Greetings, Fark.com fans! After you've assimilated the tall tale of the Murrel, consider checking out this story. It's about a real Arcata Community Forest mystery. – Ed.

Kevin L. Hoover

Mad River Union

ARCATA – Two very large pieces of news are about to rock our world.

One is the human-sized squirrel roaming about the Arcata Community Forest. The other is the shame and embarrassment soon to engulf academia, the scientific world, wildlife agencies, book publishers and the news media for their craven ridicule of the courageous scientist who tried to tell them the truth about the Murrel, whose working scientific name is Ratufa Murellae.

Dr. James Daniels, Ph.D, is the lone voice in the wilderness trying to alert the world about the “Redwood Man Squirrel.” According to his website, registered anonymously on July 26, savethemurrel.org, Daniels has spent years collecting reports from “dozens of bewildered eyewitnesses” of the mega-squirrel seen in Arcata’s redwood forest.

A terse but tantalizing email from Dr. Daniels to the Union on July 30 inquired, “This is potentially a huge story, why isn’t it being covered? I am available for an interview anytime.”

The message came with a “Save the Murrel” flyer announcing a $1 million reward, reportedly funded by a private donor and kept in a trust, which the website says is for information leading to the Murrel’s humane capture.

Daniels presents rock-solid proof of the Murrel’s existence, including a “night vision field cam” image of the massive Man Squirrel, plus multiple anonymous testimonials.

The beast is impressive. With six-inch footprints, it stands as high as a human being and runs on two legs at more than 40 miles per hour, according to “I.D.” of Eureka. I.D.’s sandwich was nabbed by the massive animal in Redwood Park, after which it ran up a redwood tree. “S.D.” of Arcata had a similarly harrowing encounter while on an evening walk in the woods with his wife. They happened upon a Murrel eating a dead blackbird. “When it noticed us, it let out a loud hiss and ran up a nearby tree with incredible speed and agility.”

The dozens of eyewitness reports are only part of the “mounds of evidence collected over the years,” by Dr. Daniels. Alas, requests for an interview were declined due to his poor health. But a research assistant, Steve Neill, described the data mound: “We have forensic evidence: Footprint castings, scat, trail cam photos, and eyewitness reports but, until we have a specimen to test, there is no empirical scientific evidence. Because we were unable to secure official permission to place trail cams in the community forest, we did it illegally and cannot disclose their exact placement.”

Neill added that the Daniels team is “quite disappointed with the lack of media coverage.” That news blackout would seem even more remarkable given the massive popularity of Dr. Daniels’ book, Murrels in the Moonlight, which the cover describes as an “international bestseller.”

But Neill said the book is still being drafted, and Daniels’ other work is accessible. “Murrels in the Moonlight is currently in the early stages of editing and despite the 'international bestseller' claim at the top, has not been printed, I will see about getting you a copy when it’s done.”

Also inaccessible are records of, or for that matter any online trace of, the proceedings of the International Rodentia Symposium in Brussels, where Dr. Daniels is depicted giving a keynote speech. And that’s no accident. Neill says the symposium “was a small, private gathering of colleagues, close friends, and peers of Dr. Daniels because he has been ostracized by most mainstream academic and scientific bodies and institutions.”

Hopes for a look at the evidence mound, and maybe even a glimpse of Dr. Daniels, ran high last Thursday Aug. 1.” I don’t think that will be a problem, Jim has it under lock and key but I will be seeing him tomorrow and will talk to him about it.” But the weekend came and went with no further communication from Daniels’ quarter. But that’s understandable. “He has been battling Diverticulitis and is in a great deal of pain,” Neill said.

That left others to weigh in on the Murrel, including Dr. Bruce O’Gara, professor of Zoology and chair of Humboldt State’s Biological Sciences department. He noted that supersized versions of smaller mammals are well documented, citing the now-extinct Megatherium (Megatherium americanum), an elephant-sized sloth.

O’Gara speculated that despite its external resemblance to a standard-issue squirrel – one with blowing ball-like eyes and paws the size of a catcher’s mitt – the Murrel would have to have evolved internally to scale up from seven inches to six feet in height. “There would have to be modifications to the skeleton and bones to take the loads,” he said. Also, he said, “an animal that large is going to need a lot to eat.”

Any impacts on the Arcata Community Forest by Murrels, and even their presence there, hasn't been discussed by the city's Forest Management Committee – potentially confirming to those who have suspicions the environmental establishment's refusal to acknowledge the animal's existence.

Despite skepticism, praise from such esteemed scientists as Dr. Jane Goodale and the late Dr. John Bindernagle help Daniels soldier on through the fog of hostility and ignorance. “The negative feedback has mainly come from those within the scientific community, media and wildlife management agencies that he has attempted to receive resources, funding, information and testing from,” Neill said. “What you’re experiencing is a small sampling of the mockery and contempt we have had aimed at us... It simply sounds crazy but, a few of us know otherwise.”

Witnesses are asked to report Murrel encounters to [email protected].

UPDATE, Aug. 6

Despite years of research on the Redwood Man Squirrels in the Arcata Community Forest, Dr. Daniels' team was unaware of the Forest Management Committee's existence. Said Neill, "I have not heard of these folks but will look into it."

The savethemurrel.org website has been reorganized, though there isn't much in terms of new content. There is a "Latest News" page, which includes this statement: "Unwilling to wait for an ailing Dr. Daniels to conduct an interview, the Mad River Union decided to join the chorus of mockery and ridicule with an article clearly written for their own amusement. The author certainly did his job as a journalist and responded with the proper skepticism, given the nature of the subject matter but contributed nothing positive to the ongoing effort to secure conservation for The Murrel."

Questions about where Dr. Daniels obtained his Master's Degree and doctorate elicited this response from Neill: "We saw your article, Jim is pretty pissed off at you, which really is the last thing he needs right now but, you will be hearing directly from him soon enough and you can ask him yourself."

As to when Dr. Daniels would be available for interview, Neill said: "I don't know what the recovery time is for an 81-year-old man with severe diverticulitis is. He is having surgery Thursday, we'll know better by the weekend how is recovery is progressing."

Neill also corrected the Man Squirrel's Latin name, which he'd previously misspelled: "'Ratufa', not 'Rafuta' - Ratufa Murrelae."

Further, Team Daniels says it has a suspected Murrel skull, which is undergoing testing.

Finally, Daniels sent along this message through Neill: "Although I'm not particularly happy with the presentation and characterization of my research by the Mad River Union, I have to put my ego aside and show some semblance of gratitude for the exposure. How I and my team are portrayed is not as important as bringing awareness to this cause. I strongly urge caution to anyone attempting to search for and confront this animal, it may look 'cute' but it's [sic] temperament is quite the opposite. Travel in groups, stay on designated trails, if searching at night, bring adequate lighting and do NOT bring food with you, as both documented attacks on Humans have centered around food sources. Turn on your phone's GPS and if you see the creature, note the time of day, the nature of the encounter and document the location of the sighting. Email or phone in your report, the pertinent contact information can be found at www.savethemurrel.org,"

Further updates are likely to this developing story...















