It's illegal to hunt endangered species. Other areas of the world protect animals that are holy. What happens with those creatures that aren't necessarily proven to be real. Do they have any protection? As it turns out, some do. Below are the ones I've found.
1. Bigfoot - On April 1, 1969, a law was passed in Scamania County, WA, to protect Bigfoot. Despite the unfortunate date, this was not an April Fool's Day joke. It was considered a felony with a fine of $10,000 and/or up to five years in the county jail. This law was amended in 1984. It is currently considered a gross misdemeanor to kill Bigfoot. Attached is a $1000 fine and/or one year in the county jail. This amendment also created a million acre refuge within Scamania County. This area covers 1562.5 sq. miles of the 1684 sq. mile county.
In 2007, a member of the Canadian Parliament petitioned to put Bigfoot on the country's Species at Risk Act. I have found no evidence that this has come to pass.
In 2012, Bigfoot was added to the United States Fish and Wildlife Services endangered species list. According to the article I found, President Obama has entertained the idea of discussion with Canada to expand the protection to the Canadian Species at Risk Act. Again, I have found no evidence of an outcome for Canada.
 |
| Skunk ape photo taken from en.wikipedia.org |
2. Skunk Ape - The Skunk Ape is Florida's Bigfoot living in the Everglades. An attempt was made in the mid-1970's by a Republican state representative to pass a law making it illegal to hunt or molest the Skunk Ape. This law included a one year jail term with a $1000 fine if anyone killed an unclassified primate in Florida. Unfortunately, this attempt was shouted down and never passed.
3. Migo - The Migo is a relative to the Yeti. This creature lives in the Bhutan and, unlike the Yeti, sports fur that is anywhere from black to reddish-brown - much like our own Bigfoot. In 2001, the Bhutanese government established the Sakten Wildlife Sanctuary specifically to protect the Migo. This 253 sq. mile sanctuary is located in eastern Bhutan.
4. Loch Ness Monster - In 1981, an amendment was passed to protect Nessie under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. This amendment made it illegal to snare, shoot or blow up the creature with explosives.
 |
| Picture of Storsjon Lake Monster taken from skepticalswedishscientists.wordpress.com |
5. Storsjon Lake Monster - This creature, similar to Nessie, lives in Sweden. Shortly after the law was passed to protect Nessie, officials in Sweden sought assistance to get their own lake monster protected. The law was passed in 1986, saying that it was illegal to capture or kill the creature. In 2004, it was challenged and repealed because the Storsjon Lake Monster could not be classified with the backing of a credited source.
6. White River Monster - The long snake-like creature known as Whitey lives in the White River in Arkansas. In 1973, a bill was passed by State Senator Robert Harvey stating that the section of the White River between Jacksonport,AK and Possum Grape, AK would be set up as a reserve. It is illegal to harm Whitey within the boundaries of this sanctuary.
7. Champ - The lake monster living in Lake Champlain is also a protected species. In 1981, town trustees of Port Henry, NY, bordering on Lake Champlain, declared it illegal to hunt or harm Champ in the waters of Lake Champlain. The following year, Vermont declared a State House resolution stating that Champ was of a protected species. In 1983, the New York State Assembly and Senate also passed a resolution declaring Champ as a protected species. Due to this status, Champ also enjoys conservation funding from the Lake Champlain Land Trust.
8. Ogopogo - Also known as Naitaka or "Lake Demon", Ogopogo is a serpent-like creature that lives in Okanagan Lake, British Columbia, Canada. Ogopogo is protected under regulation 168-90 of the British Columbian Environmental Law.
9. Lutra nippon - Though the lutra nippon is not a cryptid, it is a presumed extinct otter that lived in Japan. There have been sightings of this otter over the past 30 years, but so few that it remains presumed extinct. Because of this, the lutra nippon is protected and considered a Japanese National Treasure by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs.
 |
| Photo of lutra nippon taken from blog.kohan-studio.com |
Note: I have found that hunting is illegal with exceptions which form our hunting regulations. Since cryptids are not mentioned as exceptions to our hunting regulations, it logically follows that killing a cryptid is illegal.
Notes taken from http://cryptomundo.com, http://mentalfloss.com, www.pangeainstitute.us, http://behindtheberezina.wordpress.com
No comments:
Post a Comment