The Abominable Snowman

"In 1921, Colonel C. K. Howard-Bury, leading an Everest expedition, reported finding large naked footprints in the snow at 21,000 feet. The porters said that the tracks belonged to the Metch-Kangmi. Kang means "snow" and Mi "man". Language variations caused confusion over Metch, which was finally translated roughly to imply "disgusting". The Abominable Snowman was born, figuratively. It has travelled from controversy to controversy ever since."[1]

"On the borders of Nepal and Tibet, over 20,000 feet (6100m) up in the Himalayas, many Sherpas believe that a creature called the Yeti exists. Sightings agree that it is larger than a man, has arms down to its knees, walks upright and is covered with reddish-black hair. The mountaineer Eric Shipton took photographs of Yeti footprints in the snow in 1951, with an ice-pick laid alongside them to confirm their size. An American expedition in 1972 and one organized by Lord Hunt in 1973 took more pictures, all confirming a footprint of 14 by 7 inches (36 by 18cm), made by a large creature with well-defined toes." [2]

In Nepal, they call the Abominable Snowman "Rakshi-Bompo" and other Himalayan names for it have been; "Bang", "Bangjakri", "Ban Vanas" and "Van Manas" (amongst other variations) and in Bhutan, they use the term "Yeti" and in 1966, Bhutan immortalized the Yeti on its stamps as the national animal for the country.

Carl Linnaeus named the Snowman "Homo Nocturnus" (Man of Night), giving it a plausible reason for only being encountered rarely.

It has been heard of in several geographical regions, possessing similar characteristics



The Abominable Snowman is a legendary creature that has escaped full discovery by humanity despite the number of people that traverse the areas where their footprints have been found, leaving many to believe that it is just an imagined creature, a story to tell people to attract tourism. Yet there are many creatures out there that, when we are trampling through their territory, we don't see. By this reckoning, there are many creatures that would be mythical had we not had photo evidence of them. So why is it that we don't believe the 'proof' that we have of the Abominable Snowman (also known as the Yeti)? 

Now you may argue that whilst there have been footprints, there haven't been any bodies or skeletons found where there have been of other creatures, there is some evidence and sightings (from reputable sources) from over the centuries that simply cannot be dismissed.

It is impossible to look at a clear (at the time of taking) photograph of footprints in the snow and not believe that they are genuine footprints of a large and unknown creature. "When Lord Hunt took his 1978 pictures of tracks fourteen inches long and seven inches wide, he noticed that the animal was so heavy that it had broken through snow on which he himself could safely walk." [3]

Don Whillans (the famous British climber) watched an ape-like creature cavort about the mountain for about 20 minutes when he was on Annapurna in 1970 and the next day he saw distinctive tracks.

Passages in an Indian epic poem (The Ramayana) which is over around the 3rd or 4th century, refer to a demon-like Raksha (singular) and Rakshas (plural).

The Sherpas describe it as walking on two legs, covered with long hair, and prone to attack cattle and other stock.

Now there are theories that attempt to explain the large footprints, such as them having enlarged by melting in the sunshine, or that they belong to the Tibetan Blue Bear or the Langur Monkey, or even the Orangutang and as such, the Sherpa stories have been written off as myth and nobody really believes in it. But the photographic and eyewitness proof still leaves an element of doubt about it being make-believe and as such, the Yeti's potential existence, simply cannot be ignored.

There are variations of the Abominable Snowman across the world known simply as "Big Foot" and "Sasquatch" and certainly the Russians have one that they call "The Alma" whose pedigree goes back more than a century to around the time of Colonel Przhevalski. It was one of his Cossacks in an 1879 expedition that reported seeing wild men "covered with hair and uttering inarticulate cries" and all other observations noted on this expedition have been shown to be accurate. [3]

There were also lots of reports of encounters with this creature during the Second World War where there was much military activity in the remote regions where the Alma had been sighted, describing the creature as being around seven feet tall, powerfully built and covered with reddish-brown hair and having human-like hands.

2 creatures were even accidentally shot in 1944 in Tashkurgan that had the same description.

Recently in 2019, (article here) the Indian Army found Yeti footprints measuring 32 by 15 inches near Mount Makalu base camp (about 12 miles south from Mt Everest) although were mocked for it.

Perhaps they are unfortunate humans that have developed Gigantism way back when we were cavemen and have procreated and spread across the world, perhaps they truly are a different species, we'll never know until one decides to properly show ittself to humanity but at current, "they take flight into dense cover when sighted" [1]

In more recent research, written about by Terry Breverton, Dr W.Tschernezky ruled out human, gorilla or Langur monkey after plaster casts where taken that showed a longer second toe (like humans rather than primates) and stated that the prints were made "by a heavily built bipedal primate similar to the fossil Gigantopithecus."

Breverton says that the Sherpas claim there being 3 different types of Yeti, 2 of which have been explained away as something else.

The "Dzu Teh" (Big Thing) which is around 7-8 feet tall, attacks and eats cattle and has a shaggy pelt.

This has been said to be almost certainly the Tibetan Blue Bear and is one of the rarest subspecies of bear in the world, classified in 1854 and may be extinct now. With the Tibetan name "Yeti" meaning "Rock Bear", it certainly lends credence to this theory.

The second type is the "Thelma" or "Nichteh" (Little Thing) which is 3-4 feet tall and runs around collecting sticks and eating frogs which is most likely a gibbon (which have not been recorded this far south of India and so Sherpas would not know what they looked like).

The third type is the Abominable Snowman at 5-6 feet tall with stocky build and red or black hair, resembling orangutans and that are omnivores.

It may well be that they are Orangutans, it wasn't until 2010 that tigers were found living as high as 16,000 feet in Bhutan (The Daily Mail of 18th August 2010) so it is entirely possible that it is an Orangutan but it is also entirely possible that there is a remnant population of the "Gigantopethicus" still in existence.

If you've made it this far, congratulations! Drop a comment below! What do you think? Is it real, is the Gigantopethicus, or is it all make-believe?

References

[1] Rhine, J B (1974) Encyclopedia of The Unexplained, Rainbird Reference Books Ltd, London)

[2] Breverton, T (2011), Brevertons Phantasmagoria: A Compendium of Monsters, Myths and Legends, Quercus Publishing, London

[3] Clarke, A, C. et al (1993) Arthur C. Clarkes A-Z of Mysteries: From Atlantis to Zombie, Harper Collins, Suffolk

 Bibliography

[1] Rhine, J B (1974) Encyclopedia of The Unexplained, Rainbird Reference Books Ltd, London)

[2] Breverton, T (2011), Brevertons Phantasmagoria: A Compendium of Monsters, Myths and Legends, Quercus Publishing, London [3] Clarke, A, C. et al (1993) Arthur C. Clarkes A-Z of Mysteries: From Atlantis to Zombie, Harper Collins, Suffolk