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Geographical Index > Canada > British Columbia > Report # 8689
 
Report # 8689  (Class A)
Submitted by witness on Monday, May 17, 2004.
*** UPDATE **** While driving the Coquihalla Highway, man has afternoon sighting near a pond east of Merritt

YEAR: 2004

SEASON: Spring

MONTH: May

DATE: 10

PROVINCE: British Columbia

COUNTRY: Canada

LOCATION DETAILS: Leaving Merritt heading southeast on the Coquihalla ( #5 ) Highway towards the city of Kamloops and about 30 minutes from Merritt on the right hand side of the road.

NEAREST TOWN: Kamloops British Columbia Canada

NEAREST ROAD: Coquihalla Highway

OBSERVED: Hi there. I guess like most people I'm a bit reluctant in mentioning this but I have to tell someone in the know. I've already written the local paper about my sighting and it was front-page news. On Monday May 10th I was on my way from Merritt to pick up my wife and daughter at the hospital in Kamloops and I saw the coolest thing ever. As I was driving the Coquihalla Highway I saw what I thought was a father and son fishing in this pond about a 300-500 feet off the highway. As I was coming nearer I realized the pond they were standing beside was just a scum pond of sorts and I said to myself "They can't be fishing cause there's no fish in that pond" then suddenly I thought "These aren't people they're bears" MAN WAS I WRONG. Coming even closer to these two animals the one on the left bent down to get a drink I suppose and even though it was bent over, it was still taller then the smaller one on the left which was staring straight at me. They both had straight black hair and I could make out lighter color's on the smaller ones face. It was so fascinating. I didn't have the time to stop and watch because I was late as it was for the hospital but as God as my witness what I saw was a father and son Bigfoot standing at the edge of a pond. One other thing is that when the bigger of the 2 bent down I could see the way the left leg was bent and I could see the form of the hip and upper thigh and these weren't bears. I'm a father of 2 and a first aid attendant for the IWA union and I'm not a drug user or drinker so I know what I saw. I don't know if this info is helpful or not but it's what I saw. Thanks.. Tim Martindale.

OTHER WITNESSES: Ya know I always take my camera with me in case I see some deer or something but this time I was really late so I forgot to bring my camera and unfortunately I was alone.

OTHER STORIES: After this happened to me I looked around the net to see if anyone had ever had this happen to them before and I found that over the years there have been other sighting around this area. Where I live the mountains are all around us and it's a heavily forested area.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: The day was cloudy and it was around 3:30 in the afternoon.

ENVIRONMENT: The pond was somewhat swampy but still with fresh water and it was surrounded by pine trees except for the area that I could see from my car.


Tim Martindale Interview


Follow-up investigation report:

Witness was driving at time of sighting when he noticed the two figures by a pond. "To be honest with you I didn't know what I was looking at until I got within 300 feet of them."

"The little one watched as I drove by...while the larger one never looked my direction." Witness stated that the bigger one was bent over in way that he could see the flexing of the muscles in the leg. "The larger one was a bit darker, while the smaller one was lighter."

"Before my sighting, I never gave it a thought, but after seeing what I did, THIS SIGHTING SECURED MY BELIEF."

Witness has since driven by area and not seen anything near the pond. He had said area is not populated, ”Many areas around here are forest, not much people, making this great areas for them". He also mentioned that there had been a lot of black and brown bears in that part of the country. "I have heard of an occasional grizzly sighting but not too many."

"I am glad I've seen what I seen".



Witness has permitted the use of his name in public report.