Sheriff's Department Issues 'Bigfoot Warning'

As summer temperatures push more people outdoors, the Taos County Sheriff's Office in New Mexico wants outdoor recreationists to know how to keep safe around one of nature's most elusive creatures: Sasquatch. On July 1, the department issued a "Bigfoot warning" for those traveling through Taos County, New Mexico, particularly those camping or exploring the Kern River area, with the department offering a list of safety tips.

"TCSO wants to remind everyone the 'do's and don't's when encountering Sasquatch aka: Bigfoot," the sheriff's department wrote on Facebook, where it also posted a "Bigfoot warning." According to TCSO, the cryptids are coming down from the high country to the Kern River to "feed on fish and vegetation at the river's edge." This means there's a higher risk of a Bigfoot encounter, and those in the area should heed some general safety tips.

The first tip? "Do not be alarmed if you have an encounter," TCSO advised, instructing people to "stay calm." According to the hilarious post, anyone who encounters a Bigfoot should not run away from the creature or try to chase it. You also should not yell at or feed a Bigfoot. Instead, TCSO encourages people to "go about your business" and "take pictures" of the creature, which has eluded civilization and remains a species of lore. The sheriff's department added that the creature "will not enter an occupied camp" and "will not harm you."

"Once an encounter is finished, report it to the nearest ranger station. Please keep note of the location, time, and the direction the Bigfoot is traveling," the warning continues before alerting readers to recent sightings "between Fairview Campground and the Johnsonsale Bridge," which are both in California.

Thankfully, while the Taos County Sheriff's Office issued the warning, it seems outdoor recreationists in the area have a much lower chance of encountering Sasquatch than people in other states. According to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, the top state for sasquatch sightings is Washington, where there have been 708 "credible" sightings. Coming in second is the state of California, where there have been 461 sightings. Florida (338), Ohio (318), and Illinois (302) round out the Top 5 states for Bigfoot sightings.