Original subtitles

Tonight on the proof is out there..

Is this Canada's answer to the Loch Ness monster?

- [Girl] What is it?

- [Tony] Are these rings part of a government conspiracy?

- [Tracy] This is some crazy stuff!

What is going on?

- [Tony] And is this snake a prehistoric predator?

- [Man] The natives live in great dread and fear

of this particular creature.

[Suspenseful orchestral music]

- [Tony] Around the globe are videos...

- [woman] What the heck is this?

- [Tony] Photos, and sounds that defy explanation.

[Low humming]

- [Man] Is it some kind of unidentified object?

- [Man] A plane that was literally frozen in the air.

- [Tony] What are they?

- [Man] Some sort of bizarre mutation.

- Extraordinary claims need extraordinary proof.

- I'm Tony Harris.

And as a journalist for more than 30 years,

I've followed the facts where they take me.

Now, I'm bringing that spirit of investigation

to the world's strangest sounds and images.

[Creature squealing]

We'll analyze each one with top experts.

- It's a credible case, it's a credible video.

- [Tony] And pass a verdict on what it is.

- This clearly was clearly faked.

- "The proof" starts now.

Good evening, and welcome to "the proof is out there."

We start with a legendary snakelike creature

out of Canada,

similar to Scotland's Loch Ness monster.

Are these new videos proof of the water demon named ogopogo?

June 2019, British Columbia, Canada.

Businessman Jim larocque is enjoying

a day on the shore of lake skaha,

when suddenly...

- outta nowhere, I just heard

a swoosh-swoosh-swoosh sound.

- [Tony] He scrambles for his phone.

- And I was like, "oh my god,

"hopefully I can get this on video,

"'cause no one's ever gonna believe me about this."

And as I was recording it, my daughter's like, "what is it?

"What is it?"

- [Girl] What is it?

Dave, what is it?

- [Tony] Let's get a closer look.

It's that series of small waves

moving as if they're being caused by something serpentine

undulating below the surface.

Jim believes he's just captured more than waves.

He says this is the elusive creature known as ogopogo.

- In my head, I was like, "that thing is massive

"and it's gotta be, something that big, must be the ogopogo

"they talked about for years around here."

- [Tony] Just an hour north in lake okanagan

in July of 2018, a similar video.

- Do you see that? - Yes!

- [Tony] A teenager spots what he thinks

might just be the mysterious lake monster.

- What the heck? - What is that thing?

- [Boy] I have no clue.

- [Tony] In this footage,

you can clearly see more than waves.

It looks like it could be the creature's dorsal side,

and it's moving.

- I think this is some of the best

lake monster footage I've ever seen.

- [Tony] Field researcher Ken gerhard

says first nation tribes have described the beast

as long and serpentine, larger than anything

that should live in a freshwater lake.

- This is exactly what hundreds of eyewitnesses

of the ogopogo have described,

and it's actually very similar

to descriptions of the Loch Ness monster

and other lake monsters around the world.

- Ogopogo is said to have a horse-like head,

could be dark green, brown,

a serpentine, snakelike body, a split tail,

a real, almost a snake monster.

The locals and some natives historically

thought ogopogo was a spirit of the water

and it required sacrifice.

So, they would drop chickens

and small animals into the water

before they crossed the lake

so that they wouldn't be eaten themselves.

- Some have also speculated that the ogopogo

might be a surviving member of a primitive species of whale

from the late eocene period,

which existed approximately 35 million years ago.

But here's the question:

Are these videos actual proof of ogopogo's existence?

Let's take a closer look.

- The first thing the human eye sees when they see this

is potentially a creature moving through the water.

- [Tony] Marine biologist Dr. Shea conger

is well-versed in hydrology, the study of waves.

To determine whether this could be

some kind of whale or fish, she looks for a trailing wake,

the kind a tail would make.

- I don't see any form of back-and-forth propelling motion

towards the end of the series of humps.

- [Tony] What about a sea serpent of some kind?

The humps of those waves are the clue.

