. Then they grabbed another guy just a 127 00:07:25.360 --> 00:07:28.639 few feet to my left. One second he was next 128 00:07:28.639 --> 00:07:32.800 to me, firing his M sixteen into the trees. The next, 129 00:07:33.120 --> 00:07:36.519 a massive, hairy arm shot out, pulled him off his feet, 130 00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:39.959 and yanked him screaming into the darkness. We never saw 131 00:07:40.040 --> 00:07:43.600 him again. The rest of us ran like hell, dragging 132 00:07:43.600 --> 00:07:47.839 the wounded with us. We fired blindly behind us, retreating 133 00:07:47.879 --> 00:07:50.000 through thick brush until we found a ridge where we 134 00:07:50.040 --> 00:07:53.879 could hold our ground. When the sun finally rose, the 135 00:07:53.959 --> 00:07:56.800 jungle was still except for the bodies of three of 136 00:07:56.800 --> 00:08:00.279 those things lying in the clearing below, But two men 137 00:08:00.319 --> 00:08:03.560 they had dragged into the jungle were gone. When we 138 00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:06.680 got back to base, our CEO gave us the same speech, 139 00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:10.519 keep our mouths shut. The two men from our platoon 140 00:08:10.560 --> 00:08:15.720 were officially listed as Kia bodies. Unrecovered, the bodies of 141 00:08:15.759 --> 00:08:19.759 the creatures hauled off on a separate chopper. Like everything 142 00:08:19.759 --> 00:08:23.240 else in that war, the truth got buried. After I 143 00:08:23.279 --> 00:08:25.079 got out of the military, I tried to push it 144 00:08:25.120 --> 00:08:29.439 all down. The war, the horrors, the things I saw. 145 00:08:30.199 --> 00:08:32.360 I suffered from nightmares and spent a lot of time 146 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:36.360 alone battling demons I didn't have words for. Then I 147 00:08:36.399 --> 00:08:39.840 found deer honey. Being out in the woods, rifle in hand. 148 00:08:40.360 --> 00:08:44.759 It gave me peace, the quiet, the patience, the tracking. 149 00:08:45.480 --> 00:08:49.000 It was something I could control. I spent years out there, 150 00:08:49.320 --> 00:08:52.200 breathing in the fresh air, watching the sun rise over 151 00:08:52.240 --> 00:08:55.799 the trees, feeling like maybe I could put Vietnam behind me, 152 00:08:56.519 --> 00:08:58.000 and for a long time I did. 153 00:08:58.759 --> 00:08:58.960 Sure. 154 00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:01.799 I'd seen the Patterson get Imlin film, I watched In 155 00:09:01.840 --> 00:09:04.679 Search of and even The Six Million Dollar Man with 156 00:09:04.759 --> 00:09:08.399 that damn Sasquatch episode. I knew Bigfoot was a thing 157 00:09:08.440 --> 00:09:11.120 in the States, but it never really meant much to me. 158 00:09:12.000 --> 00:09:14.600 Even after everything in Vietnam, I didn't give it a 159 00:09:14.639 --> 00:09:17.639 second thought. That part of my life was locked away 160 00:09:18.080 --> 00:09:20.039 and I was just a hunter enjoying my time in 161 00:09:20.080 --> 00:09:24.679 the woods. Then one morning, everything changed. I was in 162 00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:29.279 my deer stand, rifle across my lap, waiting. The forest 163 00:09:29.320 --> 00:09:34.039 was quiet, peaceful. Then I heard it, a deep wood knock, 164 00:09:34.480 --> 00:09:38.840 followed by another. Then came the howls, louder than anything 165 00:09:38.879 --> 00:09:42.639 I had ever heard, deeper than a wolf's raw, and primal. 