# Jacobs photos

The Jacobs Photos are two images of an alleged creature that has been written about and sighted in Northwestern Pennsylvania in the Allegheny National Forest. It is a Bigfoot or ape-like creature thought to be a juvenile from its small size. The existence of such a creature is not acknowledged by the Pennsylvania Game Commission who believe it was a bear with a severe skin infection. The young Sasquatch was quickly adopted by the Pennsylvania Visitors Bureau and talked about in their “Welcome to Pennsylvania Great Outdoors Region” guide.

## Description

The Pennsylvania Game Commission spokesman Jerry Feaser said it is a bear with a severe case of mange. Conversely several other professionals that have investigated the photos agree that the proportions of the creature do not resemble a bears. They believe it to be a bipedal humanoid whose height is less than 4 feet with arms and legs longer than the torso, unlike a bear. At the same time, the commercialization of these photos have turned this critter into quite the urban legend and the topic of many scary 'campfire stories'.

## Commercialization

Even with the immediate statement from the Pennsylvania Game Commission that they believed it was a bear with mange the public’s reaction to the photos started an internet firestorm of debate with both amazement and controversy. It became the top story on the Associated Press and the news of the sighting spread around the world. Allegheny Cellars created a popular new wine called Bigfoot Shadows around The Jacobs Creature story. The Bushnell Corporation used the photos in a promotional contest since the photos were taken on their brand of game camera. This sighting has helped boost the economy of nearby Bradford, Pennsylvania with annual Bigfoot expeditions into the area bringing needed tourism to the town.

## Timeline of key events

* September 16, 2007: Elk county deer hunter Rick Jacobs captures two images on an automatic camera mounted to a tree on a game trail in the Allegheny National Forest. They show what appears to be a dark, furry creature that was positioned in a manner that makes it impossible to make a positive identification. This was mainly due to the possibility of different head positions and the appearance of abnormally long limbs. Jacobs along with family members turned the pictures over to the world’s largest and oldest Bigfoot research organization the BFRO.
* October 19, 2007: Securing rights to the images, the photos were displayed on the BFRO website and identified as depicting a juvenile Sasquatch. A third photo was included that clearly showed two young bear cubs, photographed about 28 minutes before the “Jacobs creature” (as the BFRO dubbed the subject).
* October 26, 2007: The Bradford Era found out about the sighting and interviewed Rick Jacobs. The Bradford Era ran the story in the area's local newspaper along with the pictures. They released the story to the Associated Press where it was distributed to television and news agencies all over the world. The controversial images started an internet firestorm of debate of what is truly depicted and quickly became the top story on Yahoo! and MSN. They soon began to appear in books, magazines, and television programs including CNN, Good Morning America, MSNBC, Fox News Channel, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
* October 27, 2007: The Bradford Era was contacted by the Pennsylvania Game Commission who demanded equal time on the story and believed the photos were of a bear with a severe case of mange. They were furious over the unnecessary panic the photos were causing local people living in the area. They had to shut down their phone lines from a surge in concerned callers. Conversely some formed the opinion that it may be the Pennsylvania Game Commission that has misinterpreted the photos. They interviewed Cryptozoologist Scott Corrales who stated "they just want to call it a bear and go from there."
* October 29, 2007: One of the nation’s largest broadcast news organizations MSNBC said the hunter’s picture revive the lively Bigfoot debate. Keith Olbermann interviewed Robert Kiviat “Worlds Greatest Hoaxes Exposed,” who didn’t believe it looked like a bear and said it was “truly a mystery”.
* October 31, 2007: During an interview on earthfiles podcast Dr. Jeff Meldrum stated it was obvious the limb proportions were not the same as a bear and they were more like a chimpanzee. He also stated we have no data on developmental trajectories of a Sasquatch and the possibility that young Sasquatch may be more chimpanzee like.
* May, 28, 2008: The Bushnell Corporation the makers of the Game Camera used by the hunter offered a 1 million dollar reward after a group of wildlife photography experts along with a zoologist and a biologist were unable to positively identify the creature in the pictures.
* November 2008: Vanessa Woods a scientist from Duke University that specializes in primates didn’t rule out the possibility of this creature being a Sasquatch. It was apparent after the dimensions of the creature in the picture were worked out.