He was a scientist, a wildlife biologist, worked for the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, and conducted Sasquatch research out of the Comox Valley.
Dr. John Bindernagel was known - infamously - throughout the scientific community for his passionate dedication to researching the mysterious creature and was famously known throughout the Bigfoot community.
Although Bindernagel passed away in 2018, one of his closest friends and author, Terrance James, recently completed a biography about his friend entitled Sasquatch Discovered: The Biography of Dr. John Bingernagel (set to be released this summer) and is the next guest on The Record’s Off The Page podcast set to be released April 20.
James speaks about the dedication his friend of 25 years had towards his scientific research to prove the existence of Sasquatch and the constant dismissal he received from the scientific community.
“John’s hypothesis was the Sasquatch was North America’s Great Ape. And since nobody had produced a cadaver, and they didn’t have any scientific evidence of their being a great ape in North America, they just dismissed everything,” explained James on the podcast. “But John was first and foremost a wildlife biologist. And he looked at evidence and footprint evidence was one of the things that gave testimony to any animal being in an area.”
Bindernagel found tracks in Strathcona Park - one of the reasons why he moved to the Comox Valley as it was an area rich in Sasquatch sightings. Despite the years he spent attending conferences and producing research, James said his friend was frustrated at his scientific peers who refused to give him a chance to speak about his work.
“There were gatekeepers, scientific peers who would say no, because there’s no evidence to support that Sasquatch exists. So he was prevented from talking at scientific conferences. However, he had a great following, particularly in the U.S. amongst Bigfooters. And they invited him to many conferences as a guest speaker. And he went because it was his way of keeping abreast of what research was actually happening. It wasn’t the academics or the scientists that were doing the research. It was lay people that were out in the woods, and now they’re out there with cameras … And that’s where the real information is coming from, not from the PhD scientists.”
As for the scientists who wouldn’t support him? James said Bindernagel always had the backs of those who wouldn’t support him.
“He never labeled them or smeared them in public. He had their backs and covered for them, even though they were not supporting him. That’s the type of guy he was.”
As for how James believes Bindernagel’s lifetime of work will be vindicated? You’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out.
To listen to the full episode, download Off The Page on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and everywhere podcasts are heard, or visit omny.fm/shows/off-the-page.
New episodes of Off The Page drop every Wednesday.
To submit podcast topics or guest ideas, email offthepage@comoxvalleyrecord.com.
