Bilk - no 021 - 1988 03

Magazine Overview

BILK 21, dated March 1988, is a publication that appears six times per year, with a subscription cost of 15 German Marks for one year. The address for subscriptions is Ulrich Magin, Stuhlbruderhofstr. 4, 6704 Mutterstadt, WEST GERMANY. The issue notes that BILK 22 (May 1988) will be delayed due to various reasons.

The issue opens with a poetic quote from T.S. Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" about mermaids singing.

BEHEMOTH:

Loch Ness

The Loch Ness fish farm and sonar expeditions were discussed in The Times. Nessletter 85 reported the death of Tim Dinsdale, a Nessie pioneer, and the positive identification of the 1975 "head" picture as an object on the lake bottom. Andreas Trottmann shared two Nessie sightings he collected in May 1984. One sighting on November 24, 1982, involved a young farmer and hunter near Fort Augustus who saw a "headneck" creature, approximately 2.4-2.7m high, with no visible features, which vanished when he approached the shore. The second sighting, from the early 1980s, by a shy woman, reported two humps near Cobb Cairn on a calm lake.

China

Following the Chinese Year of the Dragon, an article in China Reconstructs (Feb 1988) by Wei Tang discusses dragons in Chinese folklore. It notes that sometime before Liu Xiu (25–56 AD), a "yellow dragon" was observed in a river. A connection is made to a newspaper story about tourism in China, stating that China was converting lakes in its Urunqi province into tourist resorts, the same area where monsters were discovered.

New Zealand

An article in BBC Wildlife (Jan 1988) by Michel Raynal reports the discovery of a new species of giant gecko (62 cm/2 ft) in the files of the Natural History Museum in Paris. Maori legends of giant lizards are mentioned as a possible basis for these creatures, highlighting that Cryptozoology deals with both mythical and undiscovered animals.

Odds and Ends

Fortean Tomes has published Michel Meurger's book "Lake Monster Traditions." Der Spiegel reported on Hagenbeck's Cameroon expeditions in search of living dinosaurs. The Tianchi dragon in China is also mentioned, referencing Pursuit 78. A Washington/USA lake monster, identified as a sturgeon, is noted in Tauchen magazine, which also features an article by the author on European lake monsters.

ISIS:

California

Another aquatic Bigfoot? In April 1986, three loggers reported seeing a 1oft "hairy animal walking on its hind legs" near the California/Nevada border, which disappeared towards Prosser Lake.

François de Sarre

François de Sarre advocates the theory that all primates, and possibly all animals, evolved from a "homunculus," a kind of water-dwelling early hominid. He is seeking comments and material from BILK readers.

Sebastian Münster

In December 1987, it would have been Sebastian Münster's 500th birthday. His writings include descriptions of unicorns and mermaids, as reported by Rheinpfalz.

LEVIATHAN:

Thai fishermen

Thai fishermen caught a 6.2m long shark, weighing 1000 kilos, in Southern Thai waters. It was described as a "frog-head shark."

Marine Turtle

An article by the author on a giant marine turtle in the North Atlantic Ocean is referenced (Pursuit 78).

USO:

Sweden

Reports on "Russian subs" in Swedish waters are discussed, with the Commander-in-chief of the Swedish armed forces publishing a report on territory violations by "alien subs" in the summer of 1987, indicating they were likely Soviet. Over 30 cases of unidentified subs were reported, leading to fruitless searches.

Australia

Following an encounter in the Australian desert, a UFO was observed over the sea off Ceduna, South Australia. A "ghostship" regularly seen off the Great Barrier Reef is also mentioned.

MARINE LIFE:

Whales

Rajiv Gandhi rescued a stranded whale at Bangaram Islet. Dolphins reportedly saved yachtsmen capsized off East London, South Africa. In Massachusetts, several whales stranded, including humpbacks, with only one dead out of a total of five in two days.

Attacks

A shark attack occurred off Durban, South Africa. A killer crocodile attacked a pregnant woman near Malindi, Kenya.

Coelacanths

Coelacanths were filmed by a German expedition, as reported by Science & Vie and ZDF.

Out-of-place

A rain of pink frogs was reported in Cirencester, UK. A polar bear was killed at Haganesvik, Iceland, the last one arriving on ice in 1976.

Turtles

A turtle was discovered in Dongkou district, Hunan Province, China, described as 500 gr, 35 cm long, with a head and 15 cm tail like a snake. A turtle with two heads was born in Germany.

Dinos

Dinosaur tracks, identified by locals as elephant tracks, are protected in Turkmenistan, USSR.

The issue concludes by thanking contributors: M. Raynal, F. de Sarre, A. Trottmann, and the author's sister, Regina.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

This issue of BILK focuses on anomalous phenomena, including cryptozoology (Loch Ness Monster, dragons, giant geckos, marine life), UFOs (California, Australia, Sweden), and other fortean events (unusual animal sightings, natural phenomena). The editorial stance appears to be one of open-minded inquiry, encouraging readers to share information and consider diverse theories, while maintaining a critical perspective as evidenced by the author's reservations about François de Sarre's primate evolution theory. The publication acts as a clearinghouse for news and reports from various international sources, highlighting the global nature of these unexplained phenomena.