I had recently been listening to an old Skeptics Guild to the Universe from 2005, from 11-15-05 and they had told a news story about a million-dollar Bigfoot challenge. I thought this sounded interesting, so I thought I do some research. And write about it. First, I thought the story was good enough to comment on, and second, I thought this story would give me a chance to express some of my thoughts on Cryptozoology.
The story, as best as I can paraphrase is, Loren Coleman, a professor at the University of Southern Maine, offered a million-dollars to anyone who can produce actual physical evidence that leads to the actual capture of a live Bigfoot. The money was going to be put up by the toy manufacturer, Hasbro. Before the offer was made public, however, the lawyers for Hasbro stopped it fearing lawsuits by overzealous monster hunters who may hurt themselves running through the forest. The offer was changed to $5000 for the best photo of a Bigfoot.
The first article I found was one on ESPN’s Outdoors, in which Colman was quoted as saying “It’s the time for something like this,” Coleman said. “Back in the 1960s, hardly anybody was talking about this. Today, it’s phenomenal.”
Apparently it the offer was not for just a Bigfoot, but a sasquatch or the Loch Ness Monster as well. Personally I thought a sasquatch as a Bigfoot but I guess I’m wrong.
In the follow up story by the Associated Press, it was explained why the offer was rescinded.
Instead, Coleman announced Tuesday evening that Wizards of the Coast, which produces the Duel Masters Trading Card Game, pulled the plug. The Hasbro Toys subsidiary feared someone could get hurt in the frenzy to find and photograph one of the creatures, he said.
“The media story on this bounty has caused an unprecedented worldwide frenzy in which, apparently, Duel Masters felt a monster hunter could have gotten badly hurt in the race for the million dollar bounty. No one wants that,” Coleman said.
Now my take on this story and Cryptozoology.
I have no doubt the Professor Loren Coleman is a very intelligent man, I have been to his website and quickly realize he know much more that I’ll ever know. I think he is not one of the general nuts out there, who claim every strange light in the sky is a UFO and every floating log is a Sea Monster. He is not out to scam anyone and he is using an actual scientific method in his research. But here is the thing about trying so hard to find these creatures. Why!
So, a Bigfoot is captured and put is a cage and the person who found it can smile and say I’m the one who found it and all you skeptics were wrong. Ha ha! He or she will get millions of dollars and go on talk shows and talk in front of college students. Yes, I can see for the fame and glory of finding the legendary creature, there is a motive.
For the other reason, you know, making a great discovery that will change the world, and finding a new, unknown species, the one we hear most of the time to justify all the millions of dollars spent, not so much. I mean, yeah, it would be nice to see what kind of a creature it is but no more that a new butterfly from Africa or a new fish from the Oceans depth. New species are found all the time. I know, this one is perhaps a little different because of the way It has been sneaking around over the years, but still, if real, it’s just another animal.
And you know what the rest of the world will say? “Hey honey, did you hear they captured Bigfoot?” “Really?” “That nice, now pass the potatoes.”
Beyond the face that it will not change anyone’s lives (except Bigfoot, who is how in a cage), I have to ask, why hasn’t it been found yet? And that goes for The Loch Ness Monster, too.
It seems every time I turn on the so-called History Channel, there is some special in which a group of people are walking around in the woods, or float over Loch Ness, with cameras and sonar equipment looking for the beast. These creatures must be the sneakiest S-O-B’s on the planet to avoid any kind or real detection.
Anyway, my point is, whether these things are real or just myth, it is just a huge waste of time and money trying to find one.
