Environmentalism has reached a new, confused extreme. Recently an environmental council in Sweden’s Jaemtland province rejected an entrepreneur’s request for a permit to hunt the eggs of the mythological Storsjoe Monster, a local version of the Loch Ness Monster. According to legend, the creature lives in Lake Storsjoe and has the body of a serpent, the head of a cat and several winglike fins. The entrepreneur said that he wanted to raise baby monsters as a tourist attraction, but the local environmental council turned down his request. Although it’s unclear whether one or both parties were in on the humor, a subsequent investigation into the case turned up another curiosity. In 1986 the council denied a permit to a resort developer on the grounds that the proposed project would threaten the Storsjoe Monster, which had previously been declared endangered. The Parliamentary Ombudsmen’s office in Stockholm is now looking into the matter, no doubt hoping that the classification of a mythological creature as “endangered” was an elaborate joke.
Stay up to date on the latest news of the future of science and technology from your iPhone with full articles, images and offline viewing
Featuring every article from the magazine and website, plus links from around the Web. Also see our PopSci DIY feed
Share links with friends, comment on stories and more
In our December issue, Popular Science names the 100 best innovations of the year: bombproof wallpaper, self-parking cars, the fastest helicopter, and 97 more. Plus inventor profiles and videos.
Check out the best of what's new here.