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Location: McArthur River, Australia
A mine alongside the McArthur River, owned by Xstrata, have stated that they wish to convert to an open cut mine. This would involve diverting the river. Local people are concerned that this would disrupt the dreaming of the rainbow serpent and cause the serpent to become unsettled (potentially bringing floods and storms).
Location: England / Gambia
The UK Centre for Fortean Zoology sent a team to Gambia to find the mythical ninki-nanka. This creature was said to live in the swamps of the region. The team was lead by Richard Freeman. They did not manage to find the dragon and discovered that the accounts of the creature did not agree on its appearance.
Freeman’s concluding comments were “We haven’t discounted the possibility that there is a flesh and blood ninki-nanka in the swamps of West Africa, it’s just at the moment the evidence is pointing to something more folkloric”.
Sources:
BBC
Location: USA
‘The Economist’ announced the intentions of a Californian company, GeneDupe, to create genetically engineered dragons. The company would make use of advanced computer modelling techniques. By simulating virtual evolution, they could produce the genomes of mythical creatures. Once these theoretical genomes were produced, it would just be the case of manipulating a real animal’s genome to match it.
Location: England
In 2004 Allistair Mitchell claimed to find a baby dragon preserved in a jar. It was claimed to date from the 1890s, having been created by the Germans. It was dismissed as a hoax by the Natural History Museum. Mitchell admitted that he had done it get his book published. It seemed to have worked, as he was signed to Waterstones. The baby dragon was created by Crawley Creatures.
Location: New Zealand
Dates: November (2002) to January (2003)
The building of the State Highway One was halted after local Maori, the Ngati Naho, complained that it would destroy the home of Karu Tahi, a one-eyed taniwha. The company, Transit New Zealand, took this seriously and halted for discussions with the Maori. An agreement was reached to protect the taniwha’s lair. The provisions including making the incline leading up to the road steeper, so that less of the swamp would be disrupted. The drainage was also changed so that water would not be drained away from the swampland. The changes added extra costs to the road project, but both sides seemed happy with the agreement. Hopefully the taniwha is too!
Sources:
BBC
New Zealand News Items