A mythical monster rumoured to live in the murky depths of a Swedish lake is fair game for hunters – if they can find it – after authorities agreed to lift its endangered species protection.

Hundreds of people claim to have spotted a large serpent-like creature in Lake Storsjon in the province of Jamtland, and in 1986 the regional council placed it on a list of endangered animals.

But a government watchdog challenged the decision, and the regional council somewhat reluctantly decided to remove the listing, a spokesman said today.

“It exists, inasmuch as it lives in the minds of people,” the county’s chief legal adviser Peter Lif said about the beast.

“But I guess we’ll have to agree that it cannot be proved scientifically, and then it should not be listed as an endangered species.”

The so-called Storsjo Monster was first mentioned in print in 1635.