are haggis real creatures?

Question

are they real or are my mates having me on?

can anyone give me hard evedence that i can print off and show my friend. i always thought u cud trust police men!!!! maybe not!

Answer 1

sounds like they might be trying to send you on a snipe hunt.

"Wild Haggis is a fictional creature comically said to be native to the Scottish Highlands. Each leg is supposed to be different length, a short leg and two long legs - although the Great Highland Haggis supposedly has one long and two short - allowing it to run rapidly around the mountains and hillsides which make up its natural habitat. It is also believed that male Haggis run only clockwise and female Haggis run only in a counterclockwise direction.

Fictionally, there are two species of Haggis, one with longer left legs and the other with longer right legs. The two species coexist peacefully but are unable to interbreed because in order for the male of one species to mate with a female of the other, he must turn to face in the same direction as his intended mate, causing him to lose his balance before he can mount her. As a result of this difficulty, differences in leg length among the Haggis population are accentuated.[1]

Haggis abroad
The notion of the wild Haggis is widely believed, though not always including the idea of mismatched legs. According to a survey released on 26 November 2003, one-third of U.S. visitors to Scotland believed the wild Haggis to be a real creature.[2]

The telling of wild Haggis stories is not entirely confined to Scotland - for example, reports tell of a small Haggis population introduced to Nevada.[3]


Influence on media
The Alan Garner novel The Owl Service introduced the concept, as a jokey aside of 'fimbulwinters', of artificial legs designed for such creatures as the wild Haggis (though the concept is used in the novel specifically for sheep) to walk unaided on even ground.[citation needed]

In an episode of River Cottage, the presenter, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall goes hunting for these Haggis creatures in his quest to find true haggis to cook. The convincing locals in the episode never reveal what a haggis actually is, leading the viewers to wonder if he believed them. So convincing was it, several viewers are said to now believe this legend.[citation needed]

In an episode of The Goodies, the three guys were visiting Scotland and captured a haggis to eat, shortly before having an encounter with a bagpipe spider."

Answer 2

There really are wild haggis in Scotland - they are indigenous to the whole of the mainland, but are mostly found around the West Coast, where it's particularly wet! They are small and tubby, with very hairy heads and a fluffy tail.

It never ceases to amaze me how often I read something online about haggis being fake creatures - there seems to be some kind of conspiracy against them! I can assure you they are real, and very cute - although there is no truth to them having 'one leg shorter than the other'. That's just daft! Their legs are actually pretty short, though - they're a little like a daschund in stature.

I actually found an injured haggis in my back garden when I was little (we suspected a fox had got at it). Mum and I did our best to nurse it back to health, but he didn't last long - poor wee fella.

I was pretty horrified to find out that weekend that Mum had cooked the little guy and served him up to us the night before! I didn't forgove her for weeks! Although nowadays I tend to think 'waste not, want not'.

I've attached a pic.

Answer 3

Hello Moose

Contrary to the belief that they are 3 legged creatures that go around in circles - haggis is a savory dish - offal stuffed into a sheep's stomach!

Don't like them much - although I did used to eat haggis & brown sauce sandwiches - yuk - what was I thinking?

Pam

Answer 4

Haggis are real creatures. They live on the slopes of mountains. Curiously, the haggis has shorter legs on one side of its body than on the other, to allow them to stand level on the slope with no fuss. The only known way to catch a haggis is to chase it in the opposite direction around the mountain. With its legs reversed, the poor haggis will be unable to stand straight and will fall over, making it easy prey for you. Haggis meat is a prize dish in Scotland, where the haggis makes its home.

Answer 5

Not real. Haggis is a Scottish dish made of oatmeal and other things. Not a creature.

Answer 6

I thought Haggis was a Scottish dish. Sheep's stomach stuffed with meat and barley or something like that. Never heard of it being an animal of any kind.

Answer 7

haggis is a food not a creature!
made in Scotland & with questionable ingredients.

Answer 8

Isn't haggis food?

Answer 9

Absolutely.

They are closely related to the North American Jackalope which reside in the western USA and the Mid-Atlantic Snipe which inhabit the Mid-Atlantic States of New Jersey, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Answer 10

Your mates are having you on - they were traditionaly sheeps stomachs - but it is made from oats and other stuff!