NAINITAL: As Yeti/bigfoot myth came alive again after the Indian Army tweeted pictures of footprints on Monday night claiming that those belong to the 'Mythical Creature', mountaineers and experts said that there have been no conclusive evidence about the creature. 

The tweet by additional directorate general of public information (ADG-PI, Indian Army) said, "For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering 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."

Anup Sah (60), a Padma awardee naturalist and photographer who had been part of over a dozen Himalayan expeditions, told TOI that mostly these are cases of Himalayan Brown Bear, Tibetean Blue Bear footprint or hallucinations at high altitudes. 

"There have been no conclusive evidence yet. Across the world people have been reporting some sights but no one has been able to prove it yet. There is a monastery in Nepal at base camp of Mount Everest which claimed to have a skull of a yeti but after the tests were conducted, it turned out to be a skull of an antelope," added Sah. 

Narrating an incident dating back to 1970, Sah recalled how noises of howling and growling frightened people camping at 19,000 feet at Sona glacier in Darma valley in Pithoragarh district. 

"We stayed put till morning and did not come out of our tents. In the morning there were no footprints as it snowed and the tracks got covered," said Sah. 

Interestingly, residents of Dugtu village adjacent to the valley said that they often hear growling and howling noises which may belong to yeti/snowman/bigfoot. 

Rajul Datal, a resident of the village said, "People here believe that Yeti exists and roams around and at Panchachuli peak. Another myth is that 'Ashwathama' - immortal son of Dronacharya from Mahabharata - is still alive and roaming in the mountains and those noises are his cries in despair." 

Refuting any claims about the mythical creature, Shekhar Pathak (69), a Padma awardee environmentalist who has been trekking hilly areas on foot since his teenage said, "All this is a build up narrative with combination of human curiosity, myth and other fanciful elements without any evidence to prove these claims of existence of the Yeti." 

The tweet of the Indian Army got attention of many including BJP leaders including Tarun Vijay and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah. 

"Congratulations, we are always proud of you. salutes to the #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team. But please, you are Indian, dont call Yeti as beast. Show respect for them. If you say he is a 'snowman'," Tarun Vijay tweeted in his reply. 

Netizens also debated about the gender of the mythical beast with some even tweeting that the creature can be female as well as a transgender. 

The mythical creature also known as 'Sheeni Mohhnyuv' has its narrative original es from Nepalese folklore which was featured in a popular comic book 'Tintin'. 

Also called as 'Abominable Snowman', a study published in year 2017 stated that the samples collected from across the world from specimen claimed to be a body parts of the mythical creature turn out to be different species of bears. 

Indian army said it discovered the footprints of Yeti 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.

The army stated in the tweet that said discovered the footprints on April 9 at Makalu Base Camp in Nepal. 

The tweet also added that the creature has only been sighted in and around Makalu-Barun National Park.

Source>>