We look at many strange things here on the channel. My research is mostly conducted from behind the safety of a keyboard others are more proactive.
They go out in search of answers, armed with all sorts of equipment and cameras they fearlessly head out to sites of paranormal, ufo and cryptid activity.
Now these intrepid researchers may be prepared for almost anything but how about the long arm of the law.
David Aragon asked this question in his article.
“Hunting Cryptids? Then You Better Know The Law”
Let’s a take a look at his thoughts.
The scenario is set, sightings of strange creatures or phenomena have been reported and you are determined to get to the bottom of what’s going on. You arm yourself with recording equipment and weapon for your personal protection then head off the hunt.
You arrive at that the location and with some trepidation you begin your search, to your surprise you hear noises coming from the bushes, your nervousness increases but you are there to find answer and walk toward the sound.
SUDDENLY!! The creature leaps from the bush and you instinctively raise your weapon and defend yourself
But hold on you may be about to break the law.
There are rules that in certain places the killing of unknown creatures or cryptid animals like Bigfoot will end with you standing before a judge.
This because some places have classified these creatures as protected. If you shot and killed a Bigfoot in Skamania County in Washington State you would face a fine of up to $10,000 and most likely some jail time. You would also become world famous as the person who killed Bigfoot and would have to deal with all that would come with such fame.
A cousin to Bigfoot is the Skunk Ape, this cryptid hominid has not been so lucky and could find itself in the crosshairs of a hunter who could legally shoot the beast.
One man in Florida has been trying to get the cryptid some protection, he has been lobbying for a law to protect the Skunk Ape but has failed twice.
Dave Shealy, the man who wants the animal given the safety the law can provide says he has encountered Florida’s version of Bigfoot a number of times. Talking about his experiences and efforts to amend the law he said.
“Everyone thought the law was a joke. They shot it down, what harm would it have done to pass a law like that? Is the skunk ape in harm’s way? Yes. No doubt about it.”
The Sasquatch is not the only cryptid that enjoys the protection of the law. I looked at the recent sightings of lake monsters and the spotting of Nessie twice in a five day period.
If these witnesses had gotten too close to the monster they could have faced prosecution, this because the Scottish government has a plan in place for when or if the Loch Ness Monster is ever found.
The government set out a series of steps for zoologists or researchers to follow.
The code of practice was written in 2001 by Scottish Natural Heritage, which is funded by the Scottish government.
SNH said it would “dust off” the plan and put it into action should the cryptid be discovered, it says officials should take a DNA sample from the lake monster, this to enable scientists to study the creature.
It should then be released back into the loch with extra measures put in place to make sure it is not disturbed. Nessie would be an extremely rare species and in need of conservation.
Another lake cryptid almost as famous as Nessie is Champ.
Champ is said to inhabit the waterway of Lake Champlain. The American version of Nessie was given protection by New York law makers.
Laws making it illegal to harm Champ in any way were written back in the 1980s.
Another mysterious American monster that has also been granted legal protection is the Jersey Devil.
New Jersey’s oldest, most enduring, and important cryptid has been around for three hundred years.
Legend tells, a Mrs. Jane Leeds came from a poor family who scratched a living in the Pine Barrens of Jersey, a rugged place with vast forests, sandy soil and patches of swamp. In 1735, Mrs. Leeds found that she was pregnant with her 13th child. She was not happy and complained to her friends and relatives that the “Devil can take the next one”, and the story reveals that he did.
When the baby was born, it was monster!
The newborn immediately took on a grotesque appearance and grew to more than 20 feet long, with a reptilian body, a horse’s head, bat wings and a long, forked tail. It thrashed about the Leeds home for a bit, some make claims that it attacked and killed many people including the mother before vanishing up the chimney.
The creature, or the “Jersey Devil” as it was dubbed, began stalking the Pine Barrens.
The scientific community has been tasked with finding and possibly capturing the famed monstrous, hooved flying creature. There have been many different theories as to what the cryptid really is, with some thinking it to be a living dinosaur. Others proposed that it may be a new kind of carnivore. A hunt has been going on for some time with Superintendent Robert D. Carson, of the Philadelphia Zoo, offering a $10,000 reward for the creature’s capture.
The reward has yet to be claimed.
And as the Jersey Devil has been awarded the title of “Official State Demon of New Jersey” it looks as if the beast has found some protection under law.
Cryptids are however found all over the world so what other countries protect the mysterious and legendary creatures of folklore that stalk their mountains and forests?
In the country of Bhutan, a small peaceful Buddhist land found in south East Asia, they have a version of Bigfoot called Migoi, or what some have come to call ‘the Abominable Snowman.’
This animal has been reported for centuries and is very highly respected in local culture, the 8-foot-tall hairy hominid creature was awarded a 250 square mile sanctuary in 2001.
The Bhutanese government are often applauded for making their country the happiest in the world.
The country rating its success by measuring its worth by citizens’ happiness.
Bhutan is famously the only country in the world to rank Gyalyong Gakid Palzom, or Gross National Happiness (GNH), above GDP. Everything—from governance and economic development to cultural preservation and environmental conservation—is decided according to this holistic tenet, designed to measure and protect the collective happiness and wellbeing of the population.
It would seem that Asian Bigfoot cousin has been lucky enough to be included in this measurement of happiness.
So what do you think, should law makers and governments of the world take cryptids seriously and offer them protection?
Maybe they should remain on the fringes of history the fact most people believe them to be myth offering the beasts a form of protection.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below