An Oklahoma state representative has announced a $3 million bounty for anyone who is able to safely capture the creature known as Bigfoot.
The Museum of Unnatural History describes Bigfoot as a "hairy giant" that stands "seven to nine feet tall and weighs between 600 and 900 pounds."
Bigfoot, who is also known as Sasquatch in North American folklore, is purported to live alone in the forest. Several states claim to be the home of the being, following apparent sightings.
State Representative Justin Humphrey announced the bounty during a special presentation on the Oklahoma Senate floor on Wednesday.
"Members, I am really excited today, I'm really pumped," Humphrey said. "It turns out there is a guy in the state who has got the same mind as I do."
Humphrey said that between him and the unnamed man they "have started what may be the biggest promotion in the state of Oklahoma ever."
"This is turning out to be huge," Humphrey said.
"We're gonna offer $3 million, we raised the bounty today, $3 million for a live capture of unharmed Bigfoot."
Humphrey said that a film crew will be documenting attempts to find the mythical ape-like creature over a 6-month period. Fox 25 reported that the tentative airdate for the series is January 2022.
Humphrey insisted the search was not a hunt, and that there was no desire for the creature to be harmed.
"It's not hunt by the way, we don't hunt Bigfoot, nobody wants to harm Bigfoot, we want to do a live humane capture of Bigfoot," Humphrey said on the state Senate floor.
"We are wanting the whole world to come to Southeastern Oklahoma and to the state of Oklahoma and get involved in our bounty."
Humphrey first attempted to raise the funds for the search back in January 2021, when he introduced House Bill 1648 that would have required annual dates and created licenses and fees.
He wanted the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission to create rules for a season in which people could search for Bigfoot, that would have helped promote tourism in the representative's heavily wooded state district.
Humphrey said on Wednesday he initially attempted to create the bounty to raise awareness of and increase tourism for the Bigfoot festival in Honobia, Oklahoma, that takes place on October 1-2 every year.
His initial plan would have included a bounty of just $25,000 for an unharmed capture of the creature. But the bill did not pass, Fox 7 reported.
Newsweek has contacted Humphrey for comment about the bounty.
