Sasquatch Down

BODIES OF BIGFOOT: No less a personage than world-renowned paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey, when asked about Sasquatch, retorted, "Show me the bones."1 And indeed-under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature and the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants-each taxon (a group of one or more populations of a distinct organism) is based on a particular "type specimen." In order for Bigfoot-Sasquatch-Yeti to be scientifically classified, named, and (perhaps) legally protected, it must first be proven to exist. That basic requirement has spawned a fierce "kill/no kill" debate among researchers and monster hunters worldwide. The practical (some say "cold-hearted") pro-kill advocates insist that one specimen must be sacrificed for the good of all, and for the advancement of science. No-kill proponents suggest various alternative methods of proof ranging from photographs or videos-rejected sight-unseen by most skeptics-to plans for collecting flesh, blood or hair for DNA sequencing without harm to a living creature. So far, neither side has succeeded. Or, have they?