What is Yeti?

The images released by the Indian Army of the alleged footprints of a Yeti.

The first account of Yeti dates back to 1921 when British explorer Charles Howard-Bury found the footsteps of Yeti near Lakhpa La pass while on an expedition in the Himalayas. The incident is mentioned in his book ‘Mount Everest: the reconnaissance, 1921’. Bury stated that he found the imprints of a human-like creature among the footsteps of animals, and later got to know from the locals about the legend of a race of wild, hairy men living found in the “wildest and most inaccessible mountains”.

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In 1951, noted English Himalayan explorer Eric Shipton caught on camera footprints left behind by the Yeti, which showed a thumb-like impression instead of a toe. Sir Edmund Hillary, in 1960, brought back what he thought was the Yeti’s scalp, shaped like a helmet, but it was later proved to be from a serow, a goat-like animal. In 2010, Chinese hunters caught a hairless, four-legged animal which they said was the Yeti, but was identified as a civet that had lost its hair after suffering from a disease. In 2011, researchers claimed they had found the Yeti’s finger; but its DNA proved to be from a human. In 2013, the National Geographic released a documentary on the legend of Yeti in the Himalayas.

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Despite no authentic evidence of its existence, Yeti became a popular figure in folklore and cartoons. From Tintin and Scooby Doo to Monsters Inc, Yeti has been recreated several times in popular culture.