SCP-6968-1 advertisement recovered from a historic preservation society in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Special Containment Procedures: Foundation MTF Delta-3 ("Cryptozoologists") are to actively monitor acts of arson within the continental United States located west of the Mississippi River. All fliers or similar promotional materials for SCP-6968 are to be removed and destroyed with any exposed citizens amnescized as necessary. An exclusionary perimeter must be established around SCP-6968-1 as soon as a manifestation is confirmed and all non-Foundation personnel are to be prohibited from entering under the cover of wildfire damage assessment. All MTF agents are to be provided with five United States dollars prior to any expeditions into SCP-6968-1.
All SCP-6968-2 instances in Foundation custody have their own general care and containment documentation available to all personnel involved with SCP-6968. Please refer to Document 6968-2 Care and Containment for further details. Potential relocation of several SCP-6968-2 instances into the care of GoI "Wilson's Wildlife Solutions" is currently being investigated.
Poster recovered from SCP-6968-1.
Description: SCP-6968-1 refers to "Fantastic Fearsome Critters", an anomalous grouping of tents and structures superficially reminiscent of an American circus big top. The interior of the tents are empty aside from rows of cages with labelled placards affixed to the bottom of each. Thus far no human or humanoid presences have been detected within.
The marked entrance to SCP-6968's campus has a large box with a sign reading "PAY HERE". It is physically impossible to enter SCP-6968-1 unless five United States dollars are placed in the box by each individual attempting to enter.
SCP-6968-1 has no fixed location, and has proven capable of translocation to any continental American state to the west of the Mississippi River, most commonly manifesting in California, Washington, Arizona, and Oregon. SCP-6968 has no fixed travel pattern, and there is currently no way to predict when it will demanifest and manifest in a new location.
Arrival of SCP-6968-1 is always heralded by a sudden, large wildfire. These fires have proven resistant to being extinguished via both conventional and anomalous means, and continue to burn away plant life until an area sufficiently large enough to contain SCP-6968 is established. Once this is accomplished, SCP-6968-1 will manifest in the burned patch of land and several advertisements for the attraction will appear in any communities within ten kilometers.
SCP-6968-2 refers to a collection of anomalous animals that have been recovered from the cages within various SCP-6968-1 manifestations. Very few of these animals bear visual similarities to naturally occurring animals, with most bearing morphologies that are biologically impossible. Ongoing efforts to properly catalogue all species discovered by SCP-6968 and cross-reference them with existing historical records is ongoing. An abridged list of SCP-6968-2 entities is recorded below.
| SCP-6968-2 Entity | Description | Additional Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SCP-6968-2-A | Entity is visually similar to a Puma concolor (Cougar) with a tail measuring two meters in length. The tail ends in a large, spherical structure composed of bone that the entity uses to strike prey. | None. |
| SCP-6968-2-B | Entity resembles a large terrestrial mammal with four legs. While herbivorous, it has an extensive upper lip measuring one meter in length. The entity also lacks joints in its legs. | It is currently unclear how this creature is capable of surviving without direct human intervention, as its anatomy actively prevents it from grazing. Entity appears to match records from western settlers originating from the early 19th century. |
| SCP-6968-2-C | Entity resembles a Lepus saxatilis (Scrub Hare) with two small antlers on its head. Both male and female SCP-6968-2-C entities bear these antlers. | This entity is one of the few that has been willing to breed with other contained entities within containment. Containment personnel are asked to separate males from females. |
| SCP-6968-2-D | Entity resembles a small terrestrial amphibian with grossly deformed facial features and heavily wrinkled skin. Entity's face is covered in warts, boils, and other epidermis ailments. It is capable of producing a large volume of tears from its eyes, producing over ten liters a day. The entity produces a shrill, crying sound when viewed by personnel and appears capable of turning invisible. | No cameras or recording equipment are permitted in SCP-6968-2-D's chamber, as the creature appears to consider this viewing. |
| SCP-6968-2-E | Entity is a medium sized six legged feline with black fur. Entity appears to be amphibious in nature, spending an average of fourteen hours a day partially submerged in water. The entity regularly emits a wailing cry described by personnel as sounding "like a dying woman". | SCP-6968-2-E passed away on 4/16/2012 in Foundation custody. No other entities matching its description have been recovered from SCP-6968-1 since its initial recovery. |
| SCP-6968-2-F | Entity resembles a Salmo trutta (River Trout) covered in a thick, white coat of fur. Aside from this fur, entity displays behavior identical to the common River Trout. | A small school of ten individuals has been produced due to a male and female breeding pair being recovered from SCP-6968-1. Entities engage in symbiotic behavior when exposed to nonanomalous River Trout, forming a ring around the schools and shaking their bodies to warm cooler waters. |
Historical records from states visited by SCP-6968-1 reveal that it has existed since approximately 1840. Records of advertisements produced by SCP-6968 reveal that it has always advertised itself as a "One of a kind animal sideshow attraction."