- [Shea] If this were an animal

propelling itself through the water,

we would see these bumps move up and down in sequence.

Instead, what you see are the peaks of the waves

all hitting at the same time.

- So, this is what Dr. Conger's talking about.

Take a look at these waves.

Here, here, here,

here.

They're all peaking at about the same time.

Conger says that's proof this is no animal.

It's what happens seasonally

when lake layers of different temperatures and depths

pass over each other.

In fact, it has a name: The ogopogo effect.

- [Shea] This is a very basic propagating wave

making its way through the water,

rather than a biological animal.

- [Tony] But she's got a different take

on the other footage.

- What's compelling about this video

is it clearly shows a large object

in the middle of lake okanogan.

- [Tony] That's right,

conger believes there's actually something in the water.

Again, the waves are the proof.

- At times, you can see what appear to be

different structures or humps

that appear throughout the image as it moves.

What would make this video even more compelling

is if the object that I was seeing

was swimming against the current that we see in the video.

- [Tony] This thing is going with the current,

which widens the range of possibilities.

- I can conclude that this is either an object

like a log that's rotating as it moves through water

or this is an animal that's moving through the water column.

And so, to me, the footage is definitely genuine,

but it's the conclusion of what we're seeing

that is undefined for me.

[Pensive orchestral music]

- As for me, I believe underwater discoveries

are happening every day,

so it would be shortsighted to suggest

that it's impossible for an unknown animal to exist.

And that seems to be the case

in at least one of these videos,

as those sequential waves indicate.

Our verdict?

An unknown living animal is lurking

in the waters of British Columbia.

You know, sometimes you see something

you know all of your friends will never believe.

Well, it's a good thing everyone has a camera on their phone

because our next video shows something so strange

some believe it may be part of a government conspiracy

to control the weather or even our minds.

June 4th, 2020, just another day in Detroit, Michigan.

Tracy bell is walking to her car with a friend

as she catches a glimpse of something out of the ordinary.

- [Tracy] What is that?

This is some crazy stuff; What's goin' on?

- [Tony] Take a closer look.

It appears to be a dark ring-like formation

making its way through the clouds.

Unusual, for sure, but Tracy has her own idea

about what she's witnessing.

- [Tracy] Oh my gosh, the aliens have attacked.

- [Tony] That's not all.

Another we recorded in the skies over Moscow in 2018.

[Speaking Russian]

Then again in 2019 over a snowy field in Montana.

What are these?

Was Tracy bell right?

- [Tracy] Oh my gosh, the aliens have attacked.

- The fact that a person would jump immediately to ufos

isn't that far out in left field.

A lotta reports come in of people seeing ufos

enter into clouds and not come out.

So, are they using it for camouflage?

- [Tony] Some speculate these strange rings

are created by jets,

parts of a secret worldwide conspiracy known as chemtrails.

- Chemtrails, or chemical trails,

is also known as geoengineering or climate engineering.

- [Tony] Believers say what we assume to be normal contrails

are in fact laced with dangerous metals and chemicals,

which dissipate into the atmosphere.

- Heavy metals like aluminum, barium, strontium,

these are hitting us in ways

that are deleterious to our health and to the environment.

- But why?

The theory goes that governments

are doing this for nefarious purposes,

like weather modification, even population and mind control.

17% of people surveyed in an international study

said they believe governments are involved

in some sort of secret atmospheric program.

Is that what's going on here?

Or maybe these are alien ships masquerading as clouds.

We went to our video analyst,

Mark d'Antonio, to take a closer look.

Our first question: Is this a ufo?

- It really is pretty cool-looking.

Is it some kind of unidentified object?

What is this ring in the sky?

- [Tony] But d'Antonio says in his years of research,

ufo's come in various shapes,

triangles, cigars, orbs, but never rings.

- I've never seen one in association with a ufo report.

This doesn't fit the classic profile when it comes to a ufo.

- [Tony] So, if we're not looking at a ufo,

then could they be chemtrails?

- Chemtrails are typically described

as long, feathery material.

But in this case, it doesn't fit the profile

for the classic chemtrail spray

that we have been hearing about throughout our history.

