The International Society of Cryptozoology (ISC) was an organization dedicated to the field of

cryptozoology Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and subculture that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated, particularly those popular in folklore, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness ...

founded in 1982 in Washington, D.C. It ceased to exist in 1998. It was founded to serve as a center for documenting and evaluating topics of interest to cryptozoologists.G. G. Simpson (1984) ''Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society'', Vol. 128, No. 1 (Mar. 30, 1984), pp 1-19 "Mammals and Cryptozoology"''Cryptozoology: Interdisciplinary Journal of the International Society of Cryptozoology'' Vol.12, 1993-1996. ISSN 0736-7023. The study of such animals is known as

, and ''Cryptozoology'' was also the title of its journal. The President was

Bernard Heuvelmans Bernard Heuvelmans (10 October 1916 – 22 August 2001) was a Belgian-French scientist, explorer, researcher, and writer probably best known, along with Scottish-American biologist Ivan T. Sanderson, as a founding figure in the pseudoscienc ...

, and the Vice-President Roy Mackal. The Secretary was J. Richard Greenwell (died 2005), of the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first ...

.BioScience, Vol. 31, No. 11 (Dec., 1981), page 804 "Cryptozoology Group Forming" Loren Coleman,

John Willison Green John Willison Green (February 12, 1927 – May 28, 2016) was a Canadian journalist and a leading researcher of the Bigfoot phenomenon. He was a graduate of both the University of British Columbia and Columbia University and compiled a databas ...

, and several other prominent cryptozoologists were either Life Members, Honorary Members, or Board Members. The official emblem of the society was the

okapi The okapi (; ''Okapia johnstoni''), also known as the forest giraffe, Congolese giraffe, or zebra giraffe, is an artiodactyl mammal that is endemic to the northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. It is the only species ...

, which was chosen because, although it was well known to the inhabitants of its region, it was unknown to the European

scientific community The scientific community is a diverse network of interacting scientists. It includes many " sub-communities" working on particular scientific fields, and within particular institutions; interdisciplinary and cross-institutional activities are als ...

until the English

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

Harry Johnston Sir Henry Hamilton Johnston (12 June 1858 – 31 July 1927), known as Harry Johnston, was a British explorer, botanist, artist, colonial administrator, and linguist who travelled widely in Africa and spoke many African languages. He publishe ...

sent to London an okapi skin which received international attention in 1901. The journal ''Cryptozoology'' was published from 1982 to 1996.

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the Briti ...

Catalogue The Society also published a newsletter ''ISC News''.Associations et publications de cryptozoologie
Institut Virtuel de Cryptozoologie. The ISC ended its activities in 1998 due to financial problems, though a website continued until 2005.The site name ''internationalsocietyofcryptozoology.org'' is registered to the International Society of Cryptozoology in Tucson, Arizona, with administrative contact listed as Richard Greenwell. Domain name was created on "19-Mar-2004", with expiration date of "19-Mar-2007". Se
Internet Archive
link. Only two entries in the archive are relevant: the first entry on July 30, 2004 and the September 29, 2004 update entry. All other entries are duplicates or consist of the placeholder page. The last entry containing society content is listed as November 30, 2005, with the placeholder page appearing as the next entry, dated December 10, 2005. According to the journal ''Cryptozoology'', the ISC served "as a focal point for the investigation, analysis, publication, and discussion of all matters related to animals of unexpected form or size, or unexpected occurrence in time or space."

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:International Society Of Cryptozoology Cryptozoology Organizations based in Washington, D.C. Organizations established in 1982 1982 establishments in Washington, D.C. International organisations based in London