Addendum 6968.1: Incident Report
On 7/23/2016, Dr. Faran Caraway1 received a direct call in his office from an unidentified individual who later identified themselves as Markus Davenson. As per Foundation procedure, Dr. Caraway recorded the call and alerted an available MTF for call tracing. Despite Foundation efforts, the call was unable to be traced and no records of any individual matching the name "Markus Davenson" were found. A transcript of the call is provided below.
AUDIO LOG
DATE: 7/23/2016
[BEGIN LOG]
Dr. Caraway: Hello, Dr. Caraway's office?
Davenson: Oh wonderful, wonderful. It is a delight to speak with you Dr. Faran Caraway. You are a rather difficult man to contact!
Dr. Caraway: …I'm sorry, who is this?
Davenson: My name is Markus Davenson, and I have important business to discuss with you regarding some animals in your care!
Dr. Caraway: I'm sorry this…this is a private, classified line. How did you get access to this number?
Davenson: I'm a powerful man with powerful connections, Dr. Caraway. Please, let's not waste time on trivial details.
By this point, Dr. Caraway had contacted command and was advised to keep the caller on the line as long as possible.
Dr. Caraway: This is definitely not trivial, but I'll bite. What business are you referring to?
Davenson: Please pay attention, Dr. Caraway, as I have already stated my business. You have animals in your care that belong to me.
Dr. Caraway: I have several animals in my care, you'll need to be more specific than that.
Davenson: Oh, certainly. Apologies for being unclear- I'm referring to animals stolen from "Fantastic Fearsome Critters".
Dr. Caraway: Stolen…? No you're mistaken there, we rescued those animals from SCP-6968 due to the poor conditions of the fairground.
Davenson: I assure you we provide only the best animal care at "Fantastic Fearsome Critters" and I advise you not to say otherwise. Money has been a bit tighter than usual, but we can get to why that is in a moment. Regardless, I digress. I'm calling to formally ask your organization to not only return the animals in your custody but also to cease and desist from further theft of our property. Likewise we request that you cease the destruction of our advertising and restriction of civilian access to our establishment.
Dr. Caraway: ….You know what, let's make a deal. I can discuss with my command about potential lifting of SCP-6968 containment procedures if you're willing to give me some information regarding your fairground. Deal?
Davenson: I suppose that's a fair trade. What information do you require?
Dr. Caraway: These animals, where are they all coming from? Every time we've sent a team into your fairground you've had another set of animals in there.
Davenson: I have a large personal collection of the exotic, Dr. Caraway. Since you all insist on stealing my attractions, I've had to pull from my collection I've gathered over the past century to replace the holes.
Dr. Caraway: That doesn't answer the question.
Davenson: I suppose it doesn't. Fine, then. You all stole my Catarina a few years ago, do you recall? Were you all unable to discern anything from that?
Dr. Caraway: Apologies, but I really don't know what you mean by that. I've never even heard of a Catarina before.
Davenson: Hm, a shame. And thank you for telling me you hadn't heard of it, that means we need to improve our marketing.
Davenson sighs.
Davenson: You see, people love zoos, Dr. Caraway. Beyond that, people love zoos with rare and unique creatures in them do they not? My business prides itself on having the rarest collection of creatures possible. You've seen our ads, no? We boast "One of a kind" for a reason.
Dr. Caraway: Wait, so…
Davenson: And it is rather frustrating that you all keep taking our exhibits from us like this. Why, I'm going to have to use the Dodo at this rate and that will simply spoil the surprise for everyone!
Dr. Carway: I'm sorry, you have a Dodo?
Davenson: Please cease the interruptions, Dr. Caraway. It is rather rude, especially when I am answering questions for you. Yes, every creature in my collection was bountiful at one point, but times change. Honestly it's rather kind of me to preserve such creatures for as long as I have. I suppose that helps make up for getting them to this point to begin with. And yes, we do have a Dodo. It's a horrid creature and smells terribly.
Dr. Caraway: Sorry to keep pelting you with questions, sir, but could you explain that a bit more? What exactly do you mean by "getting them to this point"?
Davenson: So many questions! Yes, I used to do the dirty work myself. Wiping out a species or ten is nothing in the grand scheme, truly! I will say that humanity has made the job easier in recent years, however. Why, I've hardly had to lift a finger in procuring my creatures! Did you hear about that Mexican fish a few years back? The Pupfish I believe? I'm already drafting up some wonderfully fantastic tales about it. I'm delighted we were able to keep a specimen! Spreading these stories does take some time, but such is business. I should be able to have it on display within the next twenty years or so.
Dr. Caraway: Holy shit…
Davenson: Though I do confess some have been harder to get rid of than others. I do advise that you do something about those jackalopes in specific, keeping their numbers low was a pain. They breed like…rabbits! Hahaha!
Dr. Caraway: Yes, well…we'll…do that then.
Davenson: Well it has been a delight talking to you, Dr. Caraway. I hope that you remember our bargain, and I very much look forward to talking to you again in the near future.
[END LOG]
Closing Statement: Markus Davenson has been labelled as PoI-6968. Identifying them is a class B priority. No changes to SCP-6968 containment have been approved.