Are there wild men in Shenlongjia Nature Reserve of Hubei Province? According to Zhang Jinxing, a member of Scientific Expedition Association of China and head of Comprehensive Expedition Team of Bizarre Animals, they will make public the large amount of footprints, DNA appraisals of hair, blood and feces samples of these alleged ?wild men? collected over the past ten years and draw a conclusion on them next year.
Zhang Jinxing said the correct title of ?wild man?, which has long been talked about, is Gigantopithecus. Since 1994, he and his team members have found over 2000 footprints of ?wild men?, collected large amount of evidences of their hair, feces and blood and conducted three DNA appraisals on hair samples.
?It is an objective reality that there are Gigantopithecus in Shenlongjia Nature Reserve,? said Zhang. At least 360 people have spotted the ?wild men? on more than 110 occasions since 1924. There have been three sightings this year alone -- in the middle of February, early April and a few days ago.
According to the description of witnesses, the hunchbacked man, with hair covering their bodies except for the face, palms and the soles of the feet, walk erect. Zhang Jinxing believes there are 20 more "wild men" living in Shenlongjia Nature Reserve at present.
(羊城晚报[Guangzhou Evening News], translated by Wang Qian for China.org.cn, July 15, 2002)