- [Tony] So, are we looking at some sort of weather event?

We take that question

to atmospheric scientist Dr. Deanna hence,

who examines the video filmed by Tracy bell.

- It's at an altitude that's much lower

than all of the cloud that's around it.

And a perfectly circular thing

is not something you frequently see,

and especially not so low in the atmosphere.

- [Tony] And hence finds another glaring clue

which rules out a weather anomaly.

- Another thing was the ring's color.

The fact that it was so dark

doesn't suggest that it's made of water.

This is something that's more akin to smoke or soot,

something of that nature.

- [Tony] Okay, so we've narrowed it down to a smoke ring,

but what could possibly cause one so large?

D'Antonio has a theory.

- This object is potentially created

by a diesel engine. [Flames whooshing]

Diesel engines have a long, tall stack.

And when they start up,

they typically will expel a lotta black smoke,

vroom, and off they go. [Flames whooshing]

- [Tony] This video proves it.

Watch the formation of a smoke ring.

- As that plume is pushing through

all that colder air around it,

it's actually going to wrap up the smoke

that's already in that circular shape.

That combination creates that nice ring.

- So, there you have it.

It's likely these rings were created by a factory smokestack

or some sort of large engine.

The good news is that we're not looking

at a worldwide government conspiracy

or even something from another planet.

The bad news?

It's just more evidence of how we're polluting ours.

Our verdict, smoke rings.

- The Amazon basin is one of the most biodiverse

ecosystems on our planet.

Only a fraction of it has been researched,

and every year brings new scientific discoveries.

And in this video, did some local fishermen

discover proof of an ancient river legend?

It's march 2020,

a hot and humid day in the Brazilian Amazon.

Local fishermen are crossing the xingu river

when they encounter an extraordinary sight.

[Speaking Portuguese]

- [Tony] At first, it almost looks like waves or ripples,

but let's have a closer look.

It's some kind of gigantic snake.

This thing is nightmarish.

And by one estimate, it's 50 feet long.

Field research Ken gerhard says it immediately reminds him

of the legendary river serpent known as boiuna,

a gigantic mythical deity of South America.

- It's described as being an enormous black snake or serpent

and it's considered to be a guardian of sorts,

that it actually stands guard at certain sacred places.

- [Tony] But huge snakes aren't just part of folklore,

they're actually part of the amazonian fossil record.

This is the prehistoric predator titanoboa,

which measured more than 40 feet long,

its midsection as wide as a man's waist.

It weight over a ton and could stay underwater

for as long as 45 minutes.

- This thing did in fact exist and in this kind of habitat.

Who's to say that they're all gone?

- [Tony] The fossil record shows

that titanoboa went extinct millions of years ago.

But field researcher cliff barackman notes

that sometimes allegedly extinct species

turn up alive and well.

Example, the famous coelacanth fish.

- The coelacanth fish was thought to be extinct

for millions of years, like 20 million years,

until it was discovered in the 1930s

swimming around in the oceans off Indonesia.

So, we should expect to be discovering animals

that were either thought to be extinct

or are related to extinct animals.

- Wow.

Is the creature in the video some kind of relic species,

some extremely large cousin of the titanoboa

that somehow survived?

And when the amazonian tribespeople described boiuna,

the serpent river god,

could they really have been talking about something real?

We turn to our experts.

- I mean, this is extraordinary.

- [Tony] Wildlife biologist Lucy eckersley

finds the video remarkable.

- It could be that this snake

is a living relic of titanoboa,

some think they could trace its lineage

back to that enormous animal.

- [Tony] But she thinks the serpent

might be too big to be believed.

- I think that this is an incredible sighting

of an enormous snake, and I think that this video

has been stretched and manipulated

to make it look even more enormous than it really was.

- [Tony] So, we head back to forensic video analyst

Michael primeau to authenticate the footage.

- This video has left me baffled.

You have a rippling effect

that's consistent with the movements of the snake,

which is a level of consistency

that would be incredibly difficult to manufacture.

