Sasquatch Chronicles – Episode 1226: "Hominid Hunter"

Date: February 1, 2026
Host: Wes (Sasquatch Chronicles)
Guest: Pete Bridle, Author of Hominid Hunter: The Search for Undescribed South Pacific Hominids

Episode Overview

This episode follows the life and investigations of Pete Bridle—soldier, hunter, adventurer, and the author of Hominid Hunter—who set out to uncover the truth behind reported sightings of “giants” and wild men in the Solomon Islands. Pete recounts his harrowing and peculiar encounters in some of the most remote places on earth, drawing connections between local legends, his personal observations, and global Bigfoot phenomena. The conversation spans first-hand experiences, cultural challenges, and the broader mysteries of the South Pacific’s hominid legends, with significant reflection on Pete’s personal journey.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Pete Bridle’s Background and Path to Adventure

• Early Life & Motivation:
  • Grew up in rural Melbourne with parents involved in marine education; strongly influenced by his natural history author father (03:42).
  • Survived a traumatic car accident at 15, resulting in long-term PTSD, which pushed him toward a life of adventure rather than routine (03:42–06:06, 84:11).
  • Unconventional, adventure-driven life: army service, military contractor, hunting guide, and extensive travel (03:42).
  • Met his partner on a 9,000km horseback journey from Mongolia to Germany—now settled and reflective (03:42–06:06).

Motivation and Purpose for Hominid Hunter

• Why Write the Book?
  • Processing trauma from peacekeeping in the South Pacific and exploring local myths “with a scientific mindset” (06:25).
  • Sought to understand cultural roots of giants and wild man myths common in the Solomon Islands, drawing parallels to Australian Aboriginal and global traditions (06:25, 09:03).

First Solomon Islands Encounter: The Terrorized Boy

• Initial Military Deployment:
  • First reports of “giants” came indirectly; most locals were wary of UMA (wild man/giant), not the soldiers (09:41).
  • Local boy recounted being chased by UMA—described as orange-furred, terrible-smelling, with a chilling scream (09:41).
  • Strong impression: “When you meet someone like that, that has got absolutely no reason to make up a story like that… that’s kind of pretty different…” (13:17).

Investigative Mindset & Regional Hominid Lore

• Context of Other Hominids:
  • Speculated that the region could still host hominids such as Homo floresiensis or undiscovered relatives due to proximity to Flores and Borneo (16:00).
  • Noted similarities between Solomon Island and Australian Aboriginal beliefs about “little people” and giants (16:00, 49:46).

Distinction Between Giants, Wild Men, and Locals’ Stories

• Cultural Challenges:
  • Locals equate UMA and giants; motivations for storytelling complicated by economic opportunity and cultural differences (19:49).
  • “They see you as cigarettes, beer, chocolate, food, and cash, and they will do anything they can to keep you on the hook...” (19:49).
• Real Encounters:
  • Claims of literally meeting primitive, non-contacted human groups (“wild men”), “100% real, no hesitation” (21:00).
  • No direct sighting of large “orange giant,” but strong circumstantial experiences and many local stories (21:00–23:22).

Field Encounters: Evidence and Face-to-Face

• First Near Experience:
  • Heard monkey-like vocals, smelled strong animalistic odor, found strange tracks on logging road (25:40–29:02).
  • “It made sure I felt very unwelcome ... it went through bamboo like it was matchsticks ... enough to make you question what you're doing in the bush.” (27:55)
• Description of Tracks:
  • Tracks wide, lacking arch and pronounced ball, strange gait—unlike typical barefoot human prints (31:44).
  • “Gut feeling: this was not a human.” (31:44)

Face-To-Face Encounters

• Brown-Furred Creatures Up a Tree:
  • Local forestry workers pointed to “UMA butchers” hiding in trees; Pete installed trail cams but never captured evidence—cameras repeatedly lost or destroyed (34:18).
• Close Visual Sighting:
  • In a remote valley, observed a small hominid face behind a fern: red hair, dark eyes, pronounced but not inhuman nose (approximately 4–5 feet tall, awkward gait, long arms) (34:18–49:20).
  • “...the way which it moved... not the way a person would do it.” (53:47)

Vocalizations & Communication

• Description:
  • Heard human-like vocalizations—tongue clicks, pops, whoops—but nothing like the North American Bigfoot howls or tree-knocks (57:32).
  • Witnesses described the creatures as strong, hairy, primitive, and with some type of language (52:33, 54:52).

Extreme Encounter: Surrounded in the Jungle

• Being Surrounded:
  • While filming, realized being triangulated by at least three creatures in the jungle; saw eye-shine (similar to dog/wolf), witnessed one creature squat at riverside before bolting when hit with laser pointer (45:19–49:20).
  • “At the absolute last of the available light, one of the things comes out of the forest ... I could absolutely make out the silhouette perfectly ... four and a half, five foot tall...” (47:10)

Analysis: What Are the Solomon Island Creatures?

