Cryptozoologist on werewolf sightings

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July: A cryptozoologist named Nick Redfern opined in a blog about why werewolves aren't usually studied in cryptozoology. (Cryptozoology is the study of reports of animals whose existence hasn't been confirmed. That means animals that are so rarely seen that people have some question about whether they have all died out, such as the ivory-billed woodpecker, and the Tasmanian tiger. Usually, though, it means bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster.)

Redfern says that there are reported sightings of creatures who could be considered werewolves. He says cryptozoologists don't want to study those, because of the association with Hollywood movies. They see that as "embarrassing." Redfern says the reported werewolf-like creatures fall into one or both of these categories:

"(a) a type of wolf-like animal that is unknown to science and which has the ability to walk on two legs as well as four; or (b) a creature of definitively paranormal proportions. But, mainstream Cryptozoology cannot bring itself to fully embrace the study of either 'possibility (a)' or 'possibility (b)' and the solely paranormal crowd aren’t excited by the prospect of investigating something that may be purely zoological. So, what happens? Well, this is what happens: a topic that is undeniably important, and which is supported by large amounts of witness testimony, ends up languishing in a realm filed with confusion and lack of direction."

The werewolf sighting reports aren't cryptozoologists' favorite topic of study because it's thought of as undignified, and because the researchers disagree about what the sightings could signify.


Source

Nick Redfern, "The problem with werewolves." 2013-07-29. Mysterious Universe. http://mysteriousuniverse.org/2013/07/the-problem-with-werewolves/