Fearing a monster-hunting frenzy, the financial backers behind a $1 million bounty on Bigfoot, the Loch Ness monster and the Yeti called it quits Tuesday.
“The lawyers were afraid that someone was going to go out, looking for a Bigfoot, and get hurt,” said cryptozoologist Loren Coleman. “I guess they were worried about the liability.”
Instead, Wizards of the Coast, manufacturers of the card game “Duel Masters,” is offering a photographic contest with a $5,000 purse. That will be given for the photograph that best “perpetuates the mystique surrounding the hunt for the legendary creatures.”
Wizards of the Coast is a subsidiary of toy giant Hasbro.
Coleman said he’s very disappointed. A former University of Southern Maine professor, he’s afraid the company’s decision could hurt his reputation.
“I’ve already had some amateur cryptozoologists say I was doing it for the publicity,” he said. “Some people misinterpreted it from the beginning, thinking it was my money behind it. As if I had a million dollars.”
Coleman began discussing the bounty last week and planned to release the full details Oct. 28 at a Bates College symposium on cryptozoology. That’s the study of hidden or fantastic creatures.
The story began running Saturday while Coleman was at a Texas Bigfoot Conference.
“I got back Tuesday and I had 50 messages from media outlets all around the world,” Coleman said. The story had been picked up by The Associated Press, USA Today, NPR, MSNBC and the Daily Record in Glasgow, Scotland.
“It started out with one little story, and from there it just exploded,” Coleman said. “I think what happened next is that it frightened the lawyers a little and they began worrying about someone getting hurt.”
Coleman said there are other considerations, as well. Nessie, the monster rumored to live in Loch Ness in Scotland, is apparently protected by two British laws. Several counties in the United States offer similar protections for Bigfoot, the legendary hairy biped said to live in North American forests.
“A few have heavy fines and imprisonment for harming Bigfoot, which could have occurred accidentally,” Coleman said.
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