A Bradford resident who spends his free time studying out-of-the-ordinary topics told The Era on Friday that photos such as the ones Rick Jacobs of Elk County captured with a trail camera “open up the discussion” on the unknown.

“Pennsylvania has always been an amazing, interesting place for Bigfoot sightings,” said Scott Corrales, cryptozoologist — one who studies animals believed to exist, but there’s no conclusive evidence on their existence.

Regarding rampant speculation that the creature in the pictures is a bear with mange, Corrales didn’t discount the possibility, but said, “We have so many black bears in our area, we just want to say ‘it’s a bear’ and go from there.

“If we had witnesses and photos, it would be more convincing,” he said. “The bar for claiming the spectacular has been raised. People are saying ‘a photo isn’t enough to believe you.’”

He said an argument between skeptics and believers exists now and likely always will. That debate will probably continue until a “dead Bigfoot” is brought in for study.

“But what if it’s the last of its kind? Ultimately it will have to be a piece of Bigfoot or nothing at all,” Corrales said.

However, he warns against scores of people running off into the woods to see what they can find — after all, Pennsylvania is known for its hunting seasons.

“Starting some kind of panic in the woods with all the hunters would be a mistake,” he said.

Whatever is in the woods — a Bigfoot, a bear with mange, whatever is shown in the photos — there is a possibility that it’s always been there, Corrales said.

He explained Bigfoot sightings have been reported in the Laurel Highlands and Pittsburgh areas for years.

“If these are migrating creatures, why can’t they migrate north? Has the drought in southern Pennsylvania sent them north? You can’t dismiss it out of hand.”

And neither can one easily dismiss a person who seems to be seeking answers — such as Jacobs, who told The Era Thursday he just wanted to know what was in the pictures.

“Most stories center around the individual ... self-aggrandizing — ‘there I was surrounded by these things’,” Corrales said, adding Jacobs doesn’t appear to be doing that at all.

“Bigfoot has become such a recognizable icon that it no longer matters if it is real,” he said, explaining the image of the creature has appeared in television, movies, advertising and on products. “The Army Corps of Engineers has even declared it a protected species in the Pacific Northwest. There’s a fine if you kill one.

“I have to give it the benefit of the doubt.”

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