What to do in case of a sighting or encounter

While we're fact-checking our article about hypotheses for what kind of creature Jessie could be, here's a quick guide for what to do in case you see the Jamaica Pond Monster.

If you are on land:

1. Safety first - Jessie is definitely not agressive but if you have pets make sure you have control of your dogs and/or children. 
2. Maintain a respectful watching distance - Jessie is a wild animal, and all wild animals need to be treated with respect and given enough room.
3. If you have a camera or camera phone with you, snap some photos or take a video. You can zoom in, but make sure you somehow capture the size perspective. Try to hold the camera steady.
4. If it's night time, don't use a flash. We don't want to give the creature a heart-attack (assuming Jessie has organs like ours), and I'm not sure red-eye removal software works on monsters anyway.
5. Record the exact time, date, and location of the sighting (GPS coordinates would be great).
6. Send an email with your sighting to jp_pondmonster at yahoo.com or tweet us at @JP_PondMonster with the hashtag #isawjessie
7. We recommend against calling Boston Police, Brookline Police, or the State Troopers. Filed reports about Jessie are unlikely to go anywhere.

If you are on water:

1. If you are out on the pond in a watercraft, make sure you are wearing a Coast Guard approved personal flotation device. ***(see below)
2. Again, keep a respectful distance. Pretend Jessie falls under the auspices of the the Marine Mammal Protection Act
3. Pull your paddles out of the water. We don't want Jessie to think you are trying to mate with it.
4. If you have a camera handy, follow the guidelines above.
5. Report the sighting as above!

*** Over the last few decades there have been a handful of reports of Jessie tipping boats over. However, these also happen to have occurred on some of the warmest days on record, and in some instances alcohol was involved.  Conclude what you will, but it's better to be safe than sorry, especially if you aren't a strong swimmer.