British Prime Minister Boris Johnson joked that “there is a part of my soul that still yearns to believe” in the existence of the Loch Ness Monster, after a scientific study found the elusive creature may simply be a giant eel.

During a visit to Darnford Farm in Aberdeenshire in Scotland on Friday, Johnson spoke to voice his cynicism at new research from New Zealand scientists. The researchers say the mysterious animal sightings in Loch Ness are less likely to be “Nessie” and more likely to be huge eels, after finding large concentration levels of the sea creatures’ DNA in the water.

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Johnson, rather amusingly remains unconvinced, explaining that “When I was a kid, I yearned to believe in it. I yearned to believe in it. Part of me still does.” He stressed that the high concentration of eel DNA in the water was not “conclusive proof of the non-existence of the Loch Ness monster.”

Perhaps like so many other “believers,” the prime minister is ostensibly struggling to deal with the prospect that “Nessie” may not exist after all.

Professor Neil Gemmell from Otago University, who led the study, revealed at a press conference at the Loch Ness Centre at Drumnadrochit on Thursday that eel DNA was found at “pretty much every location sampled” at Loch Ness.

“... we can't discount the possibility that there may be giant eels in Loch Ness … what people see and believe is the Loch Ness Monster might be a giant eel,” Professor Gemmell added.

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The Loch Ness Monster, affectionately called “Nessie” by crypto-zoologists, is a long-necked creature that supposedly calls the Loch home and first surfaced in folklore in the 19th century.

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