Jacko: The Enigma of a 19th Century Ape-Boy in British Columbia

A fascinating video recently caught my eye, discussing a classic tale from 1884 about the capture of an unknown creature in British Columbia. The creature, described as having characteristics of both a gorilla and a human boy, has been the subject of much debate among skeptics and Bigfoot researchers alike. The video, posted on the YouTube channel Unknown Bipedal Primate, delves into the story of "Jacko," which was first published in the Fourth of July edition of the Colonist, a newspaper based in British Columbia. The article was discovered by Bigfoot researchers over 70 years after the fact and has since appeared in many books, magazines, and documentary films. Despite skeptics' claims that the story is a hoax, the video argues that there is no concrete evidence to support this assertion. The original newspaper that published the Jacko article never retracted the story or acknowledged it as a prank. One theory presented in the video is that the name "Jacko" may have originated from the common nickname given to apes at the time, which was "jao." Additionally, there was a fascination among many Americans with tales of encounters with wild apes and "savages" emerging from the writings of popular authors who had been on expeditions to Central Africa. Interestingly, shortly after the story of Jacko was published, the famous showman P.T. Barnum began displaying a boy as a sideshow attraction called "JoJo," which closely resembled the description of Jacko. Some supporters of this theory believe that JoJo was indeed the same creature as Jacko, but replaced by a boy with hypertrichosis, a genetic anomaly that causes excessive hair growth. Overall, the video presents an intriguing case for the potential truth behind the story of Jacko. While there is no concrete evidence to support the story, there is also no proof that it is false. The video serves as a reminder that the mystery and allure of Bigfoot and other unknown creatures continue to captivate and intrigue us to this day. I highly recommend checking out the video for yourself and forming your own opinion on the story of Jacko.