1400 years ago, so legends of Ancient Scotland claim, St Columbia encountered a giant sea monster living in Loch Ness' waters. This previously unknown local legend suddenly entered the public arena when a new road was built on the northern shore of the Loch in 1933, providing open views of the waters. Nessie sightings, as views of the friendly or not so friendly monster became known, then proliferated and drew international attention.
Series of Failed Proofs and Evidences
In 1933, the Daily Mail took advantage of the Nessie craze and hired Marmaduke Wetherell, a famous hunter, to travel to the loch, investigate the sightings and find the monster. He did not find the monster. But in December 1933, he did locate tracks-enormous footprints on the shore of the Loch leading to the water. However, the Natural History Museum sent a team of researchers to examine the tracks, and they found that the footprints were from a dried hippopotamus foot! That was pretty amazing in itself, but wasn't proof of the Loch Ness Monster.
A few months later, a respectable British surgeon, Colonel Robert Wilson, claimed that he was able to take an actual photo of the monster. He says he was driving along the new road on April 19, 1934, when he noticed something moving in the water. He had a camera with him, so he quickly stopped the car and snapped a photo. The photo showed the slender neck of a serpent rising out of the Loch. For decades, this photo-dubbed as the "Surgeon's Photo"-was considered to be the evidence of the monster's existence.
However, a kybosh was put on this evidence when Stewart Campbell analyzed the photo in 1984. He claimed that the object in the water was only two or three feet long, and concluded that it was a marine bird not the head of the Monster. Nonetheless, Campbell was also wrong. The object in the water was nothing more than a mere toy submarine outfitted with a sea serpent head. This was revealed in 1994 when Christian Spurling, Wilson's stepson, confessed his involvement in a plot involving both Wetherell and Colonel Wilson to create the infamous photo.
Wishful Thinking
Finally, the series of failed attempts at proof of the existence of the Loch Ness Monster came to an end 10 years ago on July 27, 2003. The remains of a giant sea creature were 'discovered' again in Scotland's Loch Ness, but instead of praising this discovery as evidence, scientists have finally concluded it to be a hoax.
The making of the BBC's television documentary, "Searching for the Loch Ness Monster", involved the scanning of the shoreline from top and to bottom to search for Nessie, or traces of her if she was breathing. The scientists used 600 separate sonar beams and satellite navigation technology to ensure that not a single portion of the Loch was missed. The team surveyed the waters, and although the team did find a buoy moored several meters below the surface as a test for the equipment, in the end, no Loch Ness monster was found. Finally on July 27, 2003, the BBC finally concluded the Loch Ness Monster to be a hoax.
The BBC team claim went further. It held that that mythical monsters such as Loch Ness' own are an example of wishful thinking - when people impose their own interpretations on unexplainable phenomena that they witness. Scientists also say that the only explanation for the persistence of the 'legend' of the monster is that people see what they want to see.
But we can choose whether to accept this science or not. There is room in our imaginations for mythical creatures - in fact we almost seem to crave them. We can believe 100% in the dragons in Eragon or the powers of magic in Harry Potter. And none of the scientific evidence in the world can really put an end to a good story!
Author : Melinda J
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