“It's illegal to kill Bigfoot/Sasquatch in British Columbia”
UNVERIFIED! Various sources claim BC has a law protecting Sasquatch from being killed, but no official statute or regulation has been located.
Sources Claim A Sasquatch Protection Law
Various sources claim British Columbia has a law protecting Sasquatch/Bigfoot from being killed.
No Official Statute Has Been Found
No official BC statute or regulation has been located. Multiple sources, including the original BC Magazine article, note this is "rumored" or "unclear." Unlike Skamania County, Washington, which has a documented 1969/1984 ordinance, BC has no confirmed equivalent.
Likely Explanations Behind The Claim
While Skamania County, Washington does have a documented Bigfoot protection ordinance (originally 1969, amended 1984), there's no evidence BC has similar legislation. The claim may be confusion with the Washington law, a joke that became "fact" through repetition, or a misremembered local proclamation or tourism promotion.
Where the story gets it wrong
The most common misconception is that BC has a specific law naming Sasquatch as a protected species. No such law exists. The claim may stem from a misinterpreted historical letter or confusion with Skamania County, Washington, which passed a Sasquatch protection ordinance in 1969. BC's general wildlife protections would theoretically apply to any unidentified species, but there is no Sasquatch-specific statute.
- Current status
- Unknown
- Penalty
- Purely hypothetical, since no Sasquatch-specific law exists. If a Sasquatch were classified as wildlife, hunting it without a licence (Wildlife Act s. 11) is penalized under s. 84(5): on a first conviction, a fine of up to $50,000, imprisonment up to 6 months, or both. The often-quoted $250,000 maximum applies only to the offences listed in s. 84(1)(a), such as killing an endangered or threatened species (s. 26(1)(a)) — which would require Sasquatch to first be designated as one.