By Meghna Murali
The story of the loch ness monster or ‘Nessie’ as she is affectionately called, has been UK’s greatest mystery till date. The loch ness monster is an aquatic being which is said to inhabit Loch Ness in Scotland. People have been spotting the 150 million-year-old being for years. However, till date, there has been no validation or a scientific explanation for their findings.
Why is ‘Nessie’ so popular?
According to the reports made by Admonan in his book, Life of St. Columba, Nessie was first spotted in 565 AD by an Irish Monk along Loch Ness. The monk witnessed a giant water beast dragging a man to his death in the River Ness. The biography describes Nessie as a large monstrous sea creature with a long neck and head. That being said, it wasn’t until the 1930’s that people began to take interest in proving the existence of the species. Rumours began to increase in the previously isolated area when a road was constructed along the Loch Ness. Apart from rumours and sightings by people along the River Ness, the appearance of this mysterious creature had no scientific explanation.
The ‘Surgeon’s Photograph’
The infamous ‘Surgeon’s Photograph’ was supposedly taken by Robert Kenneth Wilson in 1934. It was believed to be the first ever photograph of the sea creature. The photograph was published in the Daily Mail in the same year. The picture sparked various rumours, with scientists trying to establish the creatures existence with the pre-historic era. In order to prove the sightings, sophisticated submarines along with extensive sonars were used to carry out the search for the sea animal. For 10 years, scientists carried out a research survey on Nessie. Unfortunately, the outcome of the research was negative. In 1974, the ‘Surgeon’s Photograph’ was exposed as a hoax.
The search for Nessie still continues
There have been thousands of sightings since 1975. In 2017, there have been nine circumstances during which people have spotted Nessie. On September 29th, 2017, Diana Turner, a resident of Michigan, claimed to have spotted a beast popping its head out of the water. She immediately reported the sighting to Gary Campbell – keeper and recorder of the Official Loch Ness Monster findings.
Many theories suggest that the spotting of Nessie may be mistaken by people to other large creatures in the sea. In 2013, Jeremy Wade made a special documentary on river monsters. He tried to draw a comparison between the Greenland shark and Nessie. The Greenland shark is 20 feet long and thrives in the fresh waters of the Loch. Even though there were some anatomical similarities, Jeremy failed to establish concrete results about the creature’s existence. Debunking the myth on Nessie is still a challenge today. Till date, the spotting of Nessie is a mystery.
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