Centre for Fortean Zoology (
CFZ) is an organisation dedicated to
cryptozoologyCryptozoology refers to the search for animals which are considered to be legendary or otherwise nonexistent by mainstream biology...
, and allied disciplines. It is a non-profit organisation registered with the British Government, and its Hon. Life President is the British explorer
John Blashford-SnellColonel John Nicholas Blashford-Snell OBE is a British army officer and explorer.John Blashford-Snell was educated at Victoria College, Jersey and at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, then commissioned into the Royal Engineers....
.
The Centre was founded in 1992 by
Jonathan DownesJonathan Downes is a cryptozoologist, author, film-maker, journalist, composer and singer-songwriter, with a background in radical politics and mental health care. He is Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology.His father, the explorer and Colonial Service Officer J. T...
. In 2005, Downes inherited his family home in rural North Devon, and the organisation relocated there; they are in the process of building a visitor's centre complete with a museum, laboratory and library.
Centre for Fortean Zoology (
CFZ) is an organisation dedicated to
cryptozoologyCryptozoology refers to the search for animals which are considered to be legendary or otherwise nonexistent by mainstream biology...
, and allied disciplines. It is a non-profit organisation registered with the British Government, and its Hon. Life President is the British explorer
John Blashford-SnellColonel John Nicholas Blashford-Snell OBE is a British army officer and explorer.John Blashford-Snell was educated at Victoria College, Jersey and at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, then commissioned into the Royal Engineers....
.
The Permanent Directorate of the Centre for Fortean Zoology
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Hon. Life President:
Colonel John Blashford-SnellColonel John Nicholas Blashford-Snell OBE is a British army officer and explorer.John Blashford-Snell was educated at Victoria College, Jersey and at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, then commissioned into the Royal Engineers....
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| Director: Jonathan Downes Jonathan Downes is a cryptozoologist, author, film-maker, journalist, composer and singer-songwriter, with a background in radical politics and mental health care. He is Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology.His father, the explorer and Colonial Service Officer J. T...
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| Deputy Director: Graham Inglis |
Zoological Director:
Richard FreemanRichard Freeman is a cryptozoologist, author, zoological journalist, and WebTV Presenter. He is also Zoological Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology , and co-edits both the journal, Animals & Men and several editions of the annual CFZ Yearbook...
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Assistant Director/Resident Artist:
Mark North |
Administrative Director:
Corinna Newton DownesCorinna Newton Downes is a novelist, author, zoological journalist, zoo owner, conservationist, and administrator. She is currently Administrative Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology, and is married to CFZ Director Jonathan Downes.She was born Corinna Newton James in 1956, and married first...
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| Ecologist: Oll Lewis |
| Fundraiser: Suzi Marsh |
| Charity advisor: Matthew Osborne |
| Trainee: Ross Braund-Phillips |
Technician: David Phillips
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The Centre was founded in 1992 by
Jonathan DownesJonathan Downes is a cryptozoologist, author, film-maker, journalist, composer and singer-songwriter, with a background in radical politics and mental health care. He is Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology.His father, the explorer and Colonial Service Officer J. T...
. In 2005, Downes inherited his family home in rural North Devon, and the organisation relocated there; they are in the process of building a visitor's centre complete with a museum, laboratory and library.
The publishing arm of the CFZ is a company called
CFZ PressCFZ Press is a publishing company run in conjunction with the Centre for Fortean Zoology . They specialise in publishing non-fiction books and magazines about cryptozoology and allied disciplines....
, which claims to be the largest publisher of books on cryptozoology in the world. Since 2000, the CFZ has promoted an annual conference called
The Weird WeekendThe Weird Weekend is an annual conference hosted by the Centre for Fortean Zoology in rural North Devon. Founded in 2000, it is a fundraiser for the CFZ.-History:...
