The Indian Army has claimed that one of its mountaineering teams had sighted the footprints of Yeti, a legendary snow being believed to reside in the Himalayas.
“For the first time, an Indian Army mountaineering expedition team has sited mysterious footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32x15 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’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADG PI) said in a tweet on Monday night along with couple of images of footprints in ice.
The Army is expected to release some photos and videos in support of its claim.
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An Army source said the claim was based on physical proofs, including "on-the-spot narration, photos and videos”.
According to Nepali folklore, the Yeti is a mythical ape-like creature that resides in the Himalayas, Central Asia and Siberia.
“We got the inputs about 10 days back and yet we held on to it,” the source said, adding, “But then we decided that there are photographic evidences which match with earlier theories.”
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About the scientific community being consulted to look into the matter, the source said, “Evidences have been photographed and handed over to experts.”
Scientific debate
There has been much scientific debate, research and expeditions over the decades to locate the elusive Yeti but there have never been any real sightings.
A 2017 research paper published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B , based on a DNA analysis of the supposed Yeti samples that were recovered — including hair, teeth, fur, and faeces — concluded that the stories of the Yeti is likely of the Himalayan black and brown bears.
One of the samples that was tested, supposedly a Yeti tooth from the Tibetan Plateau, turned out to be a dog while all other samples turned out to be from bears.