[pct-l] For Squatch...

[pmags at yahoo.com (Paul Magnanti)]

Yeah, it is slow today at work. :)

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1 million bounty to be offered for live capture of
Bigfoot

October 16, 2005

LEWISTON, Maine --A Maine scientist is preparing to
release details of a $1 million reward for a
photograph that leads to the live capture of Bigfoot,
the abominable snowman or the Loch Ness Monster.

Loren Coleman, a professor at the University of
Southern Maine, said the bounty would be paid for by
an unnamed company and that he will release more
details at a cryptozoology symposium at Bates College
over Halloween weekend. Cryptozoology is the
scientific study of hidden, rumored or unknown
animals.

"It's the time for something like this," Coleman said.
"Back in the 1960s, hardly anybody was talking about
this. Today, it's phenomenal."

The mysteries surrounding these creatures have long
been the subject of debate.

Bigfoot, or sasquatch, is said to be a huge, hairy
humanlike creature with long arms. The abominable
snowman, or yeti, is a large hairy, manlike mammal
reputed to live in the Himalayas. The Loch Ness
Monster is a dinosaur-like creature reputed to live in
a lake in Scotland.

The $1 million bounty would be paid by a company to
anyone who produces a photograph that leads to the
live capture of one of the three creatures, Coleman
said.

"We don't want people running around with guns trying
to kill something to get the money," Coleman said.
"It's not a contest, either. It's a very specific
bounty that depends on the permanent capture of a live
specimen, with emphasis on 'live.'"

Coleman, a cryptozoologist who is considered one of
the world's leading experts on Bigfoot, said he would
release some details about the bounty at a Bigfoot
conference over the weekend in Texas. He's saving the
rest for Lewiston, where he will speak at the
symposium on Oct. 28 on the Bates campus.

The three-day symposium, held at the Bates College
Museum of Art, will focus on cryptozoology, science
and art.

"What we like about the subject is that there is such
a fine line between truth and fraud in the field, and
that goes way back through history," said museum
curator Mark Bessire. "We're looking at how the
possibility of these beasts becomes a part of the
cultural canon."

The event will include panel discussions about the
science of fantastic creatures and artistic
interpretations of their stories. It will feature two
movies, including "The Legend of Boggy Creek," a 1972
film about a small Arkansas town terrorized by a swamp
monster.

Coleman said most sightings are hoaxes, mistakes or
misunderstandings. But the $1 million reward is on the
level, he said.

"The company that's behind this really understands the
situation," he said. "They understand the interest in
the creatures and monsters that are really out there
and they are willing to step forward."

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The true harvest of my life is intangible.... a little stardust 
caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched
--Thoreau
http://www.magnanti.com