The first written account of the Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie, was made by the Viking Adamnan in 565AD. He described how St. Columba heard about the monster killing a man, and then rowed to the center of the loch to order the beast to stop such attacks in the future. Ever since that time, legend has it, Nessie has never repeated its misdemeanor. But it’s still there – according to a number of people who saw her.
Sightings
In 1933 alone, there were 5 sightings of Nessie. In June 1963, Nessie was even filmed, but at such a distance that not much of it can be seen on the film. In September 1995 Lorna Taylor saw Nessie’s head, neck and body rising from the loch, but was seconds too late with her camera to get a good picture. The last sightings of Nessie were on 14th September 1999, February 2002 and in May 2007.
The most famous picture of Nessie was taken by Dr Robert Kenneth Wilson in 1934. In
2001 the doctor’s friend who was with him that famous day, claimed the picture to be a hoax. Dr Wilson has stuck to his story until his death in 2001.
Nessie is protected by the 1912 Protection of Animals Acts of Scotland. With good reason. Nessie has quite an economical impact: she is worth $40 million annually to Scottish tourism industry.
