Class B First-hand BFRO #25577

Kayaker smells a terrible odor and then sees a hair-covered figure on the Econlockhatchee River

15 March 2003 early morning South East Orlando, Orange County, Florida 1 witness

Account

The witness was kayaking ahead of a companion on a narrow river on a cool clear morning when a thick musty odor hit. The witness then saw a wide mass of long shiny fur rise near the bank and run away through dense woods, snapping small trees. The odor lingered so strongly the witness held breath and paddled away for fresh air.

Summary drafted by AI from the source report and checked by code before I publish it. The witness's own words remain with the publisher — read the original report .

What was reported

Every kind of observation in the account. Select one to find other encounters with it.

Sightings

Physical traces

Other senses

Described appearance

In the source's own words, field by field. Hover a field's marker to see where it was read.

Height src
about 8 foot
Build src
very muscular, about 3-foot wide
Hair colour src
light brown
Hair length src
long flowing
Gait src
ran fast and smooth

Facts & provenance

Each value names where it came from.

Date
15 March 2003
Stated BFRO report #25577 · BFRO report, labelled fields: Year, Month, Date
Time of day
early morning
Stated BFRO report #25577 · BFRO report, “Time And Conditions” section
Place
South East Orlando, Orange County, Florida
Stated BFRO report #25577 · BFRO report, labelled fields: State, County, Nearest Town, Location Details, Nearest Road
Map point
28.48, -81.12 (± 1000 m)
Stated BFRO map layer · BFRO published map layer · read with 85% confidence
BFRO map layer point for report 25577 (5 decimals, no boundary)
Account type
First-hand
Stated BFRO report #25577 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witnesses
1
Stated BFRO report #25577 · BFRO report, “Other Witnesses” section
Figures reported
1
Derived BFRO report #25577 · BFRO report, “Observed” section · read with 80% confidence
Witness was
kayaking on a river
Stated BFRO report #25577 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Witness's word for it
this animal
Stated BFRO report #25577 · BFRO report, “Observed” section
Source classification
Class B
Stated BFRO report #25577 · BFRO classification label

Evidence & investigation

What the source says was found or done. Claimed evidence is listed as claimed; the Anomadex has not examined it.

Investigated by
Cathy Betz (BFRO)
Follow-up

An investigator spoke with the witness by phone about the kayaking incident.

BFRO report, “Follow-Up” section

Source timeline

Every record this entry is built from, earliest known first. Records are versioned and never edited in place.

  1. Published 2009-03-04 Retrieved 2026-09-25 Version 1 Hash 7a772747283b
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization
  2. BFRO map layer Reference
    Retrieved 2026-09-24 Version 1 Hash cfb8a3d423b7
    BFRO - Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization

The report refers to

  • “tonights episode where 2 different reports described that same smell”
    Not in the Anomadex yet