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According to legend, Louisiana's swampland is home to its own particular population of Bigfoot known as the "Honey Island Swamp Monster," or the "Louisiana Wookie," presumably because of its resemblance to the Star Wars character Chewbacca. Stories of those who encountered the beasts come from nearly every parish in the state and have endured over many generations.
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The legend of the Swamp Monster rises up from Louisiana's primordial soup of remote, virtually impenetrable pristine swamp, a perfect environment for an evolutionarily challenged man-beast to exist outside the reach of modern man. Reports of such beasts come mostly from hunters and fishermen who claim to have encountered the giant hairy creatures or their footprints. But perhaps the most intriguing characteristic of the Swamp Monster — and one that recalls the Bigfoot stories of the Pacific Northwest — is the horrible smell that permeates the air long after the beast is gone. After all, nothing says "Bigfoot" like the lingering stench of death.
Some say the Honey Island Swamp Monsters are actually a feral group of humans, while others believe them to be the product of a love affair between a chimpanzee and an alligator. Whatever their beginnings, fear of the Swamp Monster keeps both sportsmen and tourists on the edge of their seats as they pass through Louisiana's murky morass.
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