(Article translated from Hungarian to English for feature on The PBI)

In Eastern and Central Europe, there is a well known creature referred to as the "European yeti or European Bigfoot". But around here it is known as the "Treeskinner" or "Treetrembler". The cryptid is believed to be a Hominid type bipedal creature with a thin but muscular body, long limbs, shaggy and usually whitish-grey fur and a monkey like face. The skinny white creature is said to be two meters tall, mostly seen at dusk or midnight (sometimes around sunrise but almost never at daytime), and when seen it looks disoriented. Its howl, which has been heard on occasion, is said to sound like the thin scream of a woman turning into a death rattle.

Eyewitnesses say that this Hominid is possibly afraid of bright lights as it tends to avoid flashlights.

The first documented sighting was reported in the 1980's near Mátranovák which is a municipality in Nograd county. At that time, the mines were still working and the miners lived in accommodations near and in the forest. There were rumors between them about a creature they often saw at night.

One miner states that they saw a grey chimpanzee-like creature on his roof, which then jumped off and ran into the woods. But that’s not all! Some very interesting sightings were told by an old local man called "Uncle John" who worked in the mines when he was younger. When his colleagues first told him stories about the Treeskinner he couldn't believe it but that soon changed.

One night while Uncle John was walking home from the work, the Treeskinner jumped down from a tree, landing in front of him while screaming. Uncle John then bashed the creatures shoulder with the dull half of his axe, causing the creature to run away. 

Years later in the 90's, Uncle John encountered the Treeskinner again. During the night while he was at home, his Karelian bear dog started barking and he immediately knew there was someone, or something outside, but he was not suspecting it to be the Treeskinner. Uncle John went out of his house and saw that his dog had attacked the creature and even managed to grab it by its hand. Uncle John ran to help the Hominid and yelled for his dog to release the Treeskinner, after which it ran away. As it turned out, the cryptid was actually trying to steal chickens from the chicken coop.

Now, lets look at a few of the most interesting modern sightings:

1998

A school group was taking a trip near Szorospatak, when at night the children noticed something climbing through a fence. The next morning the teachers complained because they heard something walking outside at night and discovered that a few chairs were pushed away and some clothes were taken down.

2001

A small group went into the forest at night for a dare when they saw the Treeskinner scraping itself against a tree and then quickly running away.

2006

Near Heréd, a group on a camping trip heard strange sounds at night and decided that they needed to check it out. After they walked into the woods, they followed the sounds and saw the creature on the top of a tree about ten meters away from them. It jumped down and ran away.

2008

Near Mátranovák, a group of friends went out at night to a nearby monument. While there, they suddenly heard dogs start to bark, so they ran out towards the nearby field. When they arrived they saw the Treeskinner walking into the forest. According to the eyewitnesses, the creature had arms so long that they reached its knees.

2012

In August of 2012, a witness saw and photographed the creature in Szigetköz, Hungary while he was driving in the daytime. The cryptid ran out onto the road and into the forest. It looked disoriented, most likely due to the sunlight as their eyes are believed to be very sensitive to light. 

The most interesting fact is that the picture he took was tested and it was not edited! He really captured someone, or something.

2015

Again the creature was seen and photographed in daylight, this time by a couple who were walking their dog. The creature, which was trying to hide behind a small building near the woods, howled and ran off into the forest.

This picture was also analyzed and again it was believed to be real. 

2019 

In December we got a report from a person who believes they witnessed the Treeskinner in Mátraszentimre. 

There was a snowstorm in the day and the area was totally white. He went out to walk his dog ( a medium sized mutt) in the forest and when they finally decided to turn back, it was already dusk. Suddenly his dog seemed to be scared of something and ran away. The witness, standing there helpless for a minute, noticed there was something about 30 meters away, walking through the snow on four legs. At first he thought that someone was trying to scare him, so he yelled at the being. After doing so, it started to run on all fours, but then stood up on two legs. That was the moment he realized that it was not someone, but rather some thing.

At that moment his wife called him on the phone because their dog was barking in front of their door and she thought something bad had happened to him. The creature, possibly scared by the sound, took off back into the woods leaving the witness alone.

Finally, the last thing i would like to say, is that while you might think this is a "new" cryptid, that is not the case. For centuries people in Central and Eastern Europe have mentioned beings like this in their folklore. In Hungary, people in Nograd county told their children about a creature living in the forests called "Koko". In Romania, it was known as the "Shepherd Girl". In Slavic mythology, the creature is called Drekavac (or Krekavac, Zdrekavac, and Zrikravac). Another creature, which could possibly be the Treeskinner in other myths, is known as the Leshy. So, as you can see, this is not a new cryptid, but rather a creature rumored to have been around for centuries.

The above article was written exclusively by and is property of “A Hungarian Hobby Cryptozoologist”. The author, as the name suggests, is a Cryptozoologist living within Hungary and reached out directly to The PBI in order to share some of the fascinating accounts of this lesser known cryptid creature that is believed to be living within their home country.

-The Pine Barrens Institute

Image Credit: Provided by A Hungarian Hobby Cryptozoologist.

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