In search of deathly worms

ALASTAIR PAULIN/The Nelson Mail

GOING ON AN EXPEDITION: Christie Douglas is off to spend three weeks in Mongolia stalking the elusive, and possibly mythical, Mongolian Death Worm.

Relevant offers

Motueka's Christie Douglas is off to spend three weeks in Mongolia stalking the elusive, and possibly mythical, Mongolian Death Worm.

The search is the brainchild of his former TV3 colleague David Farrier, who is funding the cryptozoological expedition.

The TV cameraman has had a few adventures with the TV3 reporter.

There was the time they braved the mosh pit and pyrotechnics show at the Rock to Wellington concert and the scary time they faced down the cat ladies at the national cat show in Taradale.

But nothing in their reporting career at Nightline could prepare them for the Gobi Desert in the 40-plus degree heat of August, looking for a 1.5-metre red worm that can supposedly spit acid in your face or kill you by an electric shock from its rectum. If it exists, that is. Both men sound convinced that it does.

They point to the consistency of local witness accounts and add that, as the Gobi Desert is sparsely populated, the chance that people are collaborating in their accounts or spreading rumours seems slim. Mr Farrier said he first heard of the creature at age 14 when he read a book about cryptozoology. Over time, he has dismissed other entries such as the Loch Ness Monster and Big Foot but thinks the Mongolian Death Worm is likely to exist.

The creature was first brought to the West's attention in the 1920s by explorer Roy Chapman Andrews, who has been credited as the inspiration for the Indiana Jones character. Mr Douglas said there had been previous expeditions to look for the creature and they would build on that work, as well as local accounts, which have led them to concentrate their search in a specific region of the Gobi. Mr Farrier's goal is to document the creature's existence on film, but he has no plans to capture it.

"I'm not taking a net or a gun or anything like that. I don't think it's something you want to grab hold of. "It's a very personal thing for me so if I see it, I'll be happy." He said Mr Douglas was his favourite cameraman to work with because he has such an "affable personality" and stays calm in stressful situations. He puts the chances at finding the creature at between 5 and 15 per cent, while Mr Douglas is more cautious. "I don't think we'll find anything but we'll find enough to make a great story."

The pair leave for Mongolia on Tuesday and will be joined there by a team of three: a cook, a translator and a driver. They will spend two weeks camping in the Gobi Desert, and as the worm is supposedly attracted to tremors, they will set off some explosions to try to draw it to the surface.

- © Fairfax NZ News