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Scientists to explore the legend of the Loch Ness Monster
Reports of a ‘monster’ near the Loch Ness date back to the sixth century AD.

DNA study will look at what lives in the UK’s largest freshwater body

Scientists are planning to use DNA sampling techniques to find out if there is any basis for the legend of the Loch Ness Monster.

Professor Neil Gemmell from the University of Otago told BBC News he is not expecting to find a monster, but believes there could be “a biological explanation for some of the stories”.

The research team will spend two weeks in June collecting samples, which will be sent to laboratories in New Zealand, Australia, Denmark and France.

Prof Gemmel is quoted as saying: “There’s absolutely no doubt that we will find new stuff. And that’s very exciting.

“Whilst the prospect of looking for evidence of the Loch Ness monster is the hook to this project, there is an extraordinary amount of new knowledge that we will gain from the work about organisms that inhabit the Loch Ness - the UK’s largest freshwater body.”

The team are planning to identify plants, fish and other organisms by comparing their DNA sequences with those held on a large, international database.

Reports of a ‘monster’ near the Loch Ness date back to the sixth century AD, when Irish monk Saint Columba is said to have seen a ‘water beast’ in the River Ness. Further ‘sightings’ of a pre-historic or dragon-like animal were later reported to Scottish newspapers in the 1930s.

Since then, a number of people have claimed to capture photographs, video footage or sonar images of the creature, but the scientific community regards it as a phenomenon without biological basis - believing sightings are down to hoaxes or misidentification of other objects.

Image by: Sam Fentress/Wikipedia/CC BY-SA 2.0

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Cold-water dip to raise funds for Vetlife

News Story 1
 The veterinary mental health charity Vetlife is inviting the veterinary community to join it for a sponsored cold-water dip.

The event will take place at Walpole Bay, Margate, on 17 May during Mental Health Awareness Week. Participants of all abilities can join in the challenge and are advised to bring a towel, a hot drink, a snack, and warm clothes to get changed into afterwards.

Those taking part are being asked to try to raise £100 each to support the work of the charity.

Details about how to take part can be found here

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue low vector period ends

In an update to its bluetongue guidance, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that the seasonal low vector period for the disease has ended.

With winter over, Defra is planning for a possible increase in cases as midges become more active. It has warned that farms along the east coast of England from Norfolk to Kent, and along the south coast from Kent to Devon, are at highest risk from infected midges blown over from northern Europe.

Since the virus was detected in England in November 2023, there have been 126 confirmed cases. The most recent case to be confirmed was on 1 March 2024.

Farmers are asked to continue to frequently monitor their livestock and ensure their animals and land are registered with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.