Episode 57: Doc Shiels, Monster Hunter Part 1 - Surreal Beginnings

In 1977, the clearest photograph of the Loch Ness monster ever taken was revealed in the Daily Mirror. A color photograph of a long neck, rising up out of the water, mouth open, rocked the Fortean world. But as strange and compelling as the photograph was, the photographer himself was on a whole other level. Behind the camera was a hard-drinking bohemian artist, a self-proclaimed magician who billed himself as the “Wizard of the West.” He claimed his occult skills had enabled him to summon Nessie, among other monsters, and he did so with the help of a cabal of witches.

The weird life of the Wizard known as Tony Doc Shiels, and his encounters with a host of lake monsters, witch covens and winged beasts, left an indelible mark on the world of cryptozoology. While his encounters may be of dubious authenticity, Doc Sheils is nevertheless one of the most influential Fortean figures.

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