Incident #992685
Ochopee, Collier Cty, Florida
1997
Account
Three separate sighting reports with little informatin. Vince Doerr, Ochopee fire chief, saw something large and hairy run across Burns Road on two legs, but thought it was just someone playing games. Dow Roland was guiding a group for Everglades Day Safari on Turner River Road when they saw about 100 yards away what looked like Bigfoot or someone in a gorilla suit. Stever Goodbread, Pelican Tours operator, saw something too big and black for a human, but not a bear. Big Cypress National Preserve officials also received a couple of sighting reports from tourists but did not take them seriously.
When
- Year
- 1997
- Season
- summer
- Time of Day
- day
- Duration
- brief
Where
- State / province
- Florida
- County
- Collier Cty
- Nearest Town
- Ochopee
- Latitude
- 2555
- Longitude
- 8115
What was seen
- Individuals
- one large, sex unknown
- Total Individuals
- 1
- Population Status
- wild
- First Seen
- on
- Terrain Object
- road
- Near or/at
- marsh
Witnesses
- No. of Witnesses
- several
- Witness(es) Sex
- Male
Setting
- Terrain
- swamp
- Nearby Water
- swamp
Weather and light
- Lighting
- daylight
Source
- Source
- Fort Myers, FL, News-Press, July, 1997, quoting Dow Roland and Vince Doerr and Steve Goodbread.
Creature description
- Hair Covered
- yes
- Height
- large
- Posture
- erect
- Hair Colour
- black
- Movement
- running
- Later Movement
- crossed road
- Movement re observer
- across observer front
- Position when first seen
- erect
Witness
- Witness Saw with
- naked eye
- Observer Was
- in car