ISC Newsletter

History

The International Society of Cryptozoology (ISC) was founded in 1982 by Bernard Heuvelmans, the Belgian-French zoologist widely regarded as the father of cryptozoology, along with a group of scientists and researchers who wanted to bring academic rigour to the study of animals unknown to science. The ISC was the first and, for its lifetime, the only professional scientific society dedicated to cryptozoology. It attracted members from zoology, anthropology, and related fields.

The ISC published two periodicals: the peer-reviewed journal Cryptozoology and the ISC Newsletter. The Newsletter served as the society's less formal communication channel, carrying news items, brief reports, conference announcements, book reviews, and correspondence. It kept members informed between the annual journal volumes and covered a wider range of topics than the journal's stricter editorial standards allowed.

The society dissolved in the late 1990s after Heuvelmans's declining health and persistent funding difficulties made continued operation impossible. No comparable organisation has replaced it.