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URECAT - UFO Related Entities Catalog

URECAT is a formal catalog of UFO related entities sightings reports with the goal of providing quality information for accurate studies of the topic. Additional information, corrections and reviews are welcome at patrick.gross@inbox.com, please state if you wish to be credited for your contribution or not. The main page of the URECAT catalog is here.

JULY 11, 1978, CAN CIFRE, IBIZA, SPAIN, TWO BOYS:

Brief summary of the event and follow-up:

The following story appears in ufology sources, in a rather fragmented manner, and it seems to come from an article in the local newspaper "El Diario de Ibiza".

At approximately 1 p.m. on July 11, 1978, two children of 10 and 11 years old, A.B. and F.C., were playing in a clearing or an isolated field on the grounds of a property of farm called "Can Fica" in Ibiza, Spain, a few kilometers in straight line from the village of Can Cifre.

They had climbed in a carob tree when they heard a noise near the low branches of the tree. They climbed down the tree thinking that it could have been some animal.

Squatted there, they saw a strange figure resembling a robot. It was tall, or about 2 meters tall, it had a human-like body, and seemed to wear a silver and metallic outfit that reflected the sunbeams. Its head appeared flattened on the top and part of what they saw was a hollow and two antennas with loops on the side of the cranium. Instead of two eyes, it had vertical slits. A sketch said to come from the newspaper is as follow, front view then back view:

Confronted to the unusual presence, that some source said it moved towards the boy in long jumps, the children fled, running towards a fence or a bar-wire fence, where they stopped, looking at what was going on behind them. There, they noticed a second figure, a man of a little more than 2 meters in height.

He was wearing a white dress or tunic or cape which covered his head and went down to the ground. One version says one of the kids saw he had red loops of hair, whereas another source talks of "long black hair" and a beard. On the front of his outfit that floated in the wind, were two vertical black stripes, on the two sides, and a kind of star or gilded star was embroidered or knit on his chest:

We are then told that when they came down from the tree the kids had also observed an ovoid or egg-shaped object of a greyish color, less than one meter above ground-level, or only a few meters above ground-level.

A little later that object, said to have been huge by some sources, and partly hidden by some nearby power lines poles, rose to float motionless under a power line with high voltage cables that moved, shook, and were curved upwards.

The children were chased "during several seconds" or "most of the way" when they fled to the village.

One of the versions specifies that after a quarter of an hour, the kids dared to return to the site, and the UFO and two characters were not there anymore. "One of the witnesses", continued an Ibiza journalist, " told us the story, accompanied by an elder brother, saying that on the spot of the event, under the tree there was a triangle with three circles traces, one inside the triangle, that they destroyed later, while playing with other children. The elder brother said that according to him the size of the print corresponded to a shoe size "50".

Other versions make believe or state that on the spot, "many" people made a "meticulous search" which resulted in the find of this trace.

Basic information table:

Case number: URECAT-001294
Date of event: July 11, 1978
Earliest report of event: 1978?
Delay of report: Hours, 5 years?
Witness reported via: Not known.
First alleged record by: Newspaper El Diario de Ibiza.
First certain record by: Ufology book Iker Jimenez.
First alleged record type: Local newspaper.
First certain record type: Ufology book.
This file created on: January 9, 2012
This file last updated on: January 9, 2012
Country of event: Spain
State/Department: Ibiza
Type of location: Outside in field or clearing, near power lines.
Lighting conditions: Day
UFO observed: Yes
UFO arrival observed: No
UFO departure observed: Not reported.
UFO/Entity Relation: Uncertain
Witnesses numbers: 2
Witnesses ages: 10 and 11
Witnesses types: Not reported. Children, boys.
Photograph(s): No.
Witnesses drawing: No.
Witnesses-approved drawing: Maybe.
Number of entities: 1
Type of entities: Humanoid or human, and humanoid or robot
Entities height: A bit more than 2 meters
Entities outfit type: 1) tunic with hood, 2 black stripes each side in the front, a gilded star on chest, 2) metallic outfit.
Entities outfit color: 1) white, 2) silver.
Entities skin color: Not reported or not visible.
Entities body: Not reported. 1) man, 2) humanoid robot.
Entities head: 1) in hood, 2) robot head, flat on the top, 2 antennas.
Entities eyes: 1) not reported, 2) Two vertical slits.
Entities mouth: Not reported.
Entities nose: Not reported.
Entities feet: 1) Not visible, tunic, 2) Not reported.
Entities arms: 1) Not visible, in tunic, 2) Not reported.
Entities fingers: 1) Not visible, in tunic, 2) Not reported.
Entities fingers number: 1) Not visible, in tunic, 2) Not reported.
Entities hair: 1) Maybe red hairset, 2) Not reported or none.
Entities voice: None heard.
Entities actions: Are there, robot moves in jumps towards witnesses.
Entities/witness interactions: Robot moves in jumps towards witnesses.
Witness(es) reactions: Observed, fled, looked back, returned 15 minutes later.
Witness(es) feelings: Frightened.
Witness(es) interpretation: Not reported.
Explanation category: Probable children invention.
Explanation certainty: Medium.

