The Beast of Seven Chutes: What the Heck Is It?

Editor’s Note: This is a post by Bigfoot Evidence contributor Vicki W.

In June of 1995 a man sightseeing in Quebec snapped 76 photos and made 4 videos of an area known as Parc des 7 Chutes, or Seven Chutes Park, near Saint-Georges de Beauce, Quebec. As he browsed through the pictures, something odd caught his eye in photo number 32. There appeared to be something strange standing amid the trees. When the photo was enlarged, a tall brown figure with a baboon like snout becomes clearer. Not only that, it seems to be clutching a white dog, and appears to be staring towards the photographer. He had not seen it when he took the pictures.

The photographer (who wishes to remain anonymous) went back to the area and had photos taken with a man standing in the same spot for comparison, as well as to see if there could be another explanation. Some skeptics have suggested it is a rock formation but the subsequent area photos do not support this theory. Others claim it's simply a case of pareidolia, the phenomena of seeing faces or other distinct images in objects such as clouds, tree formations, or even a cinnamon roll. Remember the famous cinnamon roll that had the uncanny likeness to Mother Theresa of Calcutta? There seems to be more than that to this particular image, however.

So what is the thing, and why is it holding a small dog? If it's a bigfoot, it doesn't match up with most descriptions by bigfoot eyewitnesses. This animal has a snout like a dog or wolf, leading some to call it a "dogman" or a werewolf. There have been reports of an animal meeting this description in a few other places. One of the most well known are the sightings of the "Michigan dogman", and another string of sightings in Wisconsin of a similar animal.

Here are some examples of 'dogmen' or werewolf type creatures described by witnesses:

MANWOLF SPOTTED ON BRAY ROAD IN 2004

Witness Description: It was dark in color but tipped silvery gray...its eyes were glittery and dark, they had no sclera or whites like a human eye in a mask would have. It's head was big, almost too big for its body. It had an elongated snout, but pointy, not rounded like a Lab's. "It stood there, and then it hunched over into an aggressive stance. It's arms were bent at the elbow and forward. I couldn't see the hands. Its ears were pointed, shaped like a German shepherd's, but laid back. It was looking right at me. I felt it was aggressive and would defend itself viciously.

MICHIGAN DOGMAN SIGHTING BY 4 PEOPLE

Witness Description: Yellow eyes, kind of slanted in a way. It didn¹t have a long snout like a dog, but the snout was narrow. It wasn¹t human and wasn¹t dog. It wasn¹t flatfaced like human, all I saw was hair underneath what I presumed to be a jaw. Like a cape or mane. From what I saw, it was kind of slender in stature, not beefy, I would guess 210-220 pounds. The head reminded me of a canine shape, the kind of triangle-looking head. It was looking completely straight on at us. It could have had ears but was too dark to see them.

WISCONSIN WOLFMAN

Remember the Wisconsin "bigfoot" that pulled the deer from the back of a pickup? Well Steve Krueger, the guy who reported it says "It wasn't a bigfoot. it's head was more like a wolf!"... read what he says it was below! Witness Description: Steven Krueger the contractor who says a creature pulled a deer out of his pickup describes the creature like this, "It had pointy ears, triangular shaped," he said, "and they looked like big wolf ears standing up on end. That was the main feature that made me realize it was not a bear. It had a longer muzzle than a black bear, and its head was more like a wolf than a bear. It almost looked like a very large black bear standing on its feet, if you took a wolf's head and enlarged it and set it on the bear's body." "I know it wasn't a bigfoot."

Another perplexing case regarding a mysterious beast from history which has sometimes been labeled a werewolf is the 18th century French case known as the "Beast of Gevaudan". Historians continue to scratch their head about exactly what the beast was, but there's no doubt that the ferocious creature was responsible for the grisly killings of over 100 people, some of which it partially devoured. The victims were all women and children, and curiously the beast did not attack livestock such as sheep or cattle. Many victims were tending sheep when the animal viciously attacked. It was thought to be a wolf, and many wolves were killed but the attacks continued.

The few people who managed to escape the animal described it as a wolf like creature, but larger, as large as a horse or a cow. Rumors circulated that the animal must be some type of werewolf. Eventually, the beast was shot by Jean Chastel in 1767 with a silver bullet, or so he claims. (A silver bullet would be unstable as it is too heavy to get the spin necessary to make a bullet fire in an accurate straight line.) Human tissue was found in its stomach, and the killings finally stopped. Despite this, the identity of the beast of Gevaudan was never ascertained. It had differences from a common wolf, and we only know that it was buried in high secrecy somewhere in Versailles. Cryptozoologists speculate that it may have been a hyena (an escaped exotic specimen) or a wolf-dog hybrid. Accusations have also been tossed around that the beast had been a trained animal; trained to attack people by a beast of the human persuasion, perhaps Jean Chastel himself had blood on his hands. Circumstances surrounding his ability to get as close as he did when so many others failed fueled more than a few whispers and raised eyebrows. Still, he was honored as a hero for dispatching the beast and putting an end to its carnage. A large memorial marks his grave site, and the beast remains a mystery today.

Extreme Head Close-Up

Beast of & Chutes (original)

Recreation

For more information and photos regarding the 'Beast of 7 Chutes', see www.haveyouseenthiscreature.com

Watch the Australian produced "Animal X" episode about the Beast of Gevaudan if you would like to know more about the French legend.