Loggers' Surprise from a hollow tree
https://www.sizzlfy.com/worldwide/loggers-hollow-tree-ta/28
It’s a Dog!
The features, which included paws, sharp teeth, and a long snout, told everyone that the creature was a dog. Of course, the team felt slightly uncomfortable to know this was once a live dog.
These Loggers Got Quite The Surprise From A Hollow Tree
Thelma Kamm Published on October 8, 2020Imagine getting to work on a typical day, after which you end up discovering one of the most incredible things you could think of. Such a phenomenon would undoubtedly be enough to bring variety to a monotonous routine. You may even look forward to work, as you wonder what you’d discover next. Do you think such a thing could happen to a logger? What exciting thing could a logger find that would be so impactful? You are about to find out just how intriguing things can be. Some discoveries create memories that last a lifetime and this one of them.
Life of a Logger
This logger and his team typically get enough logs to get them to their quota on any day. However, a shocking sight while warming up the saws brought everything to a halt.
Life Of A Logger
An Unusual Occurrence
This logger team was from Georgia Kraft Co., and things were flowing as usual until a saw made contact with a particular tree. There was no explanation for what they experienced at the time.
An Unusual Occurrence
Normal Operations
Loggers tend to get a lot of negative press since they’re known for cutting down beautiful trees. Jasper City in Georgia is an exception, however, since almost every family has some link to the logging industry.
Normal Operations
Superb Wood
Jasper City lays in proximity to a set of mountains that are surrounded by American Chestnut trees. Therefore, loggers have a lucrative source of income. The trees are unique enough, but there was another surprise coming.
Superb Wood
Post-Lunch Fun
In 1980, a set of Georgia Kraft Co. workers got to their worksite, and they immediately got their hands dirty. Things seemed familiar enough up to lunchtime. When they resumed their typical activities, one tree stuck out.
Post Lunch Fun
The Hollow Tree
The team had gotten through most of the trees for the day, and only a few were left. One was hollow and looked easy enough to take down, but it had a secret.
The Hollow Tree
The Revelation
With the tree trunk on its side, the team wanted to cut it up for transportation reasons. However, they noticed that sunlight wasn’t passing through it. Therefore, either the pathway was blocked, or the tree wasn’t hollow.
The Revelation
The Strange Dark Hole
From a distance, the tree trunk appeared to have a dark hole inside it. While it also seemed to be a stem growing in a tree, there was a weird look present.
The Strange Dark Hole
The Spirit of Discovery
The loggers had two dilemmas on their hands. The first was that they couldn’t figure out what the strange blockage was. Additionally, no one was volunteering to go inside to find out.
The Spirit of Discovery
One Brave Logger
One of the loggers volunteered himself, as it seemed like no one else would go in. He proceeded to start pushing his body inside to observe things better. Suddenly, he shrieked and jumped away.
One Brave Logger
Unbelievable Tale
The team curiously wondered what could’ve caused such a reaction. Everyone wanted to know what he saw. As soon as he caught his breath, he told them that he saw a beast, which no one believed.
Unbelievable Tale
Unknown Sight
Some of the other loggers decided to look too, and everyone came out just as puzzled as the first team member. Nobody could figure out what it was or what it was doing in the tree.
Unknown Sight
Making the Right Call
The loggers realized that they wouldn’t be able to use the tree, but they knew the find was valuable. Therefore, they called in their manager, but he told them to keep working.
Making The Right Call
A Monster?
The thing in the tree looked like a monster that was gearing up to jump at someone. It was some kind of living animal, though it clearly wasn’t alive anymore when the team unexpectedly discovered it.
A Monster?
Poetry In Motion
Based on the creature’s position, it seemed like it was moving forward when it got frozen in its current state. Everyone guessed what may have happened, but the teeth gave the apparent answer away.
Poetry In Motion
It’s a Dog!
The features, which included paws, sharp teeth, and a long snout, told everyone that the creature was a dog. Of course, the team felt slightly uncomfortable to know this was once a live dog.
It’s A Dog!
Mummification at Play?
The theories came in from every angle, and some established that the dog was mummified. Who would be practicing mummification in Georgia? Another speculation is that the dog died while obeying a freeze command.
Mummification At Play?
The Day Doesn’t Stop
The loggers continued to wonder what led to the dog ending up in the tree. However, they had a job to do, and they had to shift their focus back to it.
The Day Doesn’t Stop
A Wise Decision
The loggers knew the uncut trunk would negatively affect profits, but they decided to bear the cost. They figured that the log’s state made it valuable, which was a better choice than they realized.
A Wise Decision
Research Purposes
Once they were finished working for the day, they took the log to a place they figured would help them to get all the answers they wanted. They couldn’t even begin to imagine the mystery story.
Research Purposes
A Long Wait
The loggers took the item to scientists who could analyze it effectively, but it took over a year for them to get the answers that they desired. The reveal was a sad one.
A Long Wait
The Southern Forest World
There’s a Georgia-based museum known as The Southern Forest World. The exhibits are based on wood production, and it’s where the tree trunk and the mystery pooch ended up after being donated.
The Southern Forest World
No Backstory
The museum wasn’t yet operational when the exhibit was donated. However, the operators needed the dog’s backstory. That’s where biological anthropologist Kristina Killgrove came into the picture. She intended to fill in the story’s missing pieces.
No Backstory
Finding the Information
After thoroughly examining the dog, Kristina managed to come up with the correct answers. Though she initially considered the possibility of mummification, she soon concluded that the practical likelihood of that occurrence was non-existent.
Finding The Information
Explaining the Process
Kristina started her explanation with the basics. She went through how tissue decay works and how microbes proceed to eat tissue soon after it dies. She explained that they grow, reproduce, and take over.
Explaining The Process
The Special Tree
Chestnut trees have organic substances that are conducive to moisture absorption. That property prevented microbes from eating the tissue, which meant that the dog’s body stuck around for way longer than the expected time.
The Special Tree
No Scavengers
The lack of microbes meant that there was no smell to tell scavengers the animal’s position. Even if there were a weaker than usual scent, it would go upwards through the trunk. One question still remained.
No Scavengers
Giving Chase
Southern Forest World director Bertha Sue concluded that the dog was a hunting one. Apparently, it tried to chase a squirrel or raccoon, and followed deep into the tree trunk. Eventually, the dog got stuck there.
Giving Chase
All the Way Up
The dog seemed intent on getting whatever it was chasing, as it went 28 feet high. On top of the lack of smell, the oak’s tannic acid contributed to the dog’s skin hardening.
Post-Death Impact
The mystery dog had no name before 2002, but it was very popular and sat among some of the most highly regarded tree species. In an exciting turn of events, the dog now appears on promotional materials.
“Stuckie”
Over the years, people referred to the animal as the mummified dog. Eventually, it got the name Stuckie, after the name won a naming contest. The name was technically sad, but things were still yet to get gloomy.
It's like trying to empty the ocean with a thimble.