Narratives:

[Ref. ij1:] IKER JIMENEZ:

The author indicates that in Can Cifre, Ibiza, Spain, on July 11, 1978 at 13:00, children A.B. and F.C. were playing in a field close to the property of Can Fita when they heard a strong noise close to the carob tree in which they had climbed.

Somewhat alarmed, and thinking that it was some animal, they descended to the ground to observe a strange figure looking like a robot.

The being, whose shining colors reflected the solar rays, had two protuberances on the head and both the mouth and the eyes were just vertical slits.

The horror of the children increased when this android moved towards them in large jumps. The two boys started to run towards a fence as if they had seen the devil.

There, they turned back and saw that a second figure had appeared behind the thick heathers.

According to the statement they later gave: "This man measured more than two meters and was covered by a white cape which undulated in the wind."

This tunic, which went down to the ground, had in its higher part two vertical black stripes and something like a star embroidered on the chest.

The panic of the two youngsters further increased when they realized that close to the two mysterious characters a gigantic object partially hidden under the enormous mass of the towers of the power station had appeared. From it a bluish light came; which started to chase them in a frantic race.

After having arrived at the village and having alerted their fathers, many people moved to the location, and did not find any trace of the UFO and its supposed occupants; which appeared to have disappeared.

After a meticulous search, a strange trace of a size larger than 50 was found, with three circles inside.

The author gives these two sketches as coming from the newspaper El Diario de Ibiza:

Human face - Star on the chest - Two black fringes - White tunic.

Front / Back - Body of a normal person dressed in metal outfit.

[Ref. ar1:] ALBERT ROSALES:

Albert Rosales indicates in his catalogue that in Can Cifre, Ibiza, Spain, on July 11, 1978, at 1300, two young children were playing in an empty field near the Can Fita farm when they heard a loud sound coming from some nearby woods. Somewhat apprehensive and thinking it could be some kind of animal, they climbed down the tree they had been playing in and were confronted by a strange being robot-like in appearance. The humanoid had a brilliant metallic body, which reflected the bright sunlight and had two antenna-like protuberances on top of its head and large slit like eyes and mouth. To their horror the humanoid suddenly began moving towards them using incredibly long jumps. Both boys ran towards a nearby barbwire fence and were astonished to see another bizarre figure standing just in front some nearby trees. They describe the second figure as a man over 2 meters in height, bearded and with long black hair and wearing a long white cape that was flowing in the wind. The white tunic reached the ground and had its upper section two black horizontal stripes and something resembling a star that appeared to be knitted on the chest area. Their fear became greater as they realized that both figures had apparently emerged from a huge object that was partially hidden behind some nearby electrical pylons. As they ran to the nearby town they were chased by a bright blue light most of the way. Later strange tracks were found at the site of the encounter.

Albert Rosales indicates that the source is "Iker Jimenez, Encuentros, La Historia de Los Ovni en España."

[Ref. dj1:] DONALD JOHNSON:

Encounters with Aliens on this Day

July 11

1978 - Two young boys were playing in a tree in an empty field near the Can Fita farm in Can Cifre, Ibiza, Spain when they heard a loud noise coming from the nearby woods. Thinking it could be some kind of animal, they climbed down the tree and were confronted by a strange robot-like being. The humanoid had a bright metallic body that reflected the sunlight, two antenna-like projections from the top of its head, and large slit like eyes and mouth. To their horror it began moving towards them using incredibly long jumps. Both boys ran towards a nearby barbwire fence, but were astonished to see another bizarre figure standing just in front of some nearby trees. They describe the second figure as a man over two meters tall, bearded and with long black hair and wearing a long white cape that was flowing in the wind. Their fear increased when they realized both figures had apparently come from a huge landed UFO that was partially hidden behind some nearby electrical pylons. As they ran to town they were chased by a bright blue light most of the way. Strange tracks were later found at the site of the encounter. (Source: Albert S. Rosales, Humanoid Contact Database 1978, citing Iker Jimenez, Encuentros: La Historia de Los OVNI en España).