166 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:46.399 Then the whistles, bouncing between the trees like something was 167 00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:51.039 closing in. And then it stepped out. Twenty five yards away. 168 00:09:51.120 --> 00:09:55.279 This massive creature emerged from the trees, dark, shaggy hair, 169 00:09:55.720 --> 00:09:59.240 easily over seven feet tall, muscles rippling under its hair. 170 00:10:00.039 --> 00:10:03.000 Its eyes locked onto mine, and I felt like prey. 171 00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:06.759 Then it bared its teeth and let out a scream, 172 00:10:07.120 --> 00:10:10.080 a mix of a lion's roar and a guttural, rage 173 00:10:10.080 --> 00:10:14.080 filled howl that made my insides turn cold. I gripped 174 00:10:14.080 --> 00:10:17.679 my rifle, but I didn't shoot. Maybe it was instinct, 175 00:10:18.200 --> 00:10:21.039 maybe it was fear, but something in me knew that 176 00:10:21.080 --> 00:10:24.159 pulling the trigger wouldn't end well. And just like that, 177 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:28.360 it turned and disappeared into the thick woods. I climbed 178 00:10:28.399 --> 00:10:30.519 down from that deer stand and walked straight back to 179 00:10:30.600 --> 00:10:34.360 my truck. I haven't hunted since people need to know 180 00:10:35.080 --> 00:10:38.440 These things are real, they are dangerous, and if the 181 00:10:38.440 --> 00:10:41.159 government doesn't want us to know about them, that means 182 00:10:41.159 --> 00:10:46.320 they're even worse than we think. Sincerely, Roger M. Former 183 00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:51.799 US Army Infantry Vietnam veteran. Roger's story shook me. It 184 00:10:51.879 --> 00:10:56.000 wasn't just the details, those eerie whistles, the guttural screams, 185 00:10:56.360 --> 00:10:58.919 the sense of being watched. It was the way he 186 00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:02.559 told it. This wasn't some campfire tale or a hunter 187 00:11:02.679 --> 00:11:05.799 mistaking a bear for something bigger. He wrote with the 188 00:11:05.840 --> 00:11:08.360 weight of a man who had carried this truth for decades, 189 00:11:08.919 --> 00:11:12.440 a truth too strange to share until now. But as 190 00:11:12.440 --> 00:11:16.639 I started digging deeper, I realized that Roger's experience wasn't unique. 191 00:11:17.279 --> 00:11:20.799 In fact, his story was just one of many. The 192 00:11:20.919 --> 00:11:23.759 rock apes of Vietnam weren't just the stuff of American 193 00:11:23.799 --> 00:11:29.080 war stories. Vietnamese soldiers, both Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army 194 00:11:29.080 --> 00:11:34.480 troops reported similar encounters in the dense jungles, where battles raged. 195 00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:38.159 Both sides spoke in hushed tones about the Hungoy Rung 196 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:43.120 or forest people, humanoid creatures covered in thick hair, known 197 00:11:43.159 --> 00:11:46.840 for their aggression and their strange, almost human like intelligence. 198 00:11:47.759 --> 00:11:50.840 There were even accounts from Vietnamese troops who had firefights 199 00:11:50.879 --> 00:11:54.840 with these creatures, believing them to be some unknown enemy force. 200 00:11:55.679 --> 00:12:00.679 Soldiers on both sides described the same unnerving behavior, rock throwing, 201 00:12:01.039 --> 00:12:05.440 deep vocalizations, and an uncanny ability to blend into the jungle. 202 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:09.480 Some Vietnamese reports even suggested that the rock apes weren't 203 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:14.799 just avoiding humans, but actively defending their territory. So was 204 00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:19.559 Roger's experience a one off encounter. Absolutely not. What I 205 00:12:19.639 --> 00:12:22.399 found made it clear something was out there in the 206 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:25.960 jungles of Vietnam, and for those who fought in that war, 207 00:12:26.360 --> 00:12:28.600 the rock apes were as real as the enemy with 208 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:32.600 a rifle in the next valley over. During the Vietnam War, 209 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:36.799 