Courageous in the field, fastidious with their research, adaptable and stubborn - often defiant and rarely dersperate - these men and women are truly a rare breed.

Part scientist, part investigative reporter, part believer and part skeptic - the individuals chronicled herein are definitely trekking down the road less travelled. Turning over rocks which mainstream academics have dared not, or - to give them the benefit of the doubt - may have simply overlooked.

The path chosen by these intrepid explorers is not an easy one, but still they push forward. Wether they're slogging through rainforests or foraging through stacks of papers in the backroom of some musty library, perserverence is the cryptozoologists strongest ally... and these astonishing men and women have it in spades.




AGNAGNA, MARCELLIN:

Serving as the director of Wildlife and Protected Areas in the Republic of Congo, Dr. Marcellin Agnagna is a respected zoologist from the Brazzaville University, and serves as the Chair of the CITES Bushmeat Crisis Task Force.

Having worked for decades preserving the natural flora and fauna of his homeland, Agnagna is has spoken in front of numerous and auspicious audiences in an effort to bring the plight of the dwindling populations of bush animals in the Congo to light, and emphasize their importance to our global wildlife heritage.

With credits as impressive as this, it is no wonder that Agnagna is considered to have had the single most significant eyewitness encounter with the Congolese relic dinosaur known as the Mokele-Mbembe.

The event, which occured on Lake Tele in April of 1983 - during an expedition which was led by Agnagna himself - was unfortunately marred by a camera which had not had it's lens cap removed. Due to this tragic miscalculation, the event, which, according to Agnagna lasted nearly 20 minutes, was left un-recorded. Agnagna has also accompanied monster hunting veteran Dr. Roy P. Mackal in pursuit of this elusive creature.




BARLOY, JEAN-JACQUES: (1949- )

French born, Dr. Jean-Jacques Barloy, recieved his doctorate in zoology - with a specialization in ornithology - before embarking on a career which would lead him into some of the more obscure realms of cryptozoology.

A prolific writer, Barloy is a journalist who has written numerous magazine and newspaper articles dealing with general zoology. Barloy is also the author of two books, "Alarming Spectre" and "Monsters Watery," which dealt with SEA-SERPENTS, and "Survivors of the Shade," which chronicled the long history of LAKE-MONSTERS.

Often invited to be a guest on French television and radio programs, Barloy - like no one since Bernard Heuvelmans - is responsible for the current popularity cryptozoology enjoys in France.

Barloy was also one of the first scientists to utilize computers in the late 1970's, in order to crunch data and come to some conclusions regarding the mysteries surrounding an array of cryptozoological phenomenon, including that of feral children and the notorious Beast of Gevaudan.




COLEMAN, LOREN: (1947 - )

Living in New England, where he works and teaches at the University of Southern Maine, Loren Coleman is perhaps the preeminent figure in 21st century cryptozoological research.

A best selling author, documentarian, lecturer and field investigator, Coleman has penned well over a hundred articles, as well as numerous books on subjects such as Alien Big cats, the Mothman of West Virginia, Sasquatch, the Yeti, the Loch Ness Monster, and has even co-authored (with Jerome Clark) an encyclopedia entitled "Crypto-zoology: A to Z,"
which covers virtually the entire spectrum of anomalous animals.

Listed as a lifetime member of the International Society of Cryptozoology (ISC),
Coleman - who has an undergraduate degree in anthropology-zoology from Southern Illinois University and a graduate degree in psychiatric social work, with doctoral work in anthropology and sociology - has been pursuing unknown animals since the early 1960's, when he was one of the few modern cryptozoologists (along with the now deceased Bernard Heuvelmans and Ivan T. Sanderson) to have actually bore witness to the now nearly mythical Minnesota Iceman.

Often appearing on national radio and television programs, Coleman has become one of the leading voices in the American cryptozoological movement, and Coleman's biography on the renowned millionaire monster hunter Tom Slick is one of the sources being used in a motion picture which is slated to star Nicholas Cage.

