Gareth Patterson rediscovered the most southerly elephants in the world, the highly endangered and secretive Knysna elephants of the southern Cape, South Africa. It was during this time that he also made the startling discovery of a being even more mysterious than the Knysna elephants - a relict hominoid known to the Knysna forest people as the 'Otang'.
Gareth was at first reluctant to blur the remarkable story of the Knysna elephants with his findings about the otang...
That is, until now.
The possible existence of relict hominoids is today gaining momentum world-wide with ongoing research into the Sasquatch in North America, the Yeti in the Himalayas, the Yowie in Australia and the Orang Pendek in Sumatra. Eminent conservationists and scientists - among them Dr. Jane Goodall, Dr. George Schaller, Dr. Ian Redmond, Professor Jeff Meldrum and Professor Gregory Forth - have publicly stated that they are open-minded about the possible existence of these cryptid beings.
In the course of his unannounced research into the otang Gareth heard many accounts - mostly spontaneous and unprompted - of otang sightings by others in the area over a number of years.
These accounts, documented in this book, are astonishingly consistent both in the descriptions of the otang and in the shocked reactions of the individuals who saw them.
Gareth Patterson's work supports the increasing realization that humankind still has much to learn about the natural world and the mysteries it holds. The possibility that we may be sharing our world with other as yet unidentified hominoids is today being viewed as something that should not be discounted.
And as humankind, we need to reassess our role and responsibility towards all forms of life that coexist with us on planet Earth.
Beyond the Secret Elephants continues the story of Patterson's search for and eventual familiarity with the remaining Knysna elephants, while also revealing...the presence of an even more legendary creature, a relict hominoid known to the indigenous people as the otang.
Dr. Jeff Meldrum. Professor of Anatomy and Anthropology, Idaho State University
...it is impressive when a renowned field researcher writes a book like Beyond the Secret Elephants - following in the erudite footsteps of the late Lyall Watson... Ian Redmond OBE