. In 2006, after six years in Exeter, the conference was moved to rural
North DevonNorth Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in Barnstaple. Other towns and villages in the North Devon district include Braunton, Fremington, Ilfracombe, Instow, South Molton, Lynton and Lynmouth....
as well. In 2006 the CFZ announced plans for a web-based TV station called CFZtv .
Fortean Zoology
The primary focus of the CFZ involves unknown animals, or cryptozoology, but the CFZ also examines unusual and aberrant
animal behaviorEthology is the scientific study of animal behavior, and a sub-topic of zoology....
, animal mutilations (on which subject they have worked closely with several British police forces),
animal colour variantsAnimal colouration has been a topic of interest and research in biology for well over a century. Colours may be cryptic Animal colouration has been a topic of interest and research in biology for well over a century. Colours may be cryptic Animal colouration has been a topic of interest and...
,
teratologyTeratology is the study of abnormalities of physiological development. It is often thought of as the study of birth defects, but it is much broader than that, taking in other developmental stages, such as puberty; and other life forms, such as plants...
, animal
folkloreFolklore is the body of expressive culture, including stories, music, dance, legends, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, customs, and so forth within a particular population comprising the traditions of that culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which...
, and such classic Fortean staples as
creature fallsRaining animals is a rare meteorological phenomenon, although occurrences have been reported from many countries throughout history. One hypothesis that has been offered to explain this phenomenon is that strong winds travelling over water sometimes pick up creatures such as fish or frogs, and...
(fafrotskies), and
vampireVampires are legendary creatures said to subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, generally by drinking their blood. Although typically described as undead, some minor traditions believed in vampires that were living people....
/
werewolfA werewolf or werwolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely, by being bitten or scratched by another werewolf, or after being placed under a curse...
reports. This is why the organisation refers to itself as the "Centre for Fortean Zoology", rather than any moniker including the word "Cryptozoology".
Mystery Animals
The CFZ studies the various aspects of cryptozoology and allied disciplines, and have introduced a new three tier concept to aid
classificationAlpha taxonomy is the science of finding, describing and categorising organisms, thus leading to the recognition of proposed taxonomic groups, or taxa , which may then be named....
and analysis of unknown animals.
Cryptids
Cryptozoology is the study of hidden or unknown animals belonging to species wholly or partly unknown to science, often collectively called 'cryptids'.
Pseudo-cryptids
Many researchers are interested in a related category of mystery animals often dubbed
pseudo-cryptids, which are not strictly part of cryptozoology. This is one reason why Downes formulated the portmanteau discipline of Fortean zoology.
These creatures are animals which are out of place, i.e., known
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
which by accident and/or
artificial introduction'Invasive species' is a phrase with several definitions. The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically...
living where would not normally expect to find them—one good example being
alien big catsPhantom cats, also known as Alien Big Cats , are large felines, such as jaguars or cougars, which have been purported to appear in regions outside their indigenous range...
said to live in British
moorlandMoorland or moor is a type of habitat found in upland areas, characterised by low growing vegetation on acidic soils. Moorland nowadays generally means uncultivated hill land , but the Old English mōr also refers to low-lying wetlands...
s.
However, not all out-of-place animals occur because of human intervention. Some are the result of accidental migration due to inclement weather or unusual marine currents. They are often known animal species that seem to be dramatically increasing their geographical range.
Other pseudo-cryptids include outsized or oddly coloured individual or groups of animals of a known species. A good example of a pseudo-cryptid would be the golden frogs of the United Kingdom which are the subject of a current CFZ research project.
Zooform phenomena
The third cryptozoological category consists of
zooform phenomena. These are not animals at all, but entities or apparitions which adopt or seem to have (quasi)animal form. This is where we (at least to some extent) enter
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction. It differs from fantasy in that, within the context of the story, its imaginary elements are largely possible within scientifically-established or scientifically-postulated laws of nature...
territory. In many ways, these elusive and contentious entities have plagued cryptozoology since its inception, and tend to be dismissed by mainstream science as thoroughly unworthy of consideration. Zooform phenomena seem to be a strange blend of
paranormalParanormal is a general term that describes unusual experiences that lack a scientific explanation, or phenomena alleged to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
manifestation and
mythologyMythology is the study of myths and or of a body of myths. For example, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece. The term "myth" is often used colloquially to refer to a false story;...
