The Indian army has claimed to have found footprints of the yeti, sparking jokes and disbelief on social media.
The army tweeted to its nearly six million followers on Monday that it had discovered “mysterious footprints of mythical beast ‘Yeti’ at the Makalu Base Camp [in the Himalayas]”.
The yeti – a giant ape-like creature – often figures in South Asian folklore.
There is no evidence proving yeti exist but the myth retains a strong appeal in the region.
And the army has now added to the legend by sharing pictures of “footprints” in the snow on an official Twitter account.
Although the footprints were discovered on 9 April, the army made the discovery public only after deciding that it matched earlier theories about the yeti, according to a report in the Times of India.
Reacting to the disbelief on social media, the army said the “evidence” about the yeti had been “photographed ” and “handed over to subject matter experts”.
“So, we thought it prudent [to go public] to excite scientific temper and rekindle the interest.”
The yeti, also known as the Abominable Snowman, is a legendary creature that is said to inhabit the upper reaches of the Himalayas. Stories of people seeing the yeti or its footprints are common in parts of India, Nepal and Bhutan.
In 2013, research by a British scientist concluded that the legendary Himalayan yeti may in fact be a sub-species of brown bear.
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