amidst the horrors of jungle warfare, American and South Vietnamese 210 00:12:36.840 --> 00:12:41.960 troops reported a bizarre and unsettling phenomenon encounters with large 211 00:12:42.000 --> 00:12:45.519 bipedal primates that came to be known as the rock Apes. 212 00:12:46.440 --> 00:12:49.679 These mysterious creatures were said to inhabit the dense mountainous 213 00:12:49.679 --> 00:12:54.279 regions of Vietnam, particularly in the Anamite Mountains which stretch 214 00:12:54.279 --> 00:12:58.600 along the Laos Vietnam border, described as standing anywhere from 215 00:12:58.639 --> 00:13:02.120 five to six feet tall, covered in thick, reddish brown fur, 216 00:13:02.559 --> 00:13:05.360 and weighing upwards of two hundred to three hundred pounds, 217 00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:10.639 These creatures allegedly displayed human like intelligence and unsettling aggression 218 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:14.519 traits that set them apart from any known primate species 219 00:13:14.519 --> 00:13:17.639 in the region. Some soldiers claimed to have seen them 220 00:13:17.639 --> 00:13:23.519 moving and coordinated groups, communicating with a series of guttural sounds, hoots, 221 00:13:23.559 --> 00:13:28.559 and low growls. Those skeptics have dismissed these sightings as hallucinations, 222 00:13:28.919 --> 00:13:32.679 misidentified animals, or the product of war and duce stress. 223 00:13:33.200 --> 00:13:35.960 The sheer number of reports from both American and North 224 00:13:36.080 --> 00:13:39.679 Vietnamese forces has cemented the legend of the rock apes 225 00:13:39.960 --> 00:13:43.799 in military folklore. One of the most famous encounters occurred 226 00:13:43.799 --> 00:13:47.080 in nineteen sixty six on Hill eight six eight, a 227 00:13:47.159 --> 00:13:51.120 remote rugged outpost near Da Noong. A squad of U. 228 00:13:51.120 --> 00:13:53.759 S Marines had set up a temporary position when they 229 00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:57.720 began hearing strange, animalistic sounds echoing from the dense jungle 230 00:13:57.759 --> 00:14:01.200 surrounding them. At first, they assumed the noises were coming 231 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:05.480 from Vietcong fighters or local wildlife, but as night fell, 232 00:14:05.759 --> 00:14:09.480 their assumptions were shattered. Emerging from the shadows of the 233 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:12.679 tree line, a group of large upright figures began pelting 234 00:14:12.720 --> 00:14:16.960 their position with stones. The Marines, believing they were under attack, 235 00:14:17.360 --> 00:14:21.480 opened fire with their M sixteen rifles, M sixty machine guns, 236 00:14:21.759 --> 00:14:25.600 and even lobbed grenades into the jungle. The creatures, however, 237 00:14:25.679 --> 00:14:29.960 seemed impervious to the gunfire, retreating momentarily, only to return 238 00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:34.000 and resume their assault. The firefight lasted for what felt 239 00:14:34.039 --> 00:14:38.159 like hours, and when dawn finally broke, the Marines cautiously 240 00:14:38.200 --> 00:14:42.200 advanced into the jungle, expecting to find bodies or blood trails. 241 00:14:42.919 --> 00:14:47.360 To their astonishment, there were none. The jungle was eerily silent, 242 00:14:47.399 --> 00:14:50.799 and aside from the scattered debris of their makeshift outpost, 243 00:14:50.840 --> 00:14:53.240 there was no evidence that anything had been there at all. 244 00:14:54.200 --> 00:14:58.679 Similar reports emerged from other regions, particularly in the Central Highlands, 245 00:14:58.960 --> 00:15:02.960 where Special Forces units operating deep in enemy territory, claimed 246 00:15:02.960 --> 00:15:05.799 to have seen large ape like figures watching them from 247 00:15:05.799 --> 00:15:10.279 the tree tops and stay tuned for more sasquatch otta see, 248 00:15:10.279 --> 00:15:16.960 