The Yeti

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Legend has it that an eight-foot, furry primate exists within the dense forests of the Himalayas in Nepal.  For hundreds of years people have questioned the Yeti’s existence, and the convinced natives, or Sherpa.  Eyewitnesses of the yeti claim it has reddish fur, walks upright, and has conical shaped head.  During the night, it is said that the yeti eats village yaks and goats.  Yet, hardly any solid, tangible evidence of any of this has materialized because of the elusive nature of the creature.  But to rule out the possibility that the mystical creature even exists is equally unsupported with evidence. The question isn’t, “Does the yeti, in actuality, exist?”  The question we should be asking ourselves is, “Is there a possibility that the yeti still exists today?”  Through substantial research,

In a science news article, “Is This the Footprint of Yeti, the Abominable Snowman of Himalaya?” Scientist editor Stefan Anitei explained that evidence involving, so called yeti footprints, was extracted from the banks of Manju River in the Khumbu region.  Josh Gates, host of Sci Fi’s “Destination Truth”, was credited with the rare finding but his excitement was dampened when, after thorough examinations of the print, findings showed five toes existed, when legend has it that the Yeti only has four.  Among this startling epiphany and other erroneous assumptions, in the end, all leads led to dead ends, leaving the mystery still intact.  Some protested the fact that the footprint castings even belonged to the Yeti.  Rumor had it that the ‘mysterious tracks’ might have just been the common tracks of a local mountain bear.  Unfortunately, no clear conclusions were made in this article. 

Convincing evidence can be scientifically tested and proven.  Evidence, such as yeti footprints, is less than convincing because they are rarely accurate.  Gates himself commented on the footprint saying, “And in fact, the prints do not prove the existence of Yeti 100 %. The unfortunate thing about footprint castings is that they are rarely conclusive.”(par.#8) Not only does this statement discredit the witness, it also shows the weakness of the argument.  In this instance the footprints were found in mud.  But as an example of a footprint’s credibility, scientists have proven that footprints in snow expand and lose their true form as the snow melts.  The same theory can be applied to prints in mud, scientists explain, as other elements react similarly after time and exposure.  A mere footprint isn’t going to help prove its existence.