The Yeti, also known as the Abominable Snowman and Bigfoot, is said to be an enormous ape-like creature inhabiting the Himalayan mountains. Humans have for centuries been searching for the Yeti with no luck. So social media was was caught off-guard when the Indian Army tweeted claims to have unearthed evidence of the mythical Himalayan monster.
The verified Twitter account of the Indian Army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information uploaded photos of what it claimed were Yeti tracks in the snow.
The post read: “For the first time, an Indian Army mountaineering expedition team has sighted mysterious footprints of mythical beast Yeti.”
And the Indian Army’s tweet was accompanied by three pictures of mysterious footprints, along with a group photo of the expedition group.
The prints allegedly measured 32 inches by 15 inches (81cm by 38cm) and were spotted last month.
And the so-called sighting occurred close to Makalu Base Camp, an isolated mountainous area between Nepal and Tibet.
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The post added: ”This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past.”
The unceremonious tweet triggered a flurry of incredulous responses on Twitter, with many criticising the Indian military army for spreading a theory debunked by science.
Others poked fun at the tweet, with the hashtag #Yeti becoming one of the top Twitter trending topics in India on Tuesday.
The Indian Army provided no further evidence of its find.
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The Indian Army had previously revealed an 18-strong unit would make its maiden expedition to Mount Makalu between March and May.
The unit was heading there as part of its objective of reaching the summit of all challenging peaks above 26,247ft (8,000m), a statement read.
While the latest claim has aroused excitement among Yeti-lovers on social media, it is at odds with scientific findings.
A 2017 study on a Himalayan “Yeti” sample used DNA sequencing to examine 24 “Yeti” samples including hair, bone, skin and faeces.
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Charlotte Lindqvist and her team discovered that some of the items came from a Himalayan brown bear and a black bear.
One tooth was from an animal in the dog family, while a “Yeti’s” paw came from a black bear.
Other investigations reached similar conclusions: A study in 2014 found 30 hair samples believed to come from Yetis had actually originated from a variety of beasts such as a Paleolithic polar bear, other types of bear and dogs.
Kushal Prajapati, who describes himself as a scientist in his Twitter bio, responded to the Indian Army’s tweet on Tuesday, saying: “With all due respect, institutions such as yours should be more responsible and careful before going ahead and declaring the sighting of any footprints as ‘Yeti’s’!”
