It’s not often that there’s a mounted taxidermy example of an alleged cryptozoological beast, but in the case of the mysterious Shunka Warak’in, this might be a real possibility!

The name for this legendary creepy canid was provided by the Ioway Indians, roughly translated as “carrying off dogs.” It is said to be a four-legged animal similar to a wolf or hyena which lives (or lived) in the midwestern United States, most notably in the Montana region. Little is known about Shunka, but according to the native peoples of the area, he was indeed a real animal.

(Shunka Warak’in by Eerie Eric)

The first modern report of a creature fitting this description dates back to the 1880’s when Israel Hutchins and his family first settled in the Madison River Valley of Montana. The Hutchins family became a prominent part of the Montana landscape after establishing a large ranch near the town of Ennis. Israel’s grandson, zoologist Ross Hutchins, would later describe the possible encounter with Shunka Warak’in in his book Trails to Nature’s Mysteries: The Life of a Working Naturalist published in 1977. He writes:

“One winter morning my grandfather was aroused by the barking of the dogs. He discovered that a wolflike beast of dark color was chasing my grandmother’s geese. He fired his gun at the animal but missed. It ran off down the river, but several mornings later it was seen again at about dawn.”

The beast was also seen by others as it prowled around the homes and ranches of the area. Hutchins recorded the description as follows:

“Those who got a good look at the beast describe it as being nearly black and having high shoulders and a back that sloped downward like a hyena.”

The mysterious creature eluded the trigger-happy pioneers for awhile, but finally its luck ran out.

“Then one morning in late January, my grandfather was alerted by the dogs, and this time he was able to kill it. Just what the animal was is still an open question. After being killed, it was donated to a man named [Joseph] Sherwood who kept a combination grocery and museum at Henry Lake in Idaho. It was mounted and displayed there for many years. He called it ringdocus.”

As in many cases of strange animals loose in the countryside, it was initially proposed to be an escaped circus animal. It was Ross Hutchins, who incidentally has a Ph.D. in zoology, that put forth the circus animal theory. However, there was no circus for hundreds of miles around the small Montana settlement, so this seems rather unlikely.

Original Photo of The Beast (Hutchins)

Although the taxidermy specimen had been long lost by the time Hutchins published his book, he did have an authentic photo of the mounted “ringdocus” which he included. The creature in the photo seemed to fit the description of the Ioway Indian’s legendary Shunka Warak’in, but were they one and the same? The creature appeared to be a unique animal that is neither dire wolf nor hyena, and is very unlikely to be any kind of dog hybrid. The closest animal that lived in the area, which might account for an unknown species, was the Borophagus. The Borophagus was a type of hyena-like dog typically found in North America. The only problem with that explanation is that the Borophagus existed during the Pleistocene era which dates back millions of years ago! Could some descendants have survived? There is no way to know without having the actual taxidermy creature.

But alas… something that rarely happens in dubious cases like this, actually happened. The taxidermy specimen was found! After reading a story about it in 2007, another grandson of Israel Hutchins, Jack Kirby, managed to track down the exhibit to the Idaho Museum of Natural History in Pocatello where it had been on display unbeknownst to everyone in the cryptzoo community. Taking the specimen on loan, Kirby reported measurements of 48 inches from snout to rear (not including the tail) and 28 inches high at the shoulder. It is nearly black in color, just as Hutchins had originally described. Even stranger, the thing has faint impressions of stripes on its flanks making it a true mystery.

New Photo of The Beast (Kirby)

It’s not easy to identify the creature as any known dog, wolf or hyena… so what exactly is it? Is it a poorly mounted black wolf? Is it the same beast the natives call Shunka Warak’in? DNA analysis could potentially reveal the secrets, however, DNA tests ain’t cheap. So for now, we’ll just have to keep wondering and hoping that finally one of crytozoology’s strangest cases may turn out to be a real monster! Er, well at least a new kind of creepy dog. So until then, perhaps he could work his way into a made-for-tv movie on the SyFy channel – albeit he would need a little pumping up for effect – or perhaps lend his name to a new dance craze. Come on everybody, do the Shunka Warak’in!

Selected sources:
Cryptozoology A to Z – Loren Coleman & Jerome Clark ©1999 Fireside
www.cryptomundo.com – © 2005-2010 Cryptomundo
www.forteantimes.com – © Dennis Publishing Limited

Tagged: Borophagus, cryptid, Cryptozoology, hyena, Montana monster, ringdocus, Shunka Warak’in, wolf