November 3, 2001	Saturday	Shaba’an 16, 1422

LONDON, Nov 2: Fans of the Loch Ness monster who hope to catch a glimpse of the legendary creature could be in luck thanks to a moving webcam now filming the murky depths of the Scottish lake.

The pressure-resistant camera began broadcasting live on the Internet from the 230 metre (750 foot) deep lake late on Thursday, organizers of the Loch Ness webcam said on Friday.

“Loch Ness has more fresh water than the whole of England and Wales... There is room for a few mysteries, although we’re not expecting to bump into Nessie,” said researcher Adrian Shine, head of the Loch Ness Project.

“It is one of the most awesome geographic features of the British Isles. It does all kinds of unexpected and extraordinary things. Somewhere in there lie the explanations for what is happening,” he added.

The webcam joins two other cameras observing — and taking part in — the exploration of Britain’s biggest lake. A land-based one sweeps across the bay from Urquhart Castle on the shore, and another is fitted to the team’s research boat.

Pictures broadcast on the Internet at www.visitlochness.org appeared to show the murky bottom of the loch, where Shine says creatures from the Ice Age can be found.

An Italian geologist caused ripples in June by suggesting that the legend of Nessie could be the result of a major geographical fault running underneath the loch.

A veteran Swedish monster hunter sparked fury earlier this year by proposing a trawl of the lake in which he hoped to net Nessie.

The legend of a monster in the dark waters of Loch Ness dates back to 565 AD when St Columba, credited with bringing Christianity to Scotland, spotted a fearsome creature in the lake. —Reuters