We'll be right back. After these messages, some green Berets, 249 00:15:17.000 --> 00:15:20.200 accustomed to the jungle and its wildlife, swore that these 250 00:15:20.240 --> 00:15:24.519 creatures were unlike anything they had ever encountered. Pilots flying 251 00:15:24.600 --> 00:15:28.200 over the region reported seeing tall, bipedal figures darting between 252 00:15:28.200 --> 00:15:31.360 the trees, and even the North Vietnamese Army and Viet 253 00:15:31.399 --> 00:15:35.639 Cong soldiers had their own stories. Some believed the creatures 254 00:15:35.679 --> 00:15:39.120 to be forest spirits, ancient beings that had long lived 255 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:42.360 undisturbed in the depths of the jungle, while others regarded 256 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:46.519 them as omens of misfortune. A few captured Viet Cong prisoners, 257 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:49.679 when questioned, admitted that their own forces had seen the 258 00:15:49.720 --> 00:15:54.399 creatures and even engaged them in battle, sometimes suffering casualties 259 00:15:54.440 --> 00:15:57.320 when their bullets seemingly had little effect on the beasts. 260 00:15:58.440 --> 00:16:02.200 As stories of the rock apes, military intelligence attempted to 261 00:16:02.240 --> 00:16:06.279 explain the sightings through conventional means. Some suggested that the 262 00:16:06.279 --> 00:16:11.320 creatures were simply misidentified primates. Vietnam is home to several 263 00:16:11.399 --> 00:16:15.200 species of monkeys and gibbons, including the Tonkin snub nosed 264 00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:18.679 monkey and the northern white cheeked gibbon, both of which 265 00:16:18.720 --> 00:16:23.639 can stand upright momentarily. However, these animals are much smaller 266 00:16:23.679 --> 00:16:27.799 than the reported creatures, typically weighing no more than thirty pounds, 267 00:16:28.120 --> 00:16:31.360 and their behavior does not match the reported aggression of 268 00:16:31.399 --> 00:16:35.440 the rock apes. Furthermore, soldiers with extensive experience in the 269 00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:39.919 jungle dismissed these explanations outright, insisting that they knew the 270 00:16:39.919 --> 00:16:43.679 difference between a monkey and what they had encountered. A 271 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:47.720 more controversial theory among cryptozoologists suggests that the rock apes 272 00:16:47.759 --> 00:16:50.960 may be a relic population of an unknown species of 273 00:16:51.000 --> 00:16:57.080 prehistoric primate, possibly related to Gigantopithecus Blackie, an extinct ape 274 00:16:57.120 --> 00:16:59.480 that once roamed Asia and is thought to have stood 275 00:16:59.519 --> 00:17:03.519 over nine feet tall. Others proposed that these creatures could 276 00:17:03.559 --> 00:17:07.240 be a surviving branch of an early hominine species such 277 00:17:07.240 --> 00:17:10.599 as Homo erectus, that had managed to persist in the 278 00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:15.920 remote jungles of Southeast Asia undetected by modern science. While 279 00:17:16.000 --> 00:17:19.960 no physical evidence such as bodies, bones, or DNA has 280 00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:23.799 ever been recovered, proponents of this theory argue that the dense, 281 00:17:23.880 --> 00:17:28.000 unexplored forests of Vietnam could easily conceal a small population 282 00:17:28.079 --> 00:17:33.480 of such creatures. Skeptics, however, offer a different explanation. The 283 00:17:33.599 --> 00:17:38.880 Vietnam War was an intense, psychologically grueling conflict. Soldiers were 284 00:17:38.880 --> 00:17:43.519 subjected to extreme stress, sleep deprivation, and environmental factors that 285 00:17:43.559 --> 00:17:48.079 could have influenced their perceptions. Some researchers suggest that encounters 286 00:17:48.119 --> 00:17:50.400 with the rock Apes may have been the result of 287 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:57.559 war induced paranoia, exhaustion, or even exposure to hallucinogenic jungle plants. However, 288 00:17:57.839 --> 00:18:01.079 this explanation is weakened by the consistent of the reports, 289 00:18:01.680 --> 00:18:05.240 the fact that encounters were recorded across multiple military units 290 00:18:05.519 --> 00:18:09.680 and even among opposing forces, and the detailed physical descriptions 291 00:18:09.720 --> 00:18:13.640 that aligned with one another, despite the witnesses never having communicated. 292 00:18:14.519 --> 00:18:16.720 The legend of the rock Apes is not confined to 293 00:18:16.759 --> 00:18:21.079 wartime encounters. Long before American forces set foot in Vietnam, 294 00:18:21.559 --> 00:18:25.640 local folklore spoke of the Bachtutut, a race of wild, 295 00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:29.559 hairy people who lived deep in the forests. The Montagnard 296 00:18:29.640 --> 00:18:33.079 tribes of Vietnam and Laos, who have inhabited these regions 297 00:18:33.079 --> 00:18:37.519 for centuries, have stories passed down through generations describing large 298 00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:42.480 human like primates that were both feared and respected. These beings, 299 00:18:42.559 --> 00:18:45.960 according to the locals, would occasionally emerge from the jungle, 300 00:18:46.400 --> 00:18:49.119 either to steal food or in some cases, to attack 301 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:54.200 intruders who ventured too close to their territory. Some anthropologists 302 00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:57.160 believe that the Bachtutut legends may have been based on 303 00:18:57.240 --> 00:19:00.480 encounters with a now extinct species of primate or a 304 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:06.240 surviving but highly elusive population of an unknown hominoid. Despite 305 00:19:06.240 --> 00:19:08.799 the lack of physical evidence, the rock apes continued to 306 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:12.920 be a subject of intrigue. Cryptozoologists have included them in 307 00:19:12.920 --> 00:19:16.920 studies of mystery primates, with researchers such as Lauren Coleman 308 00:19:17.039 --> 00:19:23.599 documenting wartime accounts in his investigations into Undiscovered Species. Craig PJ. Jorgensen, 309 00:19:23.880 --> 00:19:27.119 a Vietnam veteran and former Green Beret, wrote about rock 310 00:19:27.200 --> 00:19:31.720 ape encounters in his book Very Crazy, gi Strange but 311 00:19:31.799 --> 00:19:37.079 True Stories of the Vietnam War. While mainstream science remained skeptical, 312 00:19:37.359 --> 00:19:41.079 the number of reports, combined with the detailed consistency of descriptions, 313 00:19:41.480 --> 00:19:44.599 suggests that something unusual may indeed have been lurking in 314 00:19:44.640 --> 00:19:48.519 the jungles of Vietnam during the war. The Vietnam War 315 00:19:48.799 --> 00:19:51.799 ended in nineteen seventy five, and with it the bulk 316 00:19:51.880 --> 00:19:56.319 of first hand rock ape reports faded into history. However, 317 00:19:56.400 --> 00:20:00.279 the jungles of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia remained and some 318 00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:04.079 of the most unexplored wildernesses on Earth, with new species 319 00:20:04.079 --> 00:20:07.759 still being discovered every year. Whether the rock apes were 320 00:20:07.799 --> 00:20:12.400 simply a case of wartime paranoia, an undiscovered primate, or 321 00:20:12.440 --> 00:20:17.640 something far more extraordinary, they're legend endures. Perhaps hidden deep 322 00:20:17.640 --> 00:20:20.599 in the dense foliage, beyond the reach of modern civilization. 