by William Park

“When I first heard the howl 50 years ago, I had told many people that I believed it was the wolf...”

A wolf that went extinct 100 years ago is thought by amateur researchers to still roam Japan's forests. When you look at some of the evidence, it's hard not to be convinced.

Locals report sightings and howling, discoveries of supposed wolf bones, droppings and fur, and most recently video footage. If they're not wolves, there's certainly something spooky going on.

I've been obsessed with this story for BBC Future for a few weeks now, not least because the photos taken by one of the amateur researchers, Hiroshi Yagi, are thoroughly compelling. Take a look for yourself.

Trying to get in touch with the Japanese Yagi proved a little tricky, until a journalist at the Japan Times helped out. Alex Martin, an American-Japanese feature writer, has been doing his own research, and knows Yagi personally. It proved invaluable because Yagi's stories of sightings are incredible.

In 1996, he saw a wolf-like animal stop in front of his car. What he did next, is probably the last thing many of us would do: “I decided I would try and give him an osenbei (a rice cracker) and put out my hand and offered it to him,” says Yagi. “I am right-handed, so I offered the cracker to him in my left, thinking that even if he bit my left arm, I would be alright."

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