.
However,
Jonathan DownesJonathan Downes is a cryptozoologist, author, film-maker, journalist, composer and singer-songwriter, with a background in radical politics and mental health care. He is Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology.His father, the explorer and Colonial Service Officer J. T...
, who first coined the term in 1990, maintains that many zooform phenomena result from complex
psychosocialThe term psychosocial refers to one in psychological development in and interaction with a social environment. The individual is not necessarily fully aware of this relationship with his or her environment. It was first commonly used by psychologist Erik Erikson in his stages of social development...
and sociological phenomena, and suggests that to classify all such phenomena as "paranormal" in origin is counterproductive. A good example of a zooform phenomenon would be the Owlman of Mawnan.
Foreign Expeditions
CFZ members have carried out expeditions to:
- Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world .-Etymology:Sumatra was known in ancient times by the Sanskrit...
(2003,2004 and 2009)
- Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It borders Russia to the north and the People's Republic of China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only 24 miles from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator,...
(2005)
- Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is a self-governing unincorporated territory of the United States located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of the Virgin Islands...
(1998 and 2004)
- Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
(1998)
- Thailand
The Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia.It is bordered to the north by Laos and Burma, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Burma...
(2000)
- Florida
Florida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
(1998)
- Nevada
Nevada is a state located in the western region of the United States. The capital is Carson City and the largest city is Las Vegas. The state's nickname is Silver State, due to the large number of silver deposits that were discovered and mined there...
(1999 and 2003)
- Texas
Texas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
(2003 and 2004)
- Illinois
Illinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
(2004)
- The Gambia
The Gambia , commonly known as Gambia, is a country in Western Africa. The Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, bordered to the north, east, and south by Senegal, and has a small coast on the Atlantic Ocean in the west.Its borders roughly correspond to the path of the Gambia River,...
(2006)
- Guyana
Guyana officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana and previously known as British Guiana, is a state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean.Guyana was discovered in 1498 by the Europeans,Guyana's past is punctuated by battles fought and won,...
(2007)
- Russia
Russia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
(2008)
UK Based Investigations
- Martin Mere
Martin Mere is a mere near Burscough, Lancashire, England on the West Lancashire Coastal Plain. The mere is a vast marsh, around grid reference that, until it was drained, was the largest body of fresh water in England....
(2002)
- Cannock
Cannock is the largest town of the three in the district of Cannock Chase in the central southern part of the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands region of England.Cannock forms the largest constituent part of the Cannock/Great Wyrley Urban Area....
(2003)
- Bolam Lake (2004)
- Loch Morar
Loch Morar is a freshwater loch in Morar, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is the fifth largest loch in Scotland, with a surface area of . It is also the deepest freshwater body in the British Isles, with a maximum depth of .Loch Morar is of glacial origin with very steep sides and a length of...
(2005)
- Lake District
The Lake District, also known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a rural area in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous for its lakes and its mountains , and its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth and the Lake Poets.The central and...
(2006)
- Llangorse Lake
Llangorse Lake is the largest natural lake in south Wales, and is situated within in the Brecon Beacons National Park , near to the town of Brecon and the village of Llangors....
(2006)
Publications
The Centre publishes a journal entitled
Animals & Men, which was founded in 1994.
Animals & Men covers a wide range of phenomena that fall into the broad category of
CryptozoologyCryptozoology refers to the search for animals which are considered to be legendary or otherwise nonexistent by mainstream biology...
.
Additionally, the Centre annually publishes the CFZ Yearbook; there have been nine issues thus far.