A report has revealed that the Tory government under Margaret Thatcher once planned to hunt for the Loch Ness Monster using trained dolphins.
According to declassified secret documents, which were first reported on in the early 2000s and recently resurfaced online, within days of the 1979 election, officials proposed importing the bottlenose dolphins from America and fitting them with hi-tech equipment to scour Loch Ness.
They argued that if the specially trained animals could find Nessie, it would benefit local tourism.
A letter from Environment Department civil servant David Waymouth to Stewart Walker at the Scottish Home and Health Department showed the Government wanted a licence to initiate the plan.
At the time, Nessie investigator and naturalist Adrian Shine said he believed the dolphin plan was the brainchild of veteran monster hunter Dr Robert Rines.
Dr Rines was the founder of the American-based Academy of Applied Science who took a now-famous underwater photograph in 1972, which appeared to show a large flipper in the loch.
The letter stated: "This department is presently considering the issue of a licence to import two bottle-nosed dolphins from America for the purpose of exploring Loch Ness.
"Inquiries have been made with the mammal experts on the Scientific Authority for Animals and their advice is that there are no conservation or welfare reasons for refusing a licence.
"Clearly, however, there are other factors, mainly political, that you might wish to consider before the licence is issued."
The National Archive of Scotland contains no record of a response to the letter, which was released under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Academy of Applied Science in New Hampshire confirmed that dolphins were being trained with mini cameras and strobe lights that would have been activated if they encountered any large objects.
It was also revealed that civil servants made plans to give Nessie legal protection from poachers and bounty hunters in the early 80s.
The plan was instigated when the Swedish Government asked for help to preserve their equivalent, the Storsjo monster.
UK officials then realised there was nothing to stop a trophy hunter from tracking down the beast and killing her.
It was eventually decided that Nessie should be protected as part of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, rather than specific legislation.
Under the provisions of the Act, it is illegal to snare, shoot or blow up the monster.
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