Would you shoot an animal to prove it existed?

This is something I have been debating personally. If you encountered a creature such as bigfoot or the like, would it be ok to kill it simply to provide proof that it is real?

[edit on 28-12-2005 by ll0ll0ll0]

maybe shoot it in its legs, just so it could be captured alive.

No, regardless of species.

We have sufficient technological devices to find Bigfoot if we could get the money up to do it.

Infrared from a helicopter would be a good start.
As would a team of photographers that could be dropped off at potential sighting areas after locating a Bigfoot from an infrared airborne system.


Short story from the early 80's or so.
Just to illustrate a point.

I used to work at the large power station opposite Magic Mountain Park and across I-5 near Newhall, California. (Known as Santa Clarita nowadays.)
We used to monitor police, fire, forestry etc. scanners to get a head start on potential problems to the electric system.

When we started hearing of a chase coming south on I-5 headed for L.A. about 0400 it got pretty interesting.
Three guys had robbed some people and were brandishing shotguns at cars while speeding along the highway up on the ridge near Gorman.
Eventually there were a couple of Kern County (Bakersfield area) Sheriff's cars, a couple of Bakersfield based CHP cars, then about three more Newhall based CHP cars and an L.A. County Sheriff's car chasing the bad guys.

The parade eventually made it's way down I-5 to where we could see it from the power stations back door.
A whole lot of red and blue lights.

The bad guys turned into Magic Mountain Park and I wondered why.
My co-worker mentioned they were probably from the inner city and figured they'd get lost in the amusement park.
Trouble was, there were no people in the park due to the late hour except for a couple of watchmen.
The bad guys stopped their car near the entrance, got out, fired at the policemen, then two gave up right away and the third got over the cyclone fence that surrounded the park and disappeared into the park.

I figured he would cross the park, climb over the fence again and disappear up the Santa Clara River (dry at the time) bed and walk away from the whole deal.

Then we hear the police dispatcher notify the policemen on the ground that a FLIR helicopter was on the way. (Forward Looking Infra Red.)

About 0530 one our company helicopter pilots drove up to the power station gate and we let him in.

He was an ex Vietnam helicopter pilot and knew about the FLIR system and explained it to us.
We had no idea the L.A.P.D. had one and I'd only heard about them being used in Vietnam.

I didn't take long for the FLIR heli to latch on to the guy and then watch him via FLIR move into an area of buildings.
The FLIR operator got fooled a couple of times by A/C units that were still giving off heat on the roof of buildings, but it wasn't too much longer until they tracked the bad guy to some bushes where he was apprehended.

With the night vision devices we have nowadays, ones where we can tell whether we're looking at car, deer or human, it seems the time is right for a well coordinated and humane effort to locate a Bigfoot and photograph same.
Capture wouldn't really be required as far as I'm concerned.
Just some good clear photos and videos.

Trouble with all this Bigfoot and UFO stuff is that clear photos are few and far between.
You'd think that with all the camera's out there, we'd have more pictures.

Then again, sometimes you get surprised.
I was quite a way out in the desert last Wednesday, took quite a few photos with a digi-cam during a Jeep trip and when we got close to the paved highway, i put it away.
Only to see a small herd of wild horses laying around in the minimal shade of a Joshua tree.
We could have went back, but by that time they were up and moving.
They are quite leery of man and his vehicles....

step 1) shoot it
step 2) drag it out of the woods
step 3) stuff it
step 4) sell it on e-bay

In the name of science some sacrifices have to be made so I say yes. I hunt and fish but only kill or catch enugh for personal consumption except for deer I limit out because I donate the meat to the Hunters For the Hungry orginization. www.tacaa.org...

the only fair thing to do with bigfoot is old fashion hand to hand combat....
you could open a can of whoop-ss on him and pull him out the woods take pictures, tag em, and release him back into nature...

in theory, there would be no limit for hunting crypto animals. there is no law regarding them!

Originally posted by ll0ll0ll0
in theory, there would be no limit for hunting crypto animals. there is no law regarding them!

Not true in all cases, Killing a Bigfoot in Skamania Country carries a $10,000.00 fine and 5 years in prison.

Personally I would shoot a Bigfoot in a heart beat. The scientific community will not except anything less then the corpus. You kill one and save the rest as it would quickly become a endangered species getting its own land and protection.

Plus you would become a instant Millionaire Mueseums have payed like 8 million for near complete T-rex Skeletons. Just imagine what they would pay for a complete body of a one of a kind animal.

That ordinance was replaced with this one

The above ordinance was partially repealed and amended in 1984 by Ordinance 1984-2:

The ordinance was amended to make the crime a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in the county jail and/or a $1000 fine.
The new ordinance also created a million-acre refuge within the County.

Board of Commissioners of Skamania County

Mate with it, have its offspring and sell them on ebay

Ok. Maybe not.

i cant believe i havent heard anyone suggest what seems to me to be the sanest and most compassionate way which is to track it through thermal imaging in a non-invasive way (such as on foot, in teams),pre approve a protected status for the creature and study it from afar such as we would with,say,a mountain gorilla or such.Proof positive would be documented by extensive video tape,and a corpse for scientific study could be obtained post mortum via natural causes.Or better yet tranquilizer gun.Also the chance of it being so closely related to man that it may be flirting with homicide
Leave the poor fella alone...

and another example of guns in the wrong hands

Originally posted by ll0ll0ll0
in theory, there would be no limit for hunting crypto animals. there is no law regarding them!

Yes, there is.

In nearly every state the Fish and Game codes allow hunting only for species specifically allowed in the codes. If a species is not listed as legal to hunt it is illegal.

well, i've decided that if see an animal like bigfoot, i'll introduce it to my sks. 7.62 x 39mm....2,410 feet per second...400 yard effective range....

bigfoot is goin down. then i'll see you guys on the television.

I don't know much about bigfoot.
but would it be legal to shoot a Neanderthal, if one were to be discovered..

I'm not saying that I think bigfoot is a neanderthal type...but if it fell under the Genus Homo...Would it be murder?
Or do you have to be Homo SAPIENS, to get that protection?

I would be reluctant to shoot a Bigfoot, unless it posed a clear and present danger to me or another. I would be fearful of shooting some fool in a gorilla suit and being charged with homicide.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
I would be reluctant to shoot a Bigfoot, unless it posed a clear and present danger to me or another. I would be fearful of shooting some fool in a gorilla suit and being charged with homicide.

that thought crossed my mind.

of course, he was comin' right for me...my word against his...

Heck yes . . . with the best camera and film money can buy.

Originally posted by syrinx high priest
step 1) shoot it
step 2) drag it out of the woods
step 3) stuff it
step 4) sell it on e-bay

Or you can do what this guy did...

won't get fooled again

eye of newt, cat's tail stew, anyone?

what if that bigfoot thing is not an animal?