[Ref. ni1:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":

July 11, 1978; Can Cifre, Ibiza, Spain

Two young boys were playing in a tree in an empty field near the Can Fita farm in Can Cifre when they heard a loud noise coming from the nearby woods. Thinking it could be some kind of animal, they climbed down the tree and were confronted by a strange robot-like being. The humanoid had a bright metallic body that reflected the sunlight, two antenna-like projections from the top of its head, and large slit like eyes and mouth. To their horror it began moving towards them using incredibly long jumps. Both boys ran towards a nearby barbwire fence, but were astonished to see another bizarre figure standing just in front of some nearby trees. They describe the second figure as a man over two meters tall, bearded and with long black hair and wearing a long white cape that was flowing in the wind. Their fear increased when they realized both figures had apparently come from a huge landed UFO that was partially hidden behind some nearby electrical pylons. As they ran to town they were chased by a bright blue light most of the way. Strange tracks were later found at the site of the encounter. (Source: Albert S. Rosales, Humanoid Contact Database 1978, citing Iker Jimenez, Encuentros: La Historia de Los OVNI en España).

[Ref. ni2:] "THE NICAP WEBSITE":

Date City State or Country Cat Catalog Rating BB NC flag LC Description
780711 Can Cifre, Ibiza Spain 7 Two young boys were playing in a tree and heard a loud noise coming from the nearby woods. They were confronted by a strange robot-like being. As they ran to town they were chased by a bright blue light most of the way. Strange tracks were later found at the site of the encounter.

[Ref. ud1:] "UFODNA" WEBSITE:

The website says that on 11 July 1978 at 13:00 in Can Cifre, Ibiza, Spain, "Two young children were playing in an empty field near the Can Fita farm when they heard a loud sound coming from some nearby woods. Somewhat apprehensive and thinking it could be some kind of animal, they climbed down the tree they had been playing in and were confronted by a strange being robot-like in appearance. The humanoid had a brilliant metallic body, which reflected the bright sunlight and had two antenna-like protuberances on top of its head and large slit like eyes and mouth. To their horror the humanoid suddenly began moving towards them using incredibly long jumps. Both boys ran towards a nearby barbwire fence and were astonished to see another bizarre figure standing just in front some nearby trees. They describe the second figure as a man over 2 meters in height, bearded and with long black hair and wearing a long white cape that was flowing in the wind. The white tunic reached the ground and had its upper section two black horizontal stripes and something resembling a star that appeared to be knitted on the chest area. Their fear became greater as they realized that both figures had apparently emerged from a huge object that was partially hidden behind some nearby electrical pylons. As they ran to the nearby town they were chased by a bright blue light most of the way. Later strange tracks were found at the site of the encounter."

The source indication is a broken link.

[Ref. ro1:] "LA REALIDAD DEL FENOMENO OVNI" WEBSITE:

Another case occurred in the afternoon from July 10 to 11 of this same year 1978. In the night of this same day, one saw three UFOs close to the French Pyrenees. But in Ibiza, two ten-year-old children who were playing close to Can Cifre, at some two kilometers of the city, told they had seen a man, more than two meters tall, dressed in a white tunic with vertical black stripes in the higher part and bearing like a gilded star on the chest. The hood of this tunic covered him from the feet to the head, giving him the look of a "monk". The children said they saw, while going down from the tree on which they were playing, a luminous object of gray color and egg-shaped, floating at a few meters of the ground. The monk was not alone. Hisr companion totally looked like - still according to the story which was preserved from these witnesses - a robot. Also tall, with a silver outfit that was like metallized, a head that was flat on the top, vertical slits for eyes and antennas which appeared to start from the rear base of the cranium. The kids fled, alarmed, not without having observed this unknown also during a few minutes. One can wonder whether this was or was not an "encounter of the third kind". But these children were not to have invented such a story. And if they did, they did it very well. In any event, the case remained there as one more testimony of the presence of "rare things" and "rare phenomena" in our island.

[Ref. jb1:] J.G. BLANCO:

324) July 11, 1978, Can Cifre, Ibiza. 01:00 p.m..

The children A.B. and F.C. played in a field of the property "Can Fita" (Ibiza) when they heard a strong noise close to the tree in which they had climbed. Something alarmed them, and thinking that it was some animal, they came down to the ground to observe an unknown being with the appearance of a robot. The horror of the children increased when this android went towards them in great jumps. The two children started to run. They then turned on their heels and noted that a second figure had appeared behind them. As they later reported "this man was two meters tall and it was covered with a white fabric which undulated in the wind". After a meticulous search in the area a strange trace of a size of 50 with three circles inside was found.

