Bilk - no 034 - 1990 03

Magazine Overview

This document is issue number 34 of BILK, a bi-monthly magazine published by Ulrich Magin in West Germany. The subscription price is 15 Deutschmarks. This issue is dated March 1990.

Contents

The magazine presents a collection of reports and brief mentions of various unexplained phenomena, cryptozoology, and fortean events from around the world.

Cryptozoology and Lake Monsters

• Loch Ness Monster: A report from Nessletter 95 details a videotape taken on June 6, 1989, by a Vancouver couple off Strone, Loch Ness. They described seeing "something in the water making a wave" and a "dark lump moving steadily through the water on a weaving course." This was also noted in Fortean Times 53.
• Ogopogo: The beast of Lake Okanogan, British Columbia, Canada, was reportedly videotaped in August 1989 by Paul Gasek, a field producer for National Geographic Society's Explorer series. Gasek stated, "There's definitely something there." Ogopogo was also seen multiple times in August, as reported in The INFO Journal 58.
• China's Lake Tianchi: Mentioned in "China Heute" (Feb 1990), Lake Tianchi is described as China's deepest lake, an ancient volcanic crater filled with water, reaching 373 meters deep. It is located on the border with Corea and features waterfalls and thermal springs. The article in "China Heute" did not mention a monster.
• Bibliography: Several sources are cited for information on lake monsters and related topics, including "China im Aufbau" (July 1989) for a dragon museum in Weifang, and Fortean Times 53, which discusses theories about Africa's Lac Tele dinosaurs possibly being swimming elephants, Lake Karnaci (Hanas) in China and its monster, and a children's book titled "Nessi (sic) the friendly monster" by Marie-José Sacré.
• Other Theories: "The Observer" (Dec 24, 1989) featured an article on the theory that birds are living dinosaurs, comparing the Christmas turkey to Tyrannosaurus Rex. German herpetologists have identified a new species of giant monitor lizard in Yemen, related to an African species but previously unknown. Evidence suggests some New Zealand tuataras may be different species (BBC Wildlife, Dec 1989). A German cartoon, "Der doppelte Auberle," shown on German TV in May 1989, featured a character catching the Loch Ness monster, depicted as a giant serpent.
• American Magazine: The American magazine "Strange" planned a special cryptozoology issue for February, including articles on water monsters and African dinosaurs.

Other Phenomena

• "Water Apes" and "Aquatic Homunculus": According to F. de Sarre's theory of "initial bipedalism," these terms are discussed in Mysteria (73/74 and 75/76). An additional bibliography on Edgar Dacqué, a paleontologist with unorthodox ideas about evolution, was to appear in the March 1990 issue of "Bipedia."
• France - Sea Monster: A "sea monster with a human face" was reportedly spotted off the Ile de Groix (Morbihan, Britanny), according to Barloy's newsletter (Nov 1989).
• Carolina's Lizard Man: New reports of the Carolina's lizard man are mentioned in Fortean Times 53.
• Leviathan (Giant Sea Turtle): A giant sea turtle was reported to have rescued shipwrecked sailors off Luzon, Philippines, on May 16, 1989 (Fortean Times 53). A book on turtles mentions the "father of all the turtles" and ancient traditions of giant marine turtles.
• USO (Unidentified Submerged Object): On October 20, 1989, several UFOs were spotted over Tyrol, Austria. One object was described as "a metallic yacht cruising through the air as if it were on water." Simultaneously, northern lights were observed in southern Germany. This was reported in "Journal für UFO-Forschung."
• Marine Forteana:
• A fishing smack disappeared without a trace off Lowestoft, England (The Times, Sept 16, 1989).
• Two Americans claimed to have found Noah's Ark on Mount Ararat (reported by "Tagesthenen," Sept 23, 1989).
• Rock Lake Pyramids, USA, are mentioned (Science Frontiers, Nov/Dec 1989).
• A report in The Times (Jan 25, 1990) on witchcraft in Nicaragua mentioned a crater lake used by local witches to summon an evil wind, located 31 miles from the capital. Nicaragua's First Lady is described as a witch. Similar beliefs from Chile are noted in an article by Bob Rickard in Fortean Times 53.
• Marine Life Reports:
• Porpoises were reported near Sylt, Germany (Rhein Zeitung, Jan 10, 1990).
• Sixteen whales stranded off Louisiana, USA (Arab News, Jan 11, 1990).
• A 47 ft sperm whale stranded off Penzance, Cornwall (The Times, Feb 12, 1990).
• Shark attacks in Australia were reported (The Times, Jan 8, 1990).
• A crocodile attack occurred in Australia (Saudi Gazette, Jan 10, 1990).
• Two rare marine turtles were stranded on the Irish coast during severe storms in February (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Die Rheinpfalz, Feb 19, 1990).
• Cryptozoology - Pumas: A month-long search for an elusive panther in Rome, Italy, yielded fuzzy photos but no confirmed sighting (Frankfurter Rundschau, Dec 29, 1989; ABC, Jan 30, 1990; International Herald Tribune, Jan 18, 1990). A "moor beast" was reported (The Times, Dec 30, 1989), and a puma was spotted at Redruth, Cornwall (The Times, Feb 12, 1990).
• Yetis: Large articles about the "Big Grey Man," or Scottish yeti (though resembling a ghost more closely), appeared in "The Observer" in November 1989.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring themes in this issue of BILK are cryptozoology (lake monsters, yetis, elusive cats), unexplained aerial phenomena (UFOs), and unusual marine events. The editorial stance appears to be one of reporting on these phenomena from various sources, often citing multiple publications and newsletters, without necessarily endorsing or debunking the claims. The magazine acts as a compendium of fortean news and sightings from the late 1980s and early 1990s.