There have been many reported sightings of this creature yet none of them lead to a concrete find. The Indian Army is a respected institution of this country and for it to make such a claim reflects very badly on it.
On April 29, the Indian Army on its official Twitter handle put out a tweet claiming “For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sighted Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast ‘Yeti’ measuring 32x15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 9 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past.”
The Indian Army has been ridiculed by some twitter users over this tweet. To an extent this is justified as the claim is utterly ridiculous! Yeti, also known as abominable snowman, is an imaginary character of the local folklore. Numerous studies have not been able to find conclusive proof of the existence of this creature.
Before the 19th century, Yeti was part of Tibetan and Nepali folklore. In some cultures it was a revered figure. During the course of the 19th century, many European explorers made their way to the Himalayan region on exploration trips. During these trips they came across various material that was attributed to the mythical beast. Unusually large footprints, bones, fur, hair samples, etc had been kept by locals as belonging to Yeti.
During 1950s, the evidence gathering intensified and interest in the creature also rose. Many explorers came out with various accounts of how they had found evidence clearly showing that Yeti exists. The mythical beast began to be described as bipedal, 10-20 feet tall and covered with fur. The creature made its way into popular popular culture through Tintin, Scooby Doo, Monsters Inc, etc. It is well known because it has been depicted in popular shows, comic strips, newspaper, websites, etc and not because it is real.
All the material supposedly being body parts to Yeti put through a scientific tests have failed to meet expectations. Many of these either belonged to Tibetan brown bear or Asian black bear. Some of them belonged to goats and dogs.
When empirical evidence from scientific studies discrediting the purported evidence to be false then why does the Indian Army want to embroil itself in such a controversial topic? They speak of Yeti with the confidence one would while speaking of the elusive Snow Leopard.
This may not seem like a big issue but it needs to be highlighted because the Indian Army has accepted or theorised something without evidence to back it. By proudly declaring the discovery of footprints of a mythical beast, it is hoped that this does not inspire a wild goose chase among others.
On a positive note, this may cause an increase in the tourist flow to the region. Hopefully, the army may next sight the Bigfoot in Goa and help boost the troubled tourism sector in
the state.
