Reports of the very elusive Yeti have again resurfaced, this time by an Indian Army expedition. The official account of the Indian Army posted a tweet in April of 2019 about sighting the footprints of the beast close to the Makalu Base Camp.
Social Media Backfire
The tweet quickly resulted in a social media backlash, with some poking fun at the Indian Army and stating that Yeti stories and other forms of mythology have clearly been debunked by science. The Indian Army did not supply any further evidence aside from the pictures of the Army officials and the footprints. To date, there have been over 14,000 retweets of the original post.
Origins of the Yeti
The tale of the Yeti, or the Abominable Snowman, seems to have originated around Nepal. Parallels may be drawn to the story of Bigfoot in the West, a large animal with fur that walks upright and is taller than humans. Needless to say, stories about both the Yeti and Bigfoot come from various sources that seem to contradict each other. However, these stories have been popping up consistently over the past century in different locations.
Scientific Questions
It is strange that the Indian Army has gotten involved with ancient mythology in such a public way. Such stories have been debunked many times by studies such as a 2014 study indicating that the many “Yeti” samples originated from a variety of bears and dogs. Many other studies showed similar results. Nevertheless, the stories continue, and the official Indian Army has stoked the interests of mythology lovers and raised the ire of skeptics.
Many individuals were less than impressed, sending torrents of criticism at the Indian Army expedition for failing to consult an expert on the matter before making such bold claims. Others were confused, thinking that it must be a prank. However, the post was authentic and came from the Indian Army’s official social media page. The Indian Army insists that, in the past, the Yeti had only been spotted at the Makalu-Barun National Park.
