'Yeti' Footprints Reported by Indian Army Stir Vibrant Reaction From Social Media

The Indian army claimed to have found real footprints from the mythical Yeti on Tuesday during an [...]

By Michael Hein

The Indian army claimed to have found real footprints from the mythical Yeti on Tuesday during an expedition in the Himalaya mountains.

The Yeti is a legendary bear-like creature thought to reside in the Himalayas, though it has always been consigned to folklore. On Tuesday, that may have changed when the Indian Army's Additional Directorate General of Public Information announced that a mountaineering expedition had found its footprints. The news broke right on Twitter, stirring doubt and incredulity among people around the world.

"For the first time, an Indian Army mountaineering expedition team has [sighted] mysterious footprints of mythical beast Yeti," the post read. "This elusive snowman has only been sighted at Makalu-Barun National Park in the past."

The post included measurements, saying that the Yeti footprints were 32 inches long and 15 inches wide. They were reportedly seen on April 9, and only just now announced.

Of course, the unironic post from an official military source was met with shock and skepticism on social media. Many people from around the world contradicted the Indian Army's post, although so far there has been no conclusive scientific rebuttal. The army did not provide any more evidence, and did not respond to CNN's request for comment this week.

"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 'Yetis'!" wrote one Twitter user.

The tweet managed to make "#Yeti" one of the trending topics in India on Tuesday, stirring up jokes, rebuttals and true believers.

The footprint was likely found during an expedition that was announced on March 26 in a press release by the Indian Army. It announced that a unit of 18 people would take its first expedition to Mount Makalu in the Himalayas, hoping to reach all of the peaks over 8,000 meters (26,247 feet) above sea level. Typically, the question of the Yeti would be outside of the army's purview, so perhaps the person who operates this Twitter account did not foresee the massive response.

The Yeti, also known as the "Amboniable Snowman," is an analogue of other cryptozoological creatures such as Big Foot, the Chupacabra and the Jersey Devil.

However, many enthusiasts believe that there is truth behind these legends, especially the stories of giant hairy men living in seclusion. In many cases, they have been disproven, either by scientific evidence or when a prankster reveals that they were behind the hoax.

While the Indian Army has not responded to the backlash or provided more evidence, it has also not deleted the tweet.

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