Was it a snake, a legendary worm or something even stranger? Readers offer their suggestions as to the identity of the Creature of the Dump
When Paula M. went to the dump site in search of old, collectible bottles, the last thing she expected was an encounter with an unknown animal. And she may not have expected the amount of attention the story of her encounter would receive.
Besides the article about her sighting of this mysterious creature, which appeared on this website (see "The Creature of the Dump"), Paula was also recently interviewed by talk radio host Jeff Rense. Brad Steiger, a well-known author of many books on the paranormal and mysterious creatures, also spoke with Paula on Jeff's show. Steiger commented that he has documented many encounters with strange creatures, but the one Paula met was new to him. Most curious, he said, was the animal's large, crystal-blue eyes.
Paula is still seeking answers or even suggestions to what this large, worm-like creature might be. Some readers have responded with their ideas - and even warnings - about this blue-eyed tube worm. Here is what they have to say:
AN INGOT
"I probably won't be the first or only to inform you that what Paula saw at the dump may indeed be an unidentified Southeastern Asian creature known as an ingot [possibly lingot]. Check with Agence France-Press for stories about ingots during the final years of French involvement in Indochina. They were seen burrowing everywhere, and the descriptions of the bodies and eyes match those of Paula's story. Old Indochina veterans in the French army could never explain them or where they came from, and there is no record of American sightings during this country's involvement later. General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, supreme commander of French forces in Indochina, was so unnerved by sighting of burrowing ingots and the lack of information about them that he brought in a special team of researchers, who apparently found nothing.
"The ingot is like no other creature reported on earth, and it contributed to the general weirdness of the French experience in Indochina. Ingots were reported in large numbers in 1953 around the North Vietnamese site where an entire French regiment vanished without a trace. This disappearance may have had nothing to do with ingots, but there are still old veterans in the cafes of Paris, Bordeaux and Marseilles who swear there was a connection. Incidentally, the reality of the disappearing regiment is well-documented. For a few years in the 1950s, burrowing ingots made big news in France. But France, like the US later, hid its Indochinese veterans and paid little attention to their stories... about anything. Such is defeat." - Loic C.
RUBBER BOA
"Paula's description of the creature reminded me somewhat of a Rubber Boa, minus the blue eyes and light fuzz. They are a common, though seldom-seen burrowing snake with an odd appearance and very sluggish movement. They occur throughout the forests here in Oregon. The first time I found one as a kid I was dumbfounded. Just a thought." - Kaimen J.
Paula's response: "No, it wasn't a Rubber Boa. A Rubber Boa has beady, dark eyes and visible face features, along with slithery looking skin, and the color is different."
Next page: The legendary tatzelwurm
