Deep in the swamps of Florida, something is stirring. Witnesses to its haunting presence speak of howls in the night, unexplained footprints in the mud and glimpses between the trees of a fiery-eyed creature that reeks of death.

Now, a 30-strong team from The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) has embarked on an expedition to try to flush out the mighty skunk ape - the Sunshine State's answer to the abominable snowman. They have thermal imaging equipment, video cameras and microphones poised to capture the secrets of the hairy, 7ft-tall hominid with yellowing teeth and dubious personal hygiene.

“We have to keep these expeditions low-key because unfortunately the subject is still a little stigmatised,” sighs Matthew Moneymaker, head of the BFRO, as he drives to the expedition's secret base camp in southwestern Florida.

“When people don't take this subject seriously, we don't even call it scepticism - it's ignorance. People only know about this stuff from tabloids ... they've created this “other Bigfoot”, a kind of cartoon concept rather than a rare species. They don't understand how creatures could live and die in the woods without us knowing.” full story