EDMONTON (CP) - The envelope containing coarse dark-brown hair arrived Monday morning at David Coltman's University of Alberta lab complete with its own wildlife export permit - clearly labelled "Sasquatch sample."
Well, we'll see, Coltman said. "We already have a fairly high confidence that it's a bison." But that won't stop Coltman and his associates from putting the hair, scooped off the forest floor in Teslin, Yukon, through rigorous DNA testing just in case it does come from the legendary creature.
"That," he said, "would be the most fantastic outcome."
The sample was plucked from the bush earlier this month close to where several people heard - and swear they saw - a large, dark, hairy creature late one evening. One person, on the way to the bathroom, told reporters the creature was standing in the brush and watching.
There's also a large unusual footprint. Some say it's a moose that slipped in the mud; others that it's a sasquatch.
The hair, however, will tell the tale. Although wildlife scientists in the Yukon have already examined it and pronounced it as coming from a bison - not Bigfoot - Coltman's study will be definitive.
"We do this sort of thing routinely," said the wildlife geneticist.
His usual research involves tracking wildlife bloodlines, which allow researchers to answer questions such as how freely different populations mix. He's also made discoveries about how trophy hunting of bighorn sheep actually leads to animals with smaller and smaller horns.
Although his current subject material is a little different, the methodology for the sasquatch hair will be the same as any of his other studies.
The DNA material will be separated from the rest of the hair with a chemical solution. Then, the order in which the various genes appear will be examined. That sequence will be compared with published sequences of other animals.
"If this is a bison, it will give us a 100 per cent match."
If the match is close, but not exact, molecular biology technician Corey Davis will create a diagram of all the organisms the sample DNA is closest to. If all the near-matches are also bison, or other related ungulates, the sample is also likely to be a bison.
If the hair doesn't match anything, it's from something new. Results are expected mid-week.
Coltman's team members takes the science seriously, but they're also unaware their current project may be of more interest to supermarket tabloids than scientific journals.
"David came in and said, 'Do you want to do a little project that'll break your summer up?' " said Davis, who delayed his holidays to do the sasquatch study.
"I told him I'd only do it for giggles."
For Coltman, it's a chance to get science into the popular press - and have a little fun.
He's also aware that even a negative finding won't dissuade the true believers.
"That only goes so far in convincing some people," he said.
He's even prepared to accept that his results may not be the final word on what those folks in Teslin actually saw.
"Even if (the hair) matches a bison, it doesn't mean they didn't see a Bigfoot.
"They just picked up the hair of a bison."
