More on the Goochland "devil monkey"

Keeping the lid on

The recent “devil monkey” post generated a few snide comments and a video on another site. All of the responses give little credence to the sighting.
The actual account of the initial sighting is quite different from the fatuous comments about a “devil monkey” floating around the YMCA.
The creature, according to the stable, sober folk who saw it and wish to remain anonymous, stood on all fours. Its front legs were shorter than the rear legs. It had a long furry tail, pointy ears, and a long nose and was larger than a standard deer.
The creature did display menacing behavior, including bearing its teeth. It bounded away in very long powerful strides. In short, this was not a deer, coyote or anything else normally seen roaming around the county. The sighting was made in the Courthouse Village area early in the morning a few weeks ago.
Little credence has been given to the sighting, even though those at its source have no reason to fabricate such a tale. The next person who sees this creature will probably keep it to themselves, unless they happen to have a camera.
Emily Neal has put up a blog dedicated to the sightings at goochlanddevilmonkey.wordpress.com.
The folks at Channel 12 must have had a slow news day, because they did a story about the situation and decided that the creature was a spider monkey. It seems like they called the Sheriff’s office, which declared the matter a hoax ; the implication being that people in Goochland are seeing things due to the cold weather and long nights. If the Richmond media is going to report on Goochland, its representatives should get in their trucks and come out here and investigate in person.
Neal’s site has some interesting information. Please visit www.newanimal.com. The sketch on the right over the “animal” heading seems to embody the description of the Goochland whatever it is.
As none of the reports indicate that the creature flies, it is curious that there have been no reports of strange tracks in the snow. If hunters have spied the creature they are keeping mum. There also seem to be no actual photos of the creature on those automatic cameras deployed in the woods to locate deer.
While many people are ready to dismiss the notion of a strange creature found in the dark days of the year as a scary but entertaining story, what if there really is a new kind of critter roaming in Goochland?
First of all, if it poses a threat to anyone, people should be made aware that these critters are not warm and fuzzy and will eat out of their hands.

What if it turns out to be a new and endangered species? That could draw all sorts of environmentalists into our midst. What if they were to declare certain parts of the county protected habitats off limits to any activity? Let’s see the supervisors devise a new property tax rate for protected habitat.
On the other hand, that could also spawn a new local industry, photo safaris to see and photograph the strange new creature. That would be an opportunity to create local jobs and revenue.
Using ridicule to suppress information outside the realm of “normal” is a subtle yet effective form of mind control designed to discourage questioning of the status quo. It’s also a way to will the boogey man away from your door.
Let’s see what sort of evidence may appear in the coming weeks before declaring these episodes a hoax. The people who have reported the sightings are solid, sober folk who have no reason to fabricate such stories.