Have you ever heard of the Loch Ness Monster? Well, for those of you who haven't, it is a mysterious creature whose existence has interested people for a long time. The Loch Ness Monster lives in a body of water in Scotland.

Canada also has a monster too. In British Columbia's Lake Okanagan, there is the monster Ogopogo.

Ogopogo was originally thought to be the same creature found in Loch Ness, but Cryptozoologists, (people that study about monsters,) believe that the seven metre Ogopogo is a is a primitive whale. There have been so many sightings that some parts of the stories must be true. These stories come from upstanding citizens like sea captains, police officers, church officials and doctors.

In one such sighting, Ogopogo was witnessed by a group of 30 people back in 1926. They were enjoying a sunny day at Okanagan Mission Beach when they saw the monster of Okanagan Lake.

Most people say that the head of Ogopogo is shaped like a football. Some people say that he has a back shaped like a goat, but most people say that Ogopogo looks like a fat snake. He has a long neck and a long tail.

Ogopogo probably lives far beneath the surface of the Okanagan Lake. He probably stays near a deep underwater cavern.

People can not capture him because the law protects him. If you happen to capture him, you could be thrown in jail or you might have to pay a million-dollar fine.

Ogopogo is also protected by the water. That’s why he is not seen often and never caught.

His diet consists of seaweed, and lake-fish. He probably would eat anything that moves in the water without being seen.

Many people are afraid of this monster even though there has been no sighting of him eating people. People say that this monster can’t catch you on land or on a plane, so don’t be afraid, he can’t eat you. Some people can hear him roar at nighttime, but no one has ever seen him when it is dark. The time he comes out looking for dinner is usually in the late afternoon.

So the next time you are planning a vacation, why not check out Okanagan Lake in beautiful British Columbia. However, be careful how far you wade into the water or you just may find out the difference between what’s true and what’s fiction.

Bibliography

Garner, Betty, (1976) Canada’s Monsters, Owen Sound, Ontario: Potlatch Publications.

Web sites for Ogopogo are available at

www.strangemag.com/ogopogo

www.trueauthority.com/ogopogo