The Indian Army tweeted on Monday that its team had sighted “mysterious footprints of the mythical beast Yeti”, commonly known as the “abominable snowman” that over the decades, many people have claimed to see, but without much proof. The army, sharing images on its official Twitter handle, said a mountaineering expedition team had found the Yeti’s “mysterious footprints measuring 32X15 inches”. The tweet was meant to “excite scientific temper,” said sources as the Yeti claim generated curiosity.
“For the first time, an #IndianArmy Mountaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast ‘Yeti’ measuring 32×15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past,” the army tweeted.
The army said it discovered the footprints on April 9 at Makalu Base Camp in Nepal. It also claimed that the “elusive snowman” has also only been sighted nearby at Makalu-Barun National Park.
In the images, the prints appear to be of a single foot.
Army sources say the story is based on “physical proof of on-the-spot narration”, photos and videos. “We got the inputs about 10 days back and yet we held on to it,” they said, promising that the “photos and videos may surprise you”.
The photographic evidence matches earlier theories, the army claims.
“We tweeted as we thought prudent to excite scientific temper and rekindle the interest. Some of us who reject the story surely shall have a definite answer to the pieces of evidence. As they say nature, history and science never write their final story,” said a source.
“The story is based on physical proofs of on the spot narration, photos, and videos. ..Tweeted as we thought prudent to excite scientific temper and rekindle the interest,” the Indian Army later said in a series of queries from the media.
“Some of us who reject the story surely shall have definitive answers to the evidence. As they say, nature, history, and science never write their final story,” the force said
There have been many stories about the mystery of the “The Abominable Snowman”, mostly based on unconfirmed, often fantastical accounts of its giant size and terrifying howl.
The Yeti also features in traditional Nepalese folklore, in which it is described as furry and ape-like. A very popular Tintin episode, “Tintin in Tibet”, borrowed that version.
The Yeti, known as the abominable snowman in popular culture, is said to live in the Himalayan regions of Nepal and is largely regarded by scientists as a mythical creature.
For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast ‘Yeti’ measuring 32×15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past. pic.twitter.com/AMD4MYIgV7
— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) April 29, 2019
“The Yeti is a mythical figure, the scientific basis of such claims is lacking,” Dr. SP Singh, a renowned ecologist and former vice-chancellor of the HNB Garhwal University said.
According to a genetic research on purported specimens of the legendary apelike beast said to dwell in the Himalayan region, the analysis of nine bone, tooth, skin, hair and faecal samples from museum and private collections attributed to the Yeti found that eight came from Asian black bears, Himalayan brown bears or Tibetan brown bears and one came from a dog.
“This strongly suggests that the Yeti legend has a root in biological facts and that it has to do with bears that are living in the region today,” Charlotte Lindqvist, the biologist who led the study published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, had said in 2017.
However, people on Twitter weren’t as impressed as they pointed to the missing foot and cracked jokes.