• Not Bigfoot:
  • Pete distinguishes these creatures from Bigfoot/Sasquatch of North America—smaller, likely relatives of Homo floresiensis or possibly Denisovans for the larger “giant” types (49:46–52:14).
  • “Nope. I don't believe it's the same creature at all ... I believe there is—well, it definitely was something that formulated these stories.” (49:46)

Local Culture and Skepticism

• Mistrust of Local Accounts:
  • Local motivation to maintain tales (“keep you on the hook”) (19:49, 34:18).
  • Stories often blend myth and reality—older locals report creatures alongside impossibly fantastical tales (54:52).

Other Strange Phenomena

Orbs & Min Min Lights

• Orbs on Farm:
  • Regularly observed white orbs/lights moving unnaturally through bush in Australia and New Zealand (66:14).
  • “Saw those things regularly. But I have seen one thing that was absolutely mental and that was in Kazakhstan... that was actually a UFO.” (69:41)
• Skeptical Approach:
  • Leans toward natural explanations like ball lightning, due to regularity and context, despite cultural supernatural interpretations (70:34).

UFO Sighting in Kazakhstan

• Detailed Incident:
  • Mercury-silver craft, ~20m long, silent supersonic speed, witnessed at close range over wilderness camp (72:30).
  • “It made a noise no bigger than a bird of prey just swooping … but it was supersonic and silent.” (76:07)

Memorable Quotes

• On First Encounter with UMA Legend:

  “When I've got a kid that's never seen a white person before ... who describes to me a perfect sort of Bigfoot story... I'm like, okay. This is sounding a lot like those rock ape stories from Danang in '66 and I need to call it in.”
  — Pete Bridle (13:17)

• On the Solomons Environment:

  “If you do go to the darker corners of that country, you will experience the darker corners of that country and that's where you're going to find things... you'll get exactly the trip you pay for.”
  — Pete Bridle (63:54)

• On the Small Hominids:

  “…That face was very much on the end of what you would call very primitive looking... But to say it was completely unlike the more primitive looking folks I met in the Solomons would be incorrect. It was not so far removed that it wasn't human.”
  — Pete Bridle (52:33)

• Reflecting on Trauma:

  “I've dealt with PTSD my entire life, and I've continued to make new things to destroy my brain and my life with again and again as a result of that one incident. But that absolutely was the turning point in my life...”
  — Pete Bridle (84:11)

• On the Nature of “Bigfoot” and Relic Hominids:

  “For me, it's got to be the most logical, is the most likely. And 7 to 8% shared DNA with Denisovans in the Papua region. We have three different distinct variations. Denisovans. It could be... I absolutely am convinced that the little guys on the Solomons are Homo floresiensis or a cousin...”
  — Pete Bridle (87:19)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:42] – Pete’s background, trauma, and adventure-seeking lifestyle
• [06:25] – Purpose behind Hominid Hunter
• [09:41] – First local UMA encounter and story from boy in Dingisara Village
• [16:00] – The Flores connection and hominid theory
• [19:49] – Cultural misunderstandings and challenges gathering reliable intel
• [23:22] – First investigation, strange tracks, and being “unwelcome” in the bush
• [31:44] – Description of anomalous footprints
• [34:18] – Tree-dwelling creatures, face-to-face sighting, challenge of documentation
• [45:19] – The jungle riverbank standoff and being triangulated by multiple creatures
• [49:46] – Discussion on species, Homo floresiensis vs. Bigfoot
• [66:14] – Orbs/min min lights near Pete’s farm
• [72:30] – UFO encounter in Kazakhstan
• [84:11] – Pete’s car accident and subsequent transformation
• [87:19] – Final thoughts on Denisovans and the future of hominid research

Tone and Style

• Pete communicates in a frank, reflective, and often humorous style, balancing skepticism and openness.
• Both he and Wes maintain a conversational, curious, and sometimes irreverent tone.
• Pete repeatedly stresses scientific, firsthand observation above speculation but acknowledges the interplay of myth and reality inherent in such investigations.

Notable/Evocative Moments

• Life-Threatening Close Calls: Pete recounts being surrounded in the river by multiple hominids, later quipping about his “pussying out” at a crucial moment (45:19).
• Cultural Immersion (and Bewilderment): From harrowing violence in the Solomons to an out-of-nowhere encounter with a bush-dwelling Aboriginal man—with deep, memorable Aboriginal wisdom about nature and land-ownership (76:45).
• Haunted Sales Call: An incredulous encounter with a ghost during a door-to-door sales job in New Zealand (80:48).

Conclusion

Pete Bridle provides a rare blend of adventure, skepticism, trauma, and cross-cultural insight, offering a compelling look into the world’s hominid mysteries—grounded in experience but open to mythic possibilities. The Solomon Islands’ “UMA” and wild men remain elusive but not, in Pete’s view, imaginary. If these beings exist, they are on the verge of vanishing forever. The episode closes with reflection on the human cost and enduring enigma of relic hominids, and an open invitation for further exploration.

For more, listeners are encouraged to check out Pete’s book “Hominid Hunter,” available on Amazon.