City of Amarillo, Texas, Asks for Help Solving Mystery of "Dogman" Photo

The photo posted anonymously to Reddit. *(Segu1n / Reddit)*

In a press release published to their website, the City of Amarillo has asked its citizens to come forward and help solve the mystery of an unusual photograph reportedly taken via trail camera at the Amarillo Zoo.

The photo was first posted anonymously last month to social media site Reddit by someone who said that it was originally shared by an employee of the zoo in a private zookeeper group on Facebook.

The person who posted it to Reddit said the Facebook group is "meant to be a resource for keepers getting to know each other when they visit each others’ facilities," and that the original poster's other posts in the group "go back at least a year and are all just normal animal keeper type posts."

According to the anonymous poster, the zookeeper who shared the image to Facebook said the image was caught on a trail camera pointed at a perimeter fence and they decided to share it after being unable to figure out what it was.

There is no accompanying video or other photos; the photo shared to social media is reportedly the only one captured by the trail cam.

The photo itself appears to show a mysterious bipedal figure standing outside of a security fence. The figure’s head is oddly shaped and resembles a canine with upright ears and a long muzzle, which quickly led to speculation among cryptid enthusiasts that the trail cam had captured a dogman.

Dogman is said to be a bipedal canine monster reported everywhere from Australia to the United States.

Another immediate, more skeptical, speculation regarding the photograph was that it featured someone in a costume, possibly even as part of a hoax perpetrated by an employee of the Amarillo Zoo.

Still others, like cryptozoologist Ken Gerhard, have speculated that the figure could be a misidentification.

"If not an outright fabrication, I initially thought it might be an optical illusion involving a coyote (or perhaps two) facing away from the camera," Gerhard said in a post to Facebook.

Upon closer examination, the object displays an obvious lack of biological symmetry. For example, if you enlarge it, you will see that the black line that appears to resemble the space between two legs actually dissects the object completely. What appears to be a "head" and "arms" also lack the expected form we might see from an animal, unless there is significant blurring resulting from motion—in which case there's an unlikely chance it's an owl in flight perhaps. Most likely, the object could merely be debris blowing by (the wind was 16mph that night).

"I once observed a large garbage bag stuck on a fence post on a windy day—and from a distance it looked exactly like a huge bird flapping its wings," he added.

On June 8th, over two weeks after the photo was first shared, the City of Amarillo published a tongue-in-cheek press release to their website, asking for help in identifying whoever—or whatever— is responsible for the mysterious figure.

In the dark and early morning hours of May 21 (around 1:25 a.m.), security cameras inside a perimeter fence at the Amarillo Zoo captured a strange image outside the zoo.
Was it a person with a strange hat who likes to walk at night? A large coyote on its hind legs? A Chupacabra? It is a mystery—for Amarillo to help solve.
For now, the strange visitor is a UAO – Unidentified Amarillo Object. However, perhaps Amarillo has a better explanation.
In the spirit of fun if not curiosity, the City of Amarillo is letting the public offer ideas on the identity of the UAO. (Video footage is not available.)
“We just want to let the Amarillo community have some fun with this,” said City of Amarillo (COA) Director of Parks and Recreation Michael Kashuba. “It is important to note that this entity was outside the Amarillo Zoo. There were no signs of attempted entry into the zoo. No animals or individuals were harmed. There were no signs of criminal activity or vandalism.”
“It is definitely a strange and interesting image. Maybe Amarillo can help solve the mystery of our UAO.”
Have an idea about Amarillo’s UAO? Let us know via the COA communications office at publiccommunications@amarillo.gov or respond on related COA social media posts.

The City of Amarillo’s response has some wondering if they’re involved in hoaxing the photograph.

It’s not unusual for local government to participate in hoaxed sightings to get attention for various projects, or sometimes just for fun.

In July of 2017, the Round Rock Parks and Recreation Department in Round Rock, Texas, admitted that Bigfoot prints supposedly found in the area by park rangers were actually part of a viral marketing campaign to promote Old Settlers Park.

And in January of 2020, the Washington State Department of Transportation East’s (WSDOT East) Twitter account began tweeting prankish photographs of a “sasquatch” that was later revealed to be a cardboard cutout.

Then, in March of 2020, the Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area in Tulsa, Oklahoma, shared a number of posts to their Facebook page from people who claimed to have photographed a hairy humanoid while out hiking. Those photographs were later revealed to be part of a campaign to promote social distancing rules in place at the park.

To report your own encounter with the impossible, reach out to us directly at the Singular Fortean Society through our contact page.

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