Kathmandu – Nepal’s army Friday refuted the Indian military’s hairy claimthat its soldiers had discovered yeti footprints in the Himalayas, sayingthey were more likely just a bear.
The Indian army posted images of “yeti footprints” from near theNepal-China border late Monday on Twitter, triggering considerable ridiculeon social media.
Nepal Army spokesman Bigyan Dev Pandey said Nepali liaison officers went tothe spot but that by the time they arrived the markings in the snow haddisappeared.
But he said locals had told the officers that a bear was the likelyculprit, and that strange prints were often seen.
“According to locals and porters such unusual footprints appear frequentlyin the area and are made by wild bears,” Pandey told AFP.
This matches comments by wildlife experts who said what the Indians sawwere bear footprints enlarged by the sun and wind.
The Indian army’s tweeted images showed a series of foot-shapedimpressions, each almost a metre (yard) long.
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“For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sitedMysterious Footprints of mythical beast ‘Yeti’,” the typo-ridden tweet onthe army’s official account said.
It added the “elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-BarunNational Park in the past”, referring to footprints reported by Britishexplorer Eric Shipton in 1951 on the west side of Mount Everest.
The army said the footprints measured 32 inches by 15 inches (81centimetres by 38) and were spotted by a team on April 9 close to theMakalu Base Camp in Nepal.
The yeti or “Abominable Snowman” is traditionally described as an ape-likecreature, taller than a human, living in the Himalayas, Siberia and partsof Central and East Asia. The North American version is known as Bigfoot.
Forensic results of previous samples have proved to be from prehistoricbears and one purported piece of evidence turned out to be a gorilla suitmade of rubber. -APP/AFP
