It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
Originally posted by maxhile
My mother was born and raised in the small town of Everglades City Florida, where she went to school with the famed panther tracker David Shealy and his brother Jack. They have all been friends for several years while growing up in the sparcely populated town where the skunk ape legend originates, needless to say my mother knows David personally. He had in fact drove my mother to the collier county hospital at eleven o' clock at night to Naples on january the 12th of 1987 where she gave birth to me. Though the Shealy family were not very popular in these parts, residents in Everglades know David Shealy all too well, and say that he is just a little on the crazy side, and laugh at the very mentioning of his name. One day back in july of 1998, my mother drove me to see his florida panther gift shop off of the deserted tamiami trail where he had two giant pythons, several baby gators and the all popular skunkape footprint molds, pictures, and memorabilia. After listening to his seemingly convincing stories for an hour about how he tracked and photographed the skunk ape at literally 50 feet away, I started probing for more information and other possible witnessing of this mystical being. Before I even started my investigation, my mother put an end to it adbruptly stating "Oh that was just his brother in a gorilla costume". I wasn't 100% convinced with my mothers statement so I asked several locals in everglades city and neighboring city of naples along with all my family members who have known of david for a few more months and got the same unsatisfying story from EVERYONE "it was just his brother". Disappointed with my findings, I eventually got the courage up to ask David Shealy himself if it really was just a hoax. Expecting a defensive rant and more convincing he suprisingly started to laugh hysterically and admitted to the scam. He said that he and his brother along with some friends had conjured up the elaborate scheme while having a few tall ones around a fire on his campground, ultimately trying to get a rise out of the government and media. Though the government had dismissed the story and its evidence without any interest in it what so ever, they obviously succeeded in catching the medias attention along with some of its impressionable viewers. After all the attention died down and not being able to profit off the skunk ape merchandise, David pretty much called it quits. Even after all the accusations and testimonies, he will still not admit publicly that it was all just a lie. There you have it, to those who have pondered, fantasized, and even actively pursued the legendary myth of the florida skunk ape, the story is in fact is just a story!
David Shealy and his brother Jack a.k.a. The Skunk Ape
vvoice.vo.llnwd.net...edit on 2-11-2010 by maxhile because: miss spellingedit on 2-11-2010 by maxhile because: (no reason given)