Gladesmen

Published: April 18, 2023, 7 a.m.

In this week\u2019s Flightless Bird, David Farrier sets out to Florida\u2019s south, deep into the Everglades, in search of the men who live in the glades: Gladesmen. Descending by airboat into the wet marshlands, David discovers he\u2019s on a giant river 100 miles long and 60 miles wide. Surrounded by alligators, bugs, birds and fish, his guide Steve - a third generation gladesman - takes David to a \u201ccamp\u201d - the place where gladesmen live. While there David discovers the legend of the skunk ape, Florida\u2019s swampy version of sasquatch. From there he tries to find the truth about the skunk ape, talking to prominent skunk ape expert Dave Shealy. Is this monster legend, or is there a chance the 7-foot tall creature is the original gladesmen?