323 00:20:21.119 --> 00:20:25.240 Something still waits watching, just as it did during the war, 324 00:20:25.960 --> 00:20:29.559 an unseen presence lurking in the shadowed canopy of the jungle, 325 00:20:30.039 --> 00:20:34.920 waiting to be discovered. The legends of elusive mysterious creatures 326 00:20:34.960 --> 00:20:38.480 are not confined to the jungles of Vietnam. In the 327 00:20:38.519 --> 00:20:42.039 northeastern state of Manopoor, a similar enigma has gripped the 328 00:20:42.079 --> 00:20:46.799 public consciousness. A series of unexplained animal attacks and sightings 329 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:51.599 of an unusual creature have fueled speculation and fear. Despite 330 00:20:51.640 --> 00:20:56.559 extensive manual searches conducted by authorities, the mystery persists, compelling 331 00:20:56.640 --> 00:21:00.279 the government to employ CCTV surveillance in an attempt to 332 00:21:00.319 --> 00:21:04.920 capture definitive evidence of the elusive being. Attacks on small 333 00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:08.319 livestocks such as ducks can often be attributed to known 334 00:21:08.359 --> 00:21:13.839 predators like wolves, foxes, dogs, bears, or the cagenglong or 335 00:21:14.119 --> 00:21:19.480 wild leopard cats. However, the descriptions provided by eyewitnesses suggest 336 00:21:19.559 --> 00:21:23.279 something far more perplexing. The features reported by those who 337 00:21:23.319 --> 00:21:26.000 have encountered the creature, often at night or in the 338 00:21:26.000 --> 00:21:29.279 dim light of foggy winter mornings, do not align with 339 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:32.720 any of these known animals. Adding to the mystery are 340 00:21:32.759 --> 00:21:37.799 reports of attacks on humans, albeit not life threatening. Victims, 341 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:40.920 primarily women and even a dog, have been left with 342 00:21:41.000 --> 00:21:45.599 deep scratch marks indicative of sharp claws. The animal has 343 00:21:45.640 --> 00:21:48.960 also left claw marks on walls and tree barks, as 344 00:21:49.000 --> 00:21:52.920 seen in video footage circulating on social media, along with 345 00:21:52.960 --> 00:21:57.880 footprints in various locations. Eyewitnesses describe the creature as having 346 00:21:57.920 --> 00:22:01.359 a monkey like face, moving on four legs, yet capable 347 00:22:01.359 --> 00:22:05.559 of standing upright like a biped. Its eyes shine intensely, 348 00:22:05.960 --> 00:22:09.720 resembling led torch lights, and it has prominent ears and 349 00:22:09.839 --> 00:22:13.880 sharp canine teeth. The creature's claws are long and sharp, 350 00:22:14.200 --> 00:22:17.880 and it possesses a visible tail. Reports suggest it can 351 00:22:17.960 --> 00:22:22.400 leap extraordinarily high and far, almost appearing to fly when pursued. 352 00:22:23.279 --> 00:22:27.599 Its intelligence is remarkable, displaying in acute awareness of its surroundings. 353 00:22:28.160 --> 00:22:31.039 Some accounts even claim it can deflect bullets and evade 354 00:22:31.079 --> 00:22:35.759 weapons with uncanny agility. The question remains what is this 355 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:39.799 bizarre and elusive creature? Given its peculiar traits, it is 356 00:22:39.880 --> 00:22:44.119 clear that conventional explanations such as a fox dog or 357 00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:48.119 even a large wildcat fail to fit the description. Could 358 00:22:48.160 --> 00:22:52.640 this be something entirely beyond our current understanding? Two intriguing 359 00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:57.640 possibilities emerge, the monkeyoid and the mutant monkey. A monkey 360 00:22:57.640 --> 00:23:01.079 ooid is a robot designed to resemble a monkey. With 361 00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:06.000 advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence, humanoid robots are becoming 362 00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:11.720 increasingly common, developed for strategic applications by technologically advanced nations. 