Coleman is also the author of the Fortean Times cryptozoology column called: "On the Trail," a bi-monthly column in Fate magazine known as: "Mysterious World," and has most recently completed what many feel to be the definitive work on the North American primate phenomenon: "Bigfoot! The True Story of Apes in America."

GREENWELL, RICHARD: ( ? )

Originally from Surrey, England, Richard J. Greenwell has served as the working secretary for the International Society of Cryptozoology (ISC), since its foundation in 1982.

A member of both the Royal Geographical Society of London and the Explorers Club in New York, Greenwell has led expeditions into China in search of the legendary wild man known as the Yeren, to Mexico in pursuit of the puma-like feline known as the Onza, and has accompanied fellow ISC member, Dr. Roy P. Mackal into the Congolese jungles in an attempt to verify the existenace of the huge, saurapod-like beast known to the natives as Mokele-Mbembe.

Greenwell has also conducted field research in such diverse regions has South America - where he spent six years - and the cryptid rife Papua New Guinea.

Although Greenwell is no stranger to plodding through so-called third world jungles in pursuit of his quarry, it does not mean that he has turned his back on more domestic mysteries. In fact, as recently as August of 1997, Greenwell led a four man expedition into the wilds of northern California in order to bring back evidence of the Hairy-Hominid known as Big-Foot.

Greenwell is a respected authority on cryptozoological phenomenon, who has lent his expertise to numerous radio and television programs dealing with this fascinating topic. Greenwell is currently preparing a book which deals with his experiences with unknown animals.

KIRK III, JOHN:

Journalist John Kirk is a highly respected authority on the global Lake-Monster phenomenon, and has even authored a detailed referrence book on this mystery, entitled: "In the Domain of the Lake Monsters."

Kirk has been seen on numerous televised documentaries involving cryptozoology and currently serves as the president of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club (BCSCC), which he co-founded in 1989 with author James A. Clark, oceanographer Dr. Paul LeBlond (who is renowned for his belief in the Sea-Serpent known as Caddy.)

The BCSCC is dedicated to the search for "hidden animals" - particullarly those in the British Columbia area such as Caddy, Ogopogo and Sasquatch - and has been attached to Cryptosafari, which launched its first expedition in February of 2001, in to Cameroon, in order to obtain evidence of what the natives describe as a Mokele-Mbembe type animal.

LANDSBURG, ALAN: (1933 - )

Alan Landsburg attended the New York University, where he earned a degree in Communications, and - like so many who affected the future of television - served time as a page at NBC. It wasn't long after graduation that Landsburg joined the NBC radio affiliate in New York as a writer and producer, and in no time he launched into a renowned career as a documentary producer.

In 1964 Landsburg's film "Kennedy, The First Thousand Days" received a standing ovation at the National Democratic Convention, and between 1965 and 1970 he served as the Executive Producer of the well respected "National Geographic Specials." In 1967 landsburg created the highly esteemed series "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau," for which he also functioned as producer for three years.

As significant as these other contributions have undoubtedly been, it would not be until 1976, when Landsburg created the Leonard Nimoy hosted paranormal investigation series known as "In Search Of..."

This original series ran for six seasons, but it's effects on fortean researche has endured long beyond, inspiring countless television documentaries and books on cryptozoology, UFOs and spiritualism, including the 1978, Landsburg produced Big-Foot feature, entitled: "Manbeasts, Myth or Monster."

Landsburg went on to produce a multitude of television series, plays and movies of the week and is currently the executive producer of the SCI-FI Channel's
revamped "In Search Of..." series, hosted by former X-Files star Mitch Pileggi.

LEBLOND, PAUL: ( ? )

In 1989, renowned University of British Columbia Oceanographer, Dr. Paul H. LeBlond, co-founded (with authors James A. Clark and John Kirk III) an organization known as the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club (BCSCC).

