Loch Ness Monster Sonar Photo Proves Existence Of Nessie

A boat skipper reckons a mobile phone picture he took of a sonar image could unlock the long-running mystery of the Loch Ness Monster. Marcus Atkinson’s grainy shot – which shows a long, 5ft-wide serpent-like creature – was taken from a recording 75ft down in the loch at Urquhart Bay. It was taken from his sonar fish-finder device, which records the width of objects directly below his tourist boat. Marcus, 43, from Fort Augustus in Inverness-shire, said: “I was dropping customers at Urquhart Castle and as I moved out into the water and looked at the sonar, I saw this image. “The object got bigger and bigger, and I took a picture of it with my mobile phone. I was in shock as it looked like a big serpent.

“You can’t fake a sonar image and I’ve never seen anything like this on the fish finder. I’ve shown it to other experienced skippers and none of us know what it is.” The picture won Marcus a prize – Best Nessie Sighting of The Year – in a competition run by bookmakers William Hill. Excited Loch Ness monster experts have ruled out the sighting being a fish, seal or wood debris. Monster hunter Steve Feltham, 49, said: “It can’t be a fish because you just wouldn’t find them in water 75ft down. “It’s very exciting and the best evidence we’ve had in donkey’s years. It’s images like this that will keep me going with my hunt for the next 20 years.” But other marine experts claim the mystery object may be algae. Dr Simon Boxall, from the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, Hampshire, said: “The image shows a bloom of algae and zooplankton that would exist on what would be a thermocline. “Zooplankton live off this algae and reflect sound signals from echo sounders and fish finders very well.”

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Brazilian Police Arrest 3 On Suspicion Of Murder, Cannibalism

Brazilian police have arrested three people suspected of killing at least two women, eating parts of their bodies and using their remains to make stuffed meat pies sold in the northeastern town of Garanhuns. The three suspects, 51-year-old Jorge Beltrao Negroponte, his wife and his mistress were arrested Wednesday and have confessed to the crimes, police told national television. The female suspects were not identified. Interviewed behind bars, Negroponte told SBT Television that he followed the instructions of voices in his head. "I did certain things for purification, to protect people and deliver them to God," he told SBT on Sunday. He confirmed that he and his two companions ate the flesh of the women "to purify them."Police said the suspects lured the two young women to their house by offering them a job as a nanny. Authorities were first alerted to the situation when the suspects tried to use the credit card of a woman who had disappeared. According to Folha de S. Paulo newspaper, a 5-year-old girl living with the suspects showed the police where they could find the remains of the bodies. The remains of two women were found buried in the backyard of the house, police said. Police said they believe the girl is the daughter of another woman who disappeared in 2008. According to the newspaper report, Negroponte's wife was known in the town for her meat pies. During the police deposition, she said she stuffed them with human flesh and sold them to neighbors, schools and hospitals. Police believe the number of victims could top 10.

Indian Politicians Place $2000 Bounty On Marauding Vampires

The villages around the Indian town of Dharmapuri are in the midst of an unusual problem. Unsubstantiated reports of vampires draining cattle have frightened entire communities such that residents are staying off the streets after sunset. To quell the spread of this unmitigated bullpucky, local politicians have placed a price on these nonexistent vampires' heads. Evidence of a re-dead vampire (or a Ratha Kaatteri) nets an amateur Van Helsing 1 lakh of rupees, or a smidge under $2000.
But what if these fictional slain vampires turn into dust? Couldn't this reward also backfire terribly and lead to bands of unruly anti-vampire vigilantes looking to bag a real-life Khooni Dracula? Politician O. Jayaraman was notably silent on both issues in a conversation with the Deccan Chronicle: It is a big hoax. Anti-socials whose illegal night activities such as bootlegging and liquor brewing have been disturbed are spreading rumours and killing cattle [...] Since people are not willing to believe us, we have challenged them with this reward. I'm not sure this is a promising policy innovation. If the state of Washington implemented a equally entrepreneurial approach to Bigfoot, the newly minted Office of Sasquatch Affairs would immediately be inundated with a century's worth of shaky footage of pine trees and magic trumpets.

Maryland Puts Gift Card Bounty On 'Fish From Hell'

Wildlife officials in Maryland have put a bounty on the snakehead, the so-called "fish from hell" that can migrate on land and devastates the eco-systems of lakes, ponds and streams. The state will give out $200 gift cards for Bass Pro Shops as well as other prizes for catching and killing the fish, which is native to Africa and Asia but is believed to have made its way to America through Asian seafood merchants. “We do not want snakeheads in our waters," said Maryland Department of Natural Resources Inland Fisheries Director Don Cosden. "This initiative is a way to remind anglers that it is important to catch and remove this invasive species of fish.” The first time a snakehead was seen in Maryland was when an angler caught an 18-inch specimen in 2002 in Crofton Pond, 20 miles north of Washington, D.C. Since then, the population has grown and they've been caught in dozens of bodies of water, including the Potomac River and tributaries. The fish are hardy enough to survive up to four days on land, and can migrate up to a quarter mile between bodies of water by wriggling on their fins. National Geographic has dubbed the snakehead "fishzilla," and it is also frequently referred to as the "fish from hell." They can grow to more than 2 feet long and have been found in at least seven states.“We don’t expect that anglers will eradicate the snakehead population,” said Joe Love, the state's Department of Natural Resources Tidal Bass program manager. “We do believe this promotion and inspiration of anglers can help control the snakehead population. The information we gain from the Angler’s Log reports are also helpful in assessing the abundance, spread and impact of these feisty fish.” The ravenous appetites that can destroy native populations actually works against the fish when humans go after them. One fisherman told Outdoor Life blogger Gayne C. Young they bite at any type of bait. “These fish clobber any type of moving bait you throw, Rodney Hose said. "When they smash into your lure, be prepared for a fight -- especially if they are around some sort of cover.” To enter the contest, anglers must catch, kill and then post a picture of themselves with a dead snakehead fish caught in Maryland on the DNR’s Angler’s Log webpage. Winners will be drawn on November 30, 2012. Last year, 69 anglers entered the contest, killing 82 of the creatures.