Provo: Home of Bigfoot?

Apart from a national title for the men's basketball team, the last thing you would think to see in Provo is Bigfoot. A new video that has surfaced online has many believing that Provo Canyon may just be Bigfoot's new hiding spot.

The video, uploaded by YouTube user 'Beard Card,' has generated nearly seven million views in just one week and has people divided on exactly what is being seen. The video shows what seems to be a hairy beast that stands up. It is then that the people recording turn and run, meaning the identity of the object cannot be revealed for certain. Some say it was a bear, some a person in a costume, and others say it is the ever elusive Bigfoot.

'We saw some deer up on a hill (in Provo Canyon) that we wanted to get a closer look at,' said Beard Card, who declined to use his real name. 'We decided to hike up to get closer to these deer. On our way up, we heard an animal and thought it was a bear. We originally moved farther away from it and then came back closer again to have a better look at it. We stood there talking, trying to figure out what it was for a little while. We had been watching the animal for a few minutes prior to filming as well. Because I had the camera with me, I just decided to record. So we were there whispering and examining this animal when suddenly the monster stood up and looked right at us. We naturally ran and actually headed straight to the car after that, leaving our tent and most everything behind.'

Because there is no scale to see how tall the trees are, and therefore determine the height of the animal, it has been hard to identify the creature. Also, because Beard Card fled the scene, there is no way of knowing if there are any feces, hair samples or footprints on site.

Beard Card said there were four other people on the trip with him: his wife and his three siblings. As to why they have not revealed their identities, he says, 'We have kept our real names out of the spotlight so far. As there was a group of us up there, we are all trying to decide together if we want our names attached to the biggest Bigfoot video on YouTube. We realize that once our names are in the public we are forever known as the 'Bigfoot family' and 'Bigfoot people' in any Google search that would be done, and we are still not sure if we want that to be the case for the rest of our lives.'

Loren Coleman, author of many books on Bigfoot and creator and director of the International Cryptozoologist Museum, said, 'Any investigator of Bigfoot and especially of YouTube posted videos should be open minded but skeptical of such forms of evidence.'

'I have seen nothing to say this is an authentic video recording of an unknown hominoid or a human in a suit,' said Coleman. 'The distance to the alleged creature is too far, and the masking effect of underbrush and trees makes an intensive study of this 'evidence' inconclusive.'

Coleman isn't the only noted Bigfoot expert taking the video with a grain of salt.

Dr. Jeffrey Meldrum, professor of anatomy and anthropology at Idaho State University, is arguably the world's foremost expert on all things Bigfoot. He is currently searching for funding that will allow him to use a $300,000 dual-celled airship drone with custom high definition video and thermal imaging in an attempt to finally locate Bigfoot in North America.

He too sides with Coleman that there is not enough evidence to confirm that this was a sighting of Bigfoot.

'My initial reaction is that there is not enough information to draw a conclusion (that this is Bigfoot),' said Meldrum. 'It's all too easy to misinterpret movement and shape when there is vegetation in the way.'

According to Meldrum, people frequently mistake bears and other animals for Bigfoot. In this case, it may be a distracted bear.

'I deal with so many reports (of Bigfoot) that I have to sift through a lot of shaft,' he said.

'Claims of footprints — the vast majority of claims — can be explained by other means,' said Dr. Meldrum, 'usually pot-holes and bear tracks.'

Meldrum says that had Beard Card and his companions not have retreated but 'held their ground for a few seconds longer they would have gotten the definitive shot' needed to dispel all doubts.

'The fact that it's gone viral is very interesting,' Medrum said. 'It shows the public is interested.'

Beard Card understands that some will doubt the claim but said, 'They can think what they want. A lot of people are so set in their opinions that nothing can ever waiver them. We simply posted our video online to show friends and family how freaky it was. The Bigfoot community and news media blew it up from there.

'There were five of us there, and none of us all really agree on what we think it was. Could it have been a Bigfoot? (Yeah) we think so. We don't think it was a bear by its sheer size, broad arms and the way it reacted to us. Was it a Bigfoot? I don't know what it was.'

As for the world's leading expert on Bigfoot, Meldrum said, 'In this case, I think it's unlikely that we have a Bigfoot.'

The video can be seen on YouTube.