This group has investigated cryptozoological phenomenon as diverse as CHAMP, Ogopogo, Sasquatch, Yeti, Yeren, Almas, Nguoi-Rung, the Loch Ness Monster and - most notably - the legendary Sea-Serpent known as the Cadborosaurus, which is said to lurk off the British Columbia coast.

In 1995, LeBlond, along with Dr. Edward Bousfield, authored what is considered to be the essential book on the subject: "Cadborosaurus: Survivor from the deep." The Cadborosaurus or "Caddy," as it is more commonly know, has gained an air of scientific legitimacy not often granted its ilk, due in no small part to the courageous efforts of LeBlond, who has constantly been willing to put his academic career on the line in order to research a creature which has been deemed "absurd" by most mainstream scholars.

It is this degree of academic bravery that sets scientists like Leblond (and fortean researchers like Dr. Roy P. Mackal and Dr. Grover Kranst, just to name a few) far a head of the pack in terms of pioneering zoological inquery.

MACKAL, ROY:

Dr. Roy P. Mackal is a highly esteemed biologist, engineer, teacher and biochemist, who's technological innovations include automatic parachutes, sounding rockets and a hydrogen-generation device for weather ballons.

Having spent the better portion of his career as an instructor at the University Of Chicago - which also served as his alma mater - Mackal is probably most respected for his internationally recognized DNA research, but he is almost certainly most renowned for being one of the seminal figures in 20th century cryptozoology.

Having served as the Scientific Director of the respected, Scotland-based, Loch Ness Investigation Bureau (LNIB) between 1965 and 1975, Mackal managed to carve a distinguished niche for himself as being one of the most fastidious and dedicated researchers to have ever attempted to plum the murky depths of this legendary Scottish lake.

In 1976 he published a book, which coalesced his theories regarding this legendary beast into one of the most enduring works ever published regarding this well trodden body of water: "The Monsters of Loch Ness."

In 1980, Mackal followed the success of his first book with a more generalized inquery into the existence of unknown animals, entitled, "Searching for Hidden Animals," and in 1988, he chronicled his (and Richard J. Greenwell's) adventures through the Congolese jungles in pursuit of the Mokele-Mbembe, in a tome called: "A Living Dinosaur? In Search of Mokele-Mbembe," which along with Rory Nugent's "Drums Along the Congo," is one of the most enjoyable works on the subject.

For years Mackal has served as the vice-president of International Society of Cryptozoology (ISC), where he was able to make contact with such esteemed peers as Loren Coleman and Bernard Heuvelmans.

MANGIACOPRA, GARY: (1960- )

Born in 1960, biologist, writer, and New England native, Gary Mangiacopra, has become one of the seminal investigators in modern cryptozoology. Renowned for his work involving North American Lake-Monsters (particularlly Manipogo,) Mangiacopra is also an acknowledged expert on the 18th and 19th century reports of New England Sea-Serpents.

Seemingly not content to rest on those auspicious laurels, this dedicated researcher has created a compelling study on the energy requirements and food supply which would be required to nourish a breeding colony of lake cryptids.

On top of that significant text, Mangiacopra has also completed a multitude of fascinating articles on fortean topics as diverse as ufology, giant boa constrictors, Connecticut black cats, Sasquatch, Champ, St. augustine Phenomenon, Giant Squid, Caddy, and the legendary Rhodesian Dinosaurs, just to name a few.

Mangiacopra has also co-authored a intriguing piece about cryptozoological themes rearing their heads in 1940's cartoons entitled: "Superman vs. The Cryptids."

Mangiacopra is a members of the International Society of Cryptozoology (ISC) which has (and has had,) such distinguished members as Bernard Heuvalmans, Richard J. Greenwell, and former scientific director of the Loch Ness Investigation Bureau (LNIB,) Dr. Roy P. Mackal. Mangiacopra is rumored to be working on two much anticipated books about Lake-Monsters as well as Sea-Serpents.


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