Gollum killed in Panama

[Jonathan]

"Gollum from Lord of the Rings" spotted, bludgeoned in Panama

A mystery creature reportedly beaten to death by a group of teenagers in Panama has become the subject of intense speculation on internet forums.
Terrified locals in Cerro Azul were running scared after the creature they describe as "Gollum" crawled out of a lake and charged schoolkids, reports The Sun.
It was spotted on Saturday when four 14 to 16-year-olds were playing by the waterfront, according to Panamanian news service Telemetro.
The hairless creature has been described as having rubbery skin and measuring almost 150cm.
The teenagers were said to have feared for their own safety as the creature moved towards them so they picked up rocks and sticks and beat it to death, before throwing its corpse in the water and running away.
The youths tossed the carcass into a nearby lake but later returned to take photographs, the report said.
Experts have yet to examine the images. However, locals told Panama news channels that the water-monster was "Gollum from Lord of the Rings".
One said: "I have only seen that creature once before - and it was in the Tolkien film."
The fictional Gollum — originally known as Smeagol — was a hobbit whose later name was derived from the "disgusting gurgling, choking cough he made".
JRR Tolkien — who wrote the Middle Earth adventures — said of the character: "He had become deformed and twisted in both body and mind by the corruption of the Ring.
"His only desire was to possess the Ring which had enslaved him, and he pursued it for many years after he lost it."

Internet speculation centres around whether the “monster” is actually a shaved sloth or pit bull terrier. (ANI)

Will this put the filming of The Hobbit on ice?

[Mari]

Awwww, poor thing. Though who knows what might have happened if the kids hadn't done what they did.

[Earniel]

Alas, poor Gollum. Kids these days... Who's betting one of them will suddenly have come in the possession of a golden, plain ring?

Except I'm not buying this creature was even alive when they found it. By the looks of it, it has to have been dead in the water for a while to lose all its fur like that. Maybe it was just bobbing on the water-edge, and they've kidded themselves in thinking the creature was creeping towards them. But hey, it makes for a better story!

Judging by the build and the one visible paw, a sloth would be a very probable identification. There are sloths in Panama.

[Varnafindë]

Originally Posted by Jonathan

Will this put the filming of The Hobbit on ice?

Only if he was already cast for the part

(poor thing ... )

[Jonathan]

Originally Posted by Eärniel

By the looks of it, it has to have been dead in the water for a while to lose all its fur like that. Maybe it was just bobbing on the water-edge, and they've kidded themselves in thinking the creature was creeping towards them. But hey, it makes for a better story!

It doesn't look decomposed at all though, so my guess is that it died recently. Maybe it was a sloth with a gernetic illness that made it hairless? Such conditions are known to occur in humans so why not in sloths.

[Earniel]

Originally Posted by Jonathan

It doesn't look decomposed at all though, so my guess is that it died recently. Maybe it was a sloth with a gernetic illness that made it hairless? Such conditions are known to occur in humans so why not in sloths.

Depending on the conditions in which the animal was found (cold water for example, or no immediate carrion-eaters), it can be dead for weeks, if not longer, before obvious decomposition sets in.

It's very common for dead hairy mammals that are found in water or washed on shores to appear hairless, or even look like they never had any hair at all. And we only see the animal on pictures, there might stll be hair that we don't see. Quite a few washed-up 'monsters' that made the news have been a case of this. You may remember the 'Montauk Monster' that made the headlines some months ago (or even a year, I forget) and that looked incredibly alien on the pictures. However, if one took the hair-loss in account, together with some decomposition/shrinking of the skin on the skull, one actually had a very common, dead raccoon and not an undiscovered cryptid.

A sloth is unlikely to survive with a genetic condition that made it hairless. They need fur, for instance for temperature control, isolation or camouflage.

If not too much time passed between the first encounter and the photos, I am 100% certain that animal was long dead before the kids came across it. You don't see any wounds or obvious bruises on the animal either, which should have been there if they had actually killed it with sticks and stones.

[Varnafindë]

Perhaps they saw it "moving" (by waves or currents), were scared and beat it once or twice with sticks and stones, and then found that it was dead, and thought that they had killed it.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Earniel, I too had noticed the complete lack of any apparent damage (aside from being dead, of course), and thought it unlikely the kids had actually done much to it. I must say, however, I don't know how likely you are to find natural bodies of water cold enough to keep a body from decomposing in Panama.

Another thing; if you look at other pictures of the creature, its eyes seem to be made of the same stuff as the rest of it. See the closeup on this webpage. To me, this suggests that it is synthetic.

Speaking of the Montauk Monster, look what else I found on that website! Yikes! And in my area, too!

[Earniel]

Originally Posted by Gwaimir Windgem

I must say, however, I don't know how likely you are to find natural bodies of water cold enough to keep a body from decomposing in Panama.

Oh, I didn't say this particular animal isn't decomposed yet because cold water, I merely said cold water can be a factor in slowing decomposition. I don't know whether Panama has cold bodies of water, I haven't been there, and I don't know enough of the country. I don't rule it out entirely, though. If I think of a country with rain-forest like Costa Rica, there are cold-water mountain rivers.

Another thing; if you look at other pictures of the creature, its eyes seem to be made of the same stuff as the rest of it. See the closeup on this webpage. To me, this suggests that it is synthetic.

I can't really tell, to me it looks vaguely like its eyes are just closed, and that the pink on the eye is the eyelid.

Could be fun it was synthetic, though, I can almost imagine an amateur prop-maker for movies has set the whole thing up to be noticed and hired!

Speaking of the Montauk Monster, look what else I found on that website! Yikes! And in my area, too!

Aw, poor thing, looks like that raccoon has a serious case of mange!

[Lief Erikson]

It's a fake. It's not really Gollum.

[Gwaimir Windgem]

Gawd, such a skeptic.

[Valandil]

Originally Posted by Lief Erikson

It's a fake. It's not really Gollum.

So the headline should REALLY read:

"Creature Slain By Mob of Children After Disguising Itself as Gollum in Hoax Gone Awry"

[Earniel]

Although I can imagine being somewhat sceptical. I mean, look at that one claw you see in the picture, that hardly looks like prime material to go wearing golden rings, right?

[Gwaimir Windgem]

I would think that would just make the thing need to accessorize all the more.

[Lief Erikson]

Lol.