A Toronto-area Bigfoot researcher is tracking reports that the creature may be hiding in the Muskoka region of Ontario.
"I want to find out the truth. I want to know if Sasquatch is out there," Christopher Lau told CTV's Canada AM on Tuesday.
Lau, one of the only Canadians accredited by the international Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO), has been a field investigator since 2006.
He said his fascination with the creature began as a teenager, when his father asked him to go on a Bigfoot hunting expedition in B.C.
"We went out there, and that's when I had an encounter," Lau said.
Lau describes walking through a wooded area north of Vancouver, during the early morning hours, when a creature approached him. Lau said something that sounded like a gorilla came crashing through the woods towards him and his father, then disappeared into the woods.
He said he was able to capture three seconds of the encounter on camera, but because of the speed of the approach and retreat, he didn’t record any images of it on video. He was left with the audio of the animal's heavy breathing.
"Ever since then, I've been fascinated and curious."
Part of Lau's research involves investigating and assessing the validity of reported sightings in areas north of Toronto, including Wasaga Beach, Algonquin Park, and Muskoka.
The sightings are then mapped online. According to the BFRO website, there have been 67 recorded sightings in Ontario between 1958 and 2010. Ontario is second only to B.C. when it comes to the number of Bigfoot reports, with 130 recorded sightings between 1924 and 2013.
According to the BFRO, there have been 38 sightings in Alberta, 31 in Manitoba, seven in both New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, five in the Yukon Territory and four in Quebec.
The U.S. state with the highest number of sightings is Ohio, with 257.
"I would say it's more of a hobby (than a job), but it's something I'm set on doing, finding Sasquatch in Canada," he said.