Bigfoot or big hoax? Sasquatch hunter files claim in bid to prove mythical apeman exists

A man who spent yearstrying to persuadethe worldthe Sasquatchexists is taking the B.C. government to court to try and prove it.

Todd Standingfiled a civil lawsuit in B.C. Supreme Court earlier this month,alleging the B.C. government isin "dereliction of duty" because it won'trecognizehis efforts and evidence, whichhe says prove theSasquatchexists.

The creature sometimes referred to as Bigfoot is said toresemble an ape, walks uprightand inhabits forests. It is widely considered to be a myth.

However, Standing argues that the Sasquatchhas a right to be recognized as a distinct and protected species.

He intends topresentphysical and video evidence, and expert eye-witness testimony to the court to prove theelusive creature exists in the forests of British Columbia, as well as Alberta and Washington state, where he is also filing similar claims.

'This is the real deal'

"When a judge sits down with me and realizes what I haveand who's with me this is going to happen," Standingsaid in an interview from Golden B.C.

"It's no joke, I'm coming with PhDs, professors, police officers, the best in the world this is the real deal, the evidence is here."

In 2014,Standing claimed to have found a Sasquatch hair, but a lab that studied it saidit was human hair, or that of another species.

Many have tried

Many Sasquatch and Bigfoot trackers have triedand failed to prove to the world that the mythical, mysterious creatures are real.

In 2008,two Georgia men claimed they had bagged the dead body of a Sasquatch. The material turned out to be a rubber Halloween costume.

In 1967, the dark, grainy footage of a hairy lumbering creature walking in the wilderness, known asthe Patterson-Gimlin film, was hailed by believers aspositive evidence. Despite decades of examining the film, no one has been able to definitively debunk itscontents.

Standing said he is aware his court action may make him seem a little off balance, and that he may next be asked to "prove unicorns and Santa Claus should be a protected species too." But he doesn't mind if hisclaim is met with skepticism.

"I have a lot of love and respect for the species. I admire them so greatly," he said.

A spokesperson with the Ministry of Environment said the province has yet to file a response.