Among the snowy peaks of Nepal and Tibet, stories tell of a mysterious ape-like creature called the Yeti. Purported to be a towering human-like figure covered in shaggy fur, the Yeti continues to excite dedicated believers still hoping for evidence that the mythical creature is real. The lack of hard evidence despite decades of searches doesn’t deter true believers; the fact that these mysterious creatures haven’t been found is not taken as evidence that they don’t exist, but instead how rare, reclusive, and elusive they are.

The Yeti has its origins in folklore. The character is an ancient and important part of the legends and history of the Sherpa, the communities that live at an average altitude of 12,000 feet in eastern Nepal. It is said that the Yeti myth originated in Tibet, and reached Nepal via the Sherpa, descendants of families who emigrated from the Khams region of Tibet across the Himalayan range in the middle of the sixteenth century.

The Yeti became part of local traditions about 350 years ago when Lama Sangwa Dorje took up residence in a cave near the remote village of Pangboche, which had a clear view of Mount Everest. Lama Sangwa Dorje is referred to as the founder of the oldest monastery in Khumbu at Pangboche as well as many other small hermitages. According to local folklore, he was said to have been aided by Yetis and to have kept relics from the beasts. (Source: CNN)

We don’t believe in giraffes and lions in Nepal because there aren’t any there. Likewise, you don’t believe in yetis because you have none in your country.

Khumjo Chumbi, a Buddhist monk once told the Guardian newspaper

For centuries, the mysterious giant snowman has fired the imagination of adventurers and mountaineers venturing into the Himalayan slopes. According to NatGeo TV, the search to find the Yeti can be traced back to the time of Alexander the Great, who in 326 BCE set out to conquer the Indus Valley. Having heard stories of the Yeti he demanded to see one for himself, but local people told him they were unable to present one because the creatures could not survive at that low an altitude.

The Yeti legend persists today, as evidenced by the Indian Army’s announcement on April 29, 2019. The army’s Mountaineering Expedition Team claimed to have found mysterious large footprints measuring 32 inches by 15 inches in the snow near Makalu Base Camp, stirring up a flurry of excitement among Yeti enthusiasts. Though the scientific community remains sceptical, the Indian Army has handed over the photographic evidence to subject experts for evaluation.

For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32×15 inches close to Makalu Base Camp on 09 April 2019. This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past. pic.twitter.com/AMD4MYIgV7

— ADG PI – INDIAN ARMY (@adgpi) April 29, 2019

While the latest claim has aroused excitement among Yeti lovers on social media, it is at odds with scientific findings. Indian Army in rejecting any kind of scoffing over its mountaineering team’s claim of discovering footprints of the mythical creature said that photographic evidence about Yeti has been handed over to subject experts for scientific evaluation.

The buzz created by the Indian Army’s tweet proves fascination for the Yeti continues despite little concrete proof confirming the snowman’s existence. According to Ross Barnett, an evolutionary biologist and expert on ancient DNA at Durham University in the U.K., the legend of the Yeti will likely to live on. “You can’t debunk a myth with anything as mundane as facts,” he says.

As long as the stories are told and retold — and bears are glimpsed in less-than-ideal conditions or leave melting footprints in the snow — there will be stories of Yetis. The line between myth and reality blurs in the high altitudes and deep snows of the Himalayas, where the Yeti resides, not just in the imagination of the locals and adventurers, but as a persistent echo of the mysterious and the unknown.

Despite scepticism from scientists, claims of Yeti sightings continue and the Indian Army’s tweet could potentially fire another round of debate over the mystical Himalayan giant. 

Some mysteries are probably better left unsolved.