
In news that we honestly thought we would never ever have the privilege of writing the Indian army have released photos of footprints that they believe belong to the mythical yeti creature.
Yep, you read that correctly. The Yeti...
On Monday, the Additional Directorate General of Public Information for the Indian army tweeted a series of pictures featuring mysterious footprints in the snow at the base camp of mount Makalu, the fifth biggest mountain in the world.
According to the tweet, the footprints measured 35 x 15 inches and were spotted on April 9. They added that the "elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past."
For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast… https://t.co/1mpgyJ35FL— ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY (@ADG PI - INDIAN ARMY) 1556557998
According to the Times of Indiathe photographs have been handed over the experts for further scientific evaluation and only released the pictures after discovering that it matched with earlier theories about the creature, adding:
So, we thought it prudent [to go public] to excite scientific temper and rekindle the interest.
Given that the Yeti is widely considered to be a myth or a creature that is mistaken for a subspecies of a bear, Twitter users were quick to dismiss the photos as nonsense.
Just leaving this here without comment https://t.co/Hvbjy11cPB— Nidhi Razdan (@Nidhi Razdan) 1556592936
After the Indian Air Force's Success in Balakot, the Indian Army had to find a Yeti! The Supreme Leader should now… https://t.co/sWmoGyGLQV— Ashok Swain (@Ashok Swain) 1556604154
@adgpi @SpokespersonMoD @ChinarcorpsIA @HQ_IDS_India @PIB_India @IAF_MCC @indiannavy Congratulations, we are always… https://t.co/8mlBqHbCHH— Tarun Vijay தருண் விஜய் भारत के वीर सैनिकों की जय (@Tarun Vijay தருண் விஜய் भारत के वीर सैनिकों की जय) 1556558465
Either I’m missing the joke, or the Indian Army is claiming that it’s found what it believes is evidence of a liter… https://t.co/WePTFehmL7— Ankit Panda (@Ankit Panda) 1556568608
@adgpi @SpokespersonMoD @ChinarcorpsIA @HQ_IDS_India @PIB_India @IAF_MCC @indiannavy This must be vetted thoroughly… https://t.co/3gHEC2mdXN— Deven_Sailor (@Deven_Sailor) 1556590818
Others managed to find some good humour in the situation with some pointing out that the Yeti only seemed to have one leg.
Indian Air Force PR: “It’s been a rough few weeks for our international messaging.” Indian Army: “Hold my beer.”— Ankit Panda (@Ankit Panda) 1556568682
@adgpi @SpokespersonMoD @ChinarcorpsIA @HQ_IDS_India @PIB_India @IAF_MCC @indiannavy I always knew Tintin was right… https://t.co/6J2DAXMiIC— bhavatosh singh (@bhavatosh singh) 1556589830
@adgpi @SpokespersonMoD @ChinarcorpsIA @HQ_IDS_India @PIB_India @IAF_MCC @indiannavy And I spotted Bigfoot's footpr… https://t.co/Jxl7pCdsps— Kanishk Samota (@Kanishk Samota) 1556582237
@adgpi @SpokespersonMoD @ChinarcorpsIA @HQ_IDS_India @PIB_India @IAF_MCC @indiannavy He entered in city for voting https://t.co/8QQRr5NBIR— Asif Karjikar 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳 (@Asif Karjikar 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳) 1556566629
Breaking: The Indian army has spotted footprints of a one-legged Yeti. 😂 https://t.co/THCUVLnz4d— Muad'Dib (@Muad'Dib) 1556631486
Maybe there is a simpler explanation?
@adgpi @SpokespersonMoD @ChinarcorpsIA @HQ_IDS_India @PIB_India @IAF_MCC @indiannavy Can there possibly be a simple… https://t.co/ayKL25IuEf— Siddharth Singh (@Siddharth Singh) 1556563152
The footprints are said to have been found in a remote area near the Nepal and China border which is notorious for attracting researches trying to find the so-called 'Abominable Snowman.'
However, this is far from the first time that people have claimed to have found the Yeti and the origins of the creature.
In 2017, scientists at the University of Buffalo claimed that a study had revealed that the Yeti derived from the Himalayan bear. Yet, in 2014 geneticists from Oxford University claimed that two hair samples from that particular region of the Himalayas had a 100 per cent match to a prehistoric polar bear which existed more than 40,000 years ago.
Stories of the beast have stretched back for decades, with explorers dating back to the 1920s attempting to find it. In the 1950s, the Nepalese government even issued a 'hunting licence' in the hope that they could capture the Yeti.
HT BBC News