The Trail Lakes Campground, where the nation's foremost skunk ape
researcher is headquartered, may soon be even harder to find than the
pungent bigfoot.
On Wednesday [Nov 4], owner David Shealy closed the 35-acre Ochopee
campground his family has operated since 1969. Shealy, 35, said he's
in the last stages of a slow slide into bankruptcy because he can't
compete with neighboring campgrounds - owned by the National Park
Service - where campers can stay free of charge.
"They're stealing business from me. I can't compete with free," said
Shealy, who has for years reported sightings of a 7-foot-tall, hairy
ape-like creature on the outskirts of the campground. "I've been
saying all along that the government is trying to put me out of
business."
Shealy - who created the name skunk ape because of the elusive
beast's foul smell - has been interviewed about the alleged sightings
by several tabloids and television programs including "Unsolved
Mysteries" and Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." He said he's
generated millions of dollars' worth of free promotion for Collier
County only to see visitors use one of the three nearby Big Cypress
campsites instead of Trail Lakes.
Shealy said the Florida Panther Gift Shop, the small store where
skunk ape T-shirts and other souvenirs are available, will remain
open for at least a few months. But Shealy said he plans to sell
Trail Lakes by next March.
"I'm going to have to shut down completely. At this point it's the
only logical thing to do. But it hurts my soul, my family and my
heritage to do this," he said. There is a slim chance the campground could reopen for the winter
months if Shealy can come up with enough cash to pay the bills, he
said.
But the closing of Trail Lakes won't mean an end to the search for
the skunk ape, Shealy vowed. He said he may relocate to Florida's
east coast or maybe move north to Lee County to promote skunk ape
issues.
"I'll probably go to work for Dade County, possibly working with
other bigfoot researchers," Shealy said.
But Shealy said he would prefer to stay in Collier County and may
approach county officials about working in a promotions or
advertising capacity to help draw tourism.
Skunk Ape researcher Closes Ochopee Campground
On Wednesday, owner David Shealy closed the 35-acre Ochopee
campground his family has operated since 1969. He plans to sell the
land, but vows he will continue his skunk ape research from either
Collier or Dade county.