363 00:23:12.480 --> 00:23:15.079 A monkey ooid could be an intelligent machine equipped with 364 00:23:15.119 --> 00:23:21.160 an array of sensors, including proprioceptive, proximity, range vision cameras 365 00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:24.640 and light oar radar systems. It could be fitted with 366 00:23:24.720 --> 00:23:28.440 mechanical claws capable of leaving scratch marks on walls and trees, 367 00:23:28.799 --> 00:23:32.039 and spring loaded feet, enabling it to perform high and 368 00:23:32.119 --> 00:23:36.920 long jumps, creating the illusion of flight. Additionally, a monkey 369 00:23:36.960 --> 00:23:40.599 ooid constructed with a dense metallic mesh could be impervious 370 00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:44.839 to bullets by dissipating their energy upon impact. This theory 371 00:23:44.880 --> 00:23:47.839 bears an eerie resemblance to the infamous monkey Man of 372 00:23:47.880 --> 00:23:51.160 Delhi from two thousand and one who instilled panic and 373 00:23:51.200 --> 00:23:55.960 allegedly scratched victims. Could the current situation in Manipur be 374 00:23:56.000 --> 00:24:00.000 a more advanced version of the same phenomenon. The mutant 375 00:24:00.119 --> 00:24:03.359 monkey hypothesis suggests that this creature may be a genetically 376 00:24:03.400 --> 00:24:08.200 modified primate, such as a macaque. Reports indicate that advanced 377 00:24:08.279 --> 00:24:13.279 laboratories worldwide have conducted genetic engineering experiments on primates, with 378 00:24:13.359 --> 00:24:18.319 some results publicly available. A monkey faced creature exhibiting unusual 379 00:24:18.359 --> 00:24:22.400 physical characteristics and enhanced intelligence could be a product of 380 00:24:22.400 --> 00:24:27.799 such bioengineering. While mass hysteria can often amplify such mysteries, 381 00:24:28.200 --> 00:24:32.720 it is crucial to approach the situation scientifically. The deployment 382 00:24:32.759 --> 00:24:37.680 of night vision CCTV cameras coupled with infrared thermographic mapping 383 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:42.440 could provide critical data. Since all objects above absolute zero 384 00:24:42.599 --> 00:24:46.880 emit infrared radiation, a creature's body temperature distribution can be 385 00:24:46.920 --> 00:24:51.759 analyzed and compared to known species, including robotic constructs like 386 00:24:51.799 --> 00:24:56.119 a monkeyoid. Only through a methodical scientific approach can we 387 00:24:56.160 --> 00:25:00.839 hope to uncover the truth behind this enigmatic being. Until then, 388 00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:04.839 the mystery continues to unfold, leaving the people of Manipur 389 00:25:04.960 --> 00:25:08.559 in a state of suspense and intrigue. We now turn 390 00:25:08.599 --> 00:25:12.480 our attention to India, a land of dense forests, ancient 391 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:16.880 legends and mysteries that stretch back through time across the world. 392 00:25:16.960 --> 00:25:21.759 Stories of an elusive apelike creature persist in the United States. 393 00:25:21.759 --> 00:25:27.039 It is called Bigfoot in Canada, Sasquatch in Brazil, Mapinguari 394 00:25:27.559 --> 00:25:33.559 in Australia, Yawi in Indonesia, Sajurangjiji, and perhaps most famously 395 00:25:33.599 --> 00:25:37.680 of all, in Nepal, the legendary Yeti. But few have 396 00:25:37.759 --> 00:25:40.880 heard of India's own version of this creature, the Man 397 00:25:40.960 --> 00:25:44.839 de Barum or forest man, said to inhabit the remote 398 00:25:44.839 --> 00:25:49.680 West Garo Hills of Megalaya in the country's northeast. My 399 00:25:49.759 --> 00:25:53.359 journey into this mystery began with an invitation from deep Umak, 400 00:25:54.000 --> 00:25:57.200 a passionate believer in the Yeti's existence, who took me 401 00:25:57.319 --> 00:26:01.359