Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization
The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) is an American nongovernmental organization that collects and investigates sightings of the hypothetical creature called Bigfoot (Sasquatch). Its database and field expeditions have made it one of the best-known sources on the subject.
The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) is an American, privately run research organization that collects and investigates sightings of a hypothetical, humanlike creature called Bigfoot (also known as Sasquatch). The organization was founded in the late 1990s, and its head is Matt Moneymaker. Its work is typically tied not to traditional scientific institutions but to a network of volunteers and amateur researchers.
What it does
One of the BFRO's best-known projects is its public database of sightings, in which eyewitness reports are recorded and each case is assigned a reliability category based on the organization's own assessment. The reports are organized by location, and according to the organization, some witnesses are also interviewed in person. In addition, it organizes field expeditions in which participants search for tracks, audio recordings and other signs. The organization also appeared in the television series Finding Bigfoot, which made it more widely known.
What it claims
The position of the BFRO (Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization) is that Bigfoot is a real, as yet scientifically unidentified, large-bodied primate species that lives in the forested regions of North America. Among other things, the organization regards eyewitness accounts, footprint casts and audio recordings as evidence. The scientific community does not consider these sufficient to establish the existence of the species.
Official and skeptical view
Mainstream science does not recognize the existence of Bigfoot. According to skeptical researchers, the evidence can typically be traced back to misidentification, natural phenomena, known animals or hoaxes, and verifiable physical evidence, such as bodily remains or an unambiguous DNA sample, is lacking. Critics also fault the organization's methodology, because the verification of reports rests largely on the credibility of the witnesses.