JSKoehler
04-01-2006, 09:23 AM
This is unbelievable! Its being reported by the AFP:
KATHMANDU, NEPAL (April 1, 2006) – An expedition to the Everest Mountain region of Nepal has reported the discovery of a new species of monkey living in a remote valley in the northeast of the country near the Chinese border. Expedition leader Dr. E.L. O’Fevre said his team was astounded to find a band of white-furred monkeys living in a high forrested mountain valley. Dr. O’Fevre stated that the monkeys appear to be similar to macaque monkeys, species of which are found in a range from Africa to Japan.
“It would be entirely consistent for a species of macaque to be found in this region,” Dr. O’Fevre said, noting that the Macaca thibetana, also known as the Milne-Edwards' Macaque, a species of macaque found in China, Tibet and Viet Nam, also lives in remote mountain valleys. “But it is astounding that no one has ever seen this particular species before, given the number of expeditions to this region of the Himalayan Plateau.”
The team was able to observe the macaques only from a long distance using spotter scopes. “The creatures were very shy, and we could not approach them by more than a few hundred yards.” There appeared to be about 20 to 30 adults in the band and an indetermanent number of juveniles
Dr. O’Fevre speculated that a male macaque of the species, when fully-grown, might be as tall as four feet, but if standing erect with arms raised, might appear to be larger. “This, of course, raises the specter that these macaques may be intertwined with the legendary ‘Yeti’.” A “yeti” is a mythical creature, a human-like ape, said to inhabit the Himalayas.
Like most macaques, the creatures observed by the team are tail-less. “Because they lack tails, macaques are often mistaken for apes, although they are properly classed as monkeys,” Dr. O’Fevre said.
The expedition, which is a co-sponsored effort of The Discovery Channel and the Walt Disney Company, was not able to film or photograph the macaques. “We plan to return to the area on a future expedition with better equipment,” said Dr. O’Fevre, “in order to obtain proof of the existence of these fascinating creatures.”
The discovery of a new species cannot be verified until a specimen, living or deceased, is actually found. However, Dr. O’Fevre said that if the species is verified, he hoped that it would be classified as a Macaca nepalana disneyansis in honor of Walt Disney, founder of the Disney Company. “Walt Disney was a great believer in exploration and expanding the horizons of human knowledge and experience,” he said.
Without a specimen or even a photograph, however, the discovery of the macaques will undoubtedly be met with skepticism in the scientific community. Noted homonid biologist Helga D’Buster of the University of Munich said the find is rather questionable. “Dr. O’Fevre is a well-known self-promoter,” said Frau D’Buster. “He has been employee-of-the-month on The Jungle Cruise at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom for years and years, and quite frankly most of us in the scientific community think it has gone to his head.” She further noted that this story in highly suspicious, seeing how it was report on April 1 and the AFP is the APRIL FOOL’S PRESS.
KATHMANDU, NEPAL (April 1, 2006) – An expedition to the Everest Mountain region of Nepal has reported the discovery of a new species of monkey living in a remote valley in the northeast of the country near the Chinese border. Expedition leader Dr. E.L. O’Fevre said his team was astounded to find a band of white-furred monkeys living in a high forrested mountain valley. Dr. O’Fevre stated that the monkeys appear to be similar to macaque monkeys, species of which are found in a range from Africa to Japan.
“It would be entirely consistent for a species of macaque to be found in this region,” Dr. O’Fevre said, noting that the Macaca thibetana, also known as the Milne-Edwards' Macaque, a species of macaque found in China, Tibet and Viet Nam, also lives in remote mountain valleys. “But it is astounding that no one has ever seen this particular species before, given the number of expeditions to this region of the Himalayan Plateau.”
The team was able to observe the macaques only from a long distance using spotter scopes. “The creatures were very shy, and we could not approach them by more than a few hundred yards.” There appeared to be about 20 to 30 adults in the band and an indetermanent number of juveniles
Dr. O’Fevre speculated that a male macaque of the species, when fully-grown, might be as tall as four feet, but if standing erect with arms raised, might appear to be larger. “This, of course, raises the specter that these macaques may be intertwined with the legendary ‘Yeti’.” A “yeti” is a mythical creature, a human-like ape, said to inhabit the Himalayas.
Like most macaques, the creatures observed by the team are tail-less. “Because they lack tails, macaques are often mistaken for apes, although they are properly classed as monkeys,” Dr. O’Fevre said.
The expedition, which is a co-sponsored effort of The Discovery Channel and the Walt Disney Company, was not able to film or photograph the macaques. “We plan to return to the area on a future expedition with better equipment,” said Dr. O’Fevre, “in order to obtain proof of the existence of these fascinating creatures.”
The discovery of a new species cannot be verified until a specimen, living or deceased, is actually found. However, Dr. O’Fevre said that if the species is verified, he hoped that it would be classified as a Macaca nepalana disneyansis in honor of Walt Disney, founder of the Disney Company. “Walt Disney was a great believer in exploration and expanding the horizons of human knowledge and experience,” he said.
Without a specimen or even a photograph, however, the discovery of the macaques will undoubtedly be met with skepticism in the scientific community. Noted homonid biologist Helga D’Buster of the University of Munich said the find is rather questionable. “Dr. O’Fevre is a well-known self-promoter,” said Frau D’Buster. “He has been employee-of-the-month on The Jungle Cruise at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom for years and years, and quite frankly most of us in the scientific community think it has gone to his head.” She further noted that this story in highly suspicious, seeing how it was report on April 1 and the AFP is the APRIL FOOL’S PRESS.