Geographical Index > United States > Florida > Charlotte County > Report # 445
(Class A)
Submitted by witness B.D. on Thursday, October 12, 2000.
Boy Scouts have sighting while camping at Quednau Ranch
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YEAR: 1962
SEASON: Summer MONTH: August DATE: 15 STATE: Florida COUNTY: Charlotte County LOCATION DETAILS: Quednau Ranch in the early 1960's
About a few miles south of the Creek that the cattle watered at. Inside the pines area-Not in the North end of Ranch where we tented .
NEAREST TOWN: Murdoch , FL NEAREST ROAD: Now is I-75 OBSERVED: lived all my life with the
Tampa Area as home, still do. While on a boy-Scout campout with Troop 232 of the Good Luthern church on Dale Mabry hwy. in Tampa , at Murdoch area , the strangest smell and other non-visual clues were attributed to Sulpher
Water. When out the second night, in the distance , during initiation , R. E. and I saw something really big , really quick moving ,and emitting a high pitched scream , almost a shreak . It was running into the woods on two legs, and moving very fast. It was after mid - night , we had been taken out from camp by the Troop as New to the Scouts.As cubscouts we were somewhat prepared. As Tampa Bay Westshore residents , we were little woodsmen already , and whatever that object
was we chalked up to the bigger Scouts .
The Troopmaster worked at the Budwiser Brewery , lived near Chamberlain
We never returned to the 'Glades area to innitiate troops , nor to even camp.
OTHER WITNESSES: one other boy scout--R.E.
OTHER STORIES: Stationed in Vietnam. Encountered apes, about the size of the N. Vietnamise. We called them "Rock Apes". An ape that threw rocks and would sneak around the camp at night. Walked around on two legs.
former Marine can tell the ape of the woods truth better. It was at a different time for him , near area , in Cambodia/Laos region.
ENVIRONMENT: It was dark , we were afraid , which was unusual
for us. Pine woods
Follow-up investigation report:
Primary BFRO Investigator--Linda Jacobson
The Witness made reference in correspondence to periodic attacks on troops in Laos and Cambodia by Rock Apes. He says he has begun to search for a few more (people) who know/knew of the Strange Jungle People {Rock-Apes).
A Capt. F. had more close encounters with the Rock-Apes. It is my (the witnesses) suspicion these creatures are what we encountered (in Tampa). Capt. F. had a longer lasting and more intense experiences with them over the border (Laos and Cambodia).
The encounters the witness had with the Rock Apes overseas caused him to remember his encounter while growing up in the States (Tampa 1962).
My research into the Rock Apes are inconclusive and ongoing. While Rock Apes the common name of a tail-less monkey known as the Barbary Macaques a monkey that is found wild in Morocco and Algeria, it is not the same creature known to have pelted and surprised troops in Laos and Cambodia while dug in under cover. Vets write me:
Rock apes were just that, apes of some sort. They were rarely seen, but the evidence of them could confuse the casual observer. Every morning for two or three days me and my bud would wake up and find that someone had taken a dump on the roof of our outpost bunker. We were very secluded in the deepest jungle so when we saw this we simply accused each other of the crime. Very disharmonious for sure. A few days later, at our base camp, we were harassing each other about it when someone overheard us and concluded that the actual culprit must have been a Rock Ape. It took us more than a few minutes to believe him. I've never seen one, but I know they're mischievous critters...and they must be pretty big.
A Marine said:
My name is J., I was with the Marine Corps in 68, with Mike Company 3rd Bn. 5th Marines, the term Rock Ape, well its not human for sure, it's a Monkey that was in the area of Monkey Mountain, just outside of Da Nang, whenever we were in the mountains this ape would somehow get above us and throw rocks at us as we sat in an ambush, they are a strong creature,and many a Marine got his butt kicked by one. Hope this has helped you, if I find a picture of one I'll be sure to get it off to you
Another Marine wrote:
Not sure if you got your answer but a Rock Ape is an animal. It was rumored that they would throw rocks and that's how they got their name. They lived in the mountainous areas that were heavily jungled and would move around in the trees at night scaring the hell out of you.
One story I have is of a marine in his foxhole when all of a sudden a rock ape stuck his head up over the berm of the hole. The Marine screamed of course scaring everyone in camp and the rock ape away.
Another:
Although I am not sure of their exact genus, the Rock Ape was very similar to a Chimp. They were rather small, but very powerful animals. The nickname comes from their habitat (and some say from their ability to use rocks as projectile weapons, ie throwing them).
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