If it has been changed,

it's been changed to a minimal degree.

- [Tony] So, could it be a relative of titanoboa?

Marine biologist Dr. Shea conger

says that even if the video is totally legit,

the creature's distended midsection is key evidence.

- [Shea] It appears to have consumed a very large prey,

possibly a capybara or some type of ungulate.

From what we know about the titanoboa,

they primarily consumed fish.

- [Tony] Based on that dietary profile,

conger concludes this is a giant anaconda.

But interestingly, she is not prepared to dismiss the notion

that it could still be the god boiuna.

- The people that inhabit this area,

they have spent centuries living around these animals.

The division between the deity and the biological creature

are not two different things.

So, to deny the fact that this animal

may embody a regional deity or religious icon

is outside the scope of what science should do.

- So, with that guidance in mind,

our verdict: This is a giant anaconda.

And whether you wanna call it a predator,

a deity, or some combination of both

depends on how close you live to it.

While bigfoot gets all the attention,

North America is rich with legends

of humanoid beings of all shapes and sizes.

Native Americans across the continent

tells stories of small goblins who inhabit the forests.

Was one finally caught on camera?

May 2020, it's nightfall in saskatchewan, Canada.

In the pitch-black darkness, there's something amiss

in the yard across from this driveway.

- [Woman] The heck was that?

- [Tony] Let's push in and slow this down.

Something's hiding behind that rock.

- Every once in a while, it peeks its head out

and then goes back really fast,

then peeks his head out again and goes back really fast.

And then they turn the flashlight off,

wait a few moments, and turn it on and, poof, there it is.

- The shadow, if nothing else,

shows you that this thing really is there.

- [Tony] Numerous comments on the Internet

suggest the figure might be evidence

of the small creatures known as the mannegishi

in native American lore.

Legend has it they are hairy six-fingered goblins

without noses who capsize canoes

and steal when disrespected.

- They are mischievous.

They are out to get you.

You wanna keep your distance.

- And according to folklore, these Canadian creatures

also want to avoid being seen as best they can.

Is this night somehow the exception?

What we do know is that the video isn't easy to evaluate,

as the creature comes in and out of the light.

But I'll tell you this, though.

When I froze on this frame,

I thought I saw what looked like a stick

for manipulating a puppet.

Let's see what the experts have to say.

To authenticate the footage,

we return to forensic video analyst Michael primeau.

- It's spooky.

This is definitely a recording

that I have a hard time explaining.

When you watch the video,

the movement appears to be consistent

with what I would expect to see

from a recording that was created in this environment.

- [Tony] Primeau doesn't believe

the video has been manipulated or altered.

So, then could it be a nocturnal animal,

like a raccoon or opossum?

We return to our wildlife biologist, Lucy eckersley.

- This looks like something bipedal

that walks on its back legs and can utilize its front limbs.

So, from what I can see,

I think that this is a humanoid creature

between three and four foot tall.

- [Tony] And she thinks its not just humanoid,

it's a human; A younger specimen.

- From everything I've seen here,

I think that it's most likely children having a bit of fun.

- [Tony] Anthropologist Kathy strain disagrees.

- I have never quite seen anything like it.

- [Tony] Strain, who's well-read

in legends of the mannegishi,

says you can tell by the nearby doghouse

that the creature is not large.

- Must be nocturnal because its eyes are adapted

to seeing things at night.

It was standing out in the open, looking towards them

when the flashlight was off.

- [Tony] The size, eyesight,

and behavior match the mannegishi.

Strain says this video may be proof they're real.

- I think what we're seeing is a real animal

that is represented in those traditional stories.

- So, neither Lucy eckersley nor Kathy strain

thought it was a puppet.

And based on its compact size and ability to stand upright,

we'll say it's likely a little humanoid.

But whether it's a legendary mannegishi

or just a little human, we'll let you decide.

And that's our show for tonight.

We wanna know what you think, so please drop us a line.

I'm Tony Harris.

Thanks for watching.

And by all means, keep those cameras rolling.

[Suspenseful music]