The MeOwls of West Norway

 

Norway is pretty much known for two things. Its beautiful fjords and its Viking history.  

However, what people outside Norway might not know so much of, is that the historical and mythical land has some rather weird and wonderful creatures.
These creatures can be difficult to find, but with the right guide it is possible to find them.
One such creature that almost defies belief is the "MeOwl" of Western Norway.

  

For many years these fantastical creatures were thought to be merely a myth. One theory was that it probably came from hallucinations of Vikings who ate certain mushrooms to make them become "berserk". (Berserkers)

Right up until 1986, anyone who said they had seen a "Meowl" were a ridiculed as though they had said they had seen a UFO.  

In the Autumn of 1964, Norwegian photographer and explorer, Alfred Bjøberg, managed to get the first real proof of these hybrid-like creatures, while exploring the mountains around the tiny village of Balestrand, located on the Sogneford of Western Norway (also known as Fjord Norway)
"I was actually looking to get some photographs of the incredibly shy creature we in Norway call a Gaupe" -
(more commonly known as the Lynx Cat)

    

"When I first saw the creature my initial reaction was that it was an eagle. We do have eagles here in Norway and if you are high up in the hills you stand a very good chance of seeing one. Anyway it landed on a tree stump and just sat there looking at me. It was much smaller than an eagle but still rather large. It was only when it made a cry that I realised something was dramatically wrong and so I looked again but this time closer. The cry it gave was more akin to that of a cat than a bird - "meow". It was then that I saw that its head was also cat-like. So cat-like that one could believe it was some kind hybrid science experiment. I used black & whilte film in those days and an old Nikon SLR camera. I managed to get couple of shots but when it heard he camera shutter it flew off" Told Bjøberg.
Here are the original photographs below.

 Unfortunately Alf Bjøberg was ridiculed and accused of faking the images of these, what he called "MeOwls".
Even though his photographs could not be proven to have been "manipulated" his career was still ruined and never recovered.
              

It was not unlit 20 years later that he was vindicated when an expedition to the famous glacier "Boyabreen" (about 50 miles from where Bjøberg had first photographed the MeOwl) witnessed the creature with their own eyes and captured it on coloured film. Fearing that they too would be ridiculed, the four man team decided to capture the creature and so set about making a trap.
Considering both cats and owls both eat mice, a mouse became the obvious choice for bait. The team did not have to wait long until d the spectacular creature was caught and upon returning is caused great media interest but also pubic outcry. Protests from animal rights as well as RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) demanded the creature be protected and released back into the wild. Public outcry was so great that the Norwegian Government quickly put a "protected species order" on the creature and it was immediately released.
The only record of the incident is this faded polaroid photograph (below)

 Sadly Alf Bjøberg did not get to enjoy the glory of his vindication as he had emigrated to China only 3 years before, once again in search of cat/bird hybrid creatures. He has not been sean nor heard of since.
However, in his honour the creature was named after his initial phase; "MeOwl".   

Today tourists come from all over the globe to gaze in wonder at this hypnotic creature with their eyes in disbelief as to its very existence. Not surprisingly the creature is extremely popular with children who can get to hold one in official designated "MeOwl" visitor Centres. Perhaps not surprisingly the MeOwl seem to like children too as they appear to become remarkably docile and gentle around them.
  

 After receiving special Government permission, scientists and ornithologists studied the creature
with the conclusion that evolution had somehow combined a Lynx Cat with an Owl. Both these can be found in this part of Norway and have lived together for probably thousands of years. It was theorised that, with the area being rather remote, food scarcity forced these two creature to work together for survival and then a freak of nature occurred. It was also shown that the MeOwl was highly intelligent, befitting of the phase; "As wise as an owl".

      

Once again special thanks to @juliakpondsford for coming up with the idea of this competition. I am an enthusiast of cryptoCurrency but I had never heard of "cryptozoology" so I had to put my creative thinking cap on.

Link to the Art Explosion Contest:
https://steemit.com/art/@juliakponsford/art-explosion-week-13-theme-cryptozoology-25-sbd-in-prizes-all-forms-of-art-welcome

Hope you enjoyed my entry @arthuradamson