More data in: BALLESTER OLMOS, Vicente Juan and FERNÁNDEZ PERIS, Juan A. "Enciclopedia de losencuentros cercanos con OVNIs", page 53 et 54. Plaza y Janés pub.. Barcelona. 1987.
JIMÉNEZ ELIZARI, Iker and FERNÁNDEZ BUENO, Lorenzo. "50 años de ovnis en España".Capítulo 19. Magazine ENIGMAS #31

[Ref. ka7:] "KARMA 7" BLOG:

The "monk" and the robot

At approximately 13 o'clock on July 11, two children of 10 and 11 years old who were playing in a clearing of the grounds of "Can Fica" close to Can Cifre, a few kilometers in straight line from the village, heard a noise near the low branches of the carob tree on which they were perched. When they let themselves down the tree, thinking that it was some an animal, squatted, they saw a strange figure resembling a robot. He was tall and seemed to wear a silver outfit, and metallic.His head appeared flattened on the top and part of what they saw was a hollow and two antennas with loops on the side of the cranium. Instead of two eyes it had vertical slits. In front of this unusual presence - the children fled running towards a fence, where they stopped to look at what was going on behind them. They then noticed the presence of a second figure, a man of a little more than two meters in height, wearing a white dress which covered his head, through which of one of them saw red loops of hair. On the front of his coat vertical black stripes were seen, on the two sides, and a kind of star was embroidered on the chest. When they came down the kids had observed an ovoid object of a greyish color, less than one meter above ground-level. A little later the object rose to float motionless under a power line with high voltage cables that moved, shook, and were curved upwards. Still according to their story, when the children had observed the two individuals, they fled the place somehow terrified to put themselves in safety, and they were chased during several seconds by a blue light. When, after a quarter of an hour, they dared to return to the site, they noted that the supposed UFO and its two occupants had disappeared. "One of the witnesses", continued an Ibiza journalist, " told us the story, accompanied by an elder brother, saying that on the spot of the event, under the tree there was a triangle with three circles traces, one inside the triangle, that they destroyed later, while playing with other children. The elder brother said that according to him the size of the print corresponds to a size 50". The case is at first sight interesting, it deserves some doubts, we think that the possibility that it is an invention should not be excluded, the behavior of the children seems in contradiction with the extraterrestrials, when they return to the site alone whereas they are frightened, instead of doing it with older people in a logic of protection. The two beings, however, make think of certain actors in the wars, which probably had a psychological impact on the childrens' minds. Consequently a personal interview with the two suspect children should have been carried out before one talks of conclusive proof of a way or another.

Points to consider:

The witnesses are children quite young children; they are far from "credible and qualified witnesses" one would prefer to deal with. I can think of the Prémanon case in France in 1954, in which several young children convinced ufologists and even police officers of their sincerity, until decades later, ufologists counter-investigated with one of them and reported he told them he had simply invented the entire story.

There are several narratives, none being truly complete with the course of events of some of the details. One may even affirm there is a contradiction as regard the hair of the character designated as the "monk." Perhaps is it quite simply because the versions of each kid was indeed in contradiction about it, and maybe the later sources chose to conceal it, selecting one or the other version?

One of the sources notices the oddity of the two characters as described; indeed, this "monk" and this "robot" may be more simply explicable as product of childish imagination than as extraterrestrial UFO crew - and besides, nothing shows a clear link, other than temporal and geographical, between the figures themselves, and between the figures and the UFO. There is rather a succession rather than concomitance.

Lastly, it seems that all this is just a newspaper article, that nobody seems to have gotten, or in any case, I do not have it. It is again a bad sign. I can think for example of the case of Lugrin in France in 1954, that a ufologist quoted "according" to a newspaper but where part of information is missing: the "witness", in addition to have allegedly seen a UFO and occupants, also claimed that her dog was a descendent of Joan of Arc's dog... It would thus be a good thing, in the absence of a counter-investigation probably difficult to carry out now, to find, at least, the newspaper article.

List of issues:

Id: Topic: Severity: Date noted: Raised by: Noted by: Description: Proposal: Status:
1 Data Severe January 9, 2012 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Primary source, local newspaper, not available and not properly referenced. Help needed. Opened.
2 Ufology Severe January 9, 2012 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Witnesses are 10 and 10 years old kids. Help needed. Opened.
3 Ufology Severe January 9, 2012 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Anonymous witnesses. Help needed. Opened.
4 Ufology Severe January 9, 2012 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross No sign of investigation, newspaper report. Help needed. Opened.
5 Ufology Severe January 9, 2012 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Incomplete narration, no information on UFO departure, on UFO size, on duration of the observation parts. Help needed. Opened.
6 Ufology Severe January 9, 2012 Patrick Gross Patrick Gross Missing basic data such as distances. Help needed. Opened.

Evaluation:

Probable children invention.

Sources references:

* = Source I checked.
? = Source I am told about but could not check yet. Help appreciated.

Document history:

Authoring

Main Author: Patrick Gross
Contributors: None
Reviewers: None
Editor: Patrick Gross

Changes history

Version: Created/Changed By: Date: Change Description:
0.1 Patrick Gross January 9, 2012 Creation, [ij1], [ar1], [dj1], [ni1], [ni2], [ud1], [ro1], [jb1], [ka7].
1.0 Patrick Gross January 9, 2012 First published.

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This page was last updated on January 9, 2012