Army to send pics of 'Yeti' footprints to domain experts
New Delhi, Apr 30: The Indian Army will send pictures and videos of large "mysterious footprints" captured by its personnel in the higher Himalayas to domain experts, sources said on Tuesday, a day after its claim suggesting the presence of the mythical Yeti close to Makalu Base Camp in Nepal earlier this month.
On Monday, the Army claimed its mountaineering expedition team in Nepal found mysterious large footprints in the snow that they believe belong to the Yeti, or the abominable snowman.
In Nepali folklore, Yeti is a mythical ape-like creature taller than an average human that is said to inhabit the Himalayas, Siberia, Central and East Asia.
"For the first time, an #IndianArmy Mountaineering Expedition Team has sited (sic) Mysterious Footprints of mythical beast 'Yeti' measuring 32x15 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," the Army tweeted on Monday night.
The Army also released photos showing large footprints in the snow which they claim belong to the creature.
An Army team of 18 personnel led by Major Manoj Joshi embarked on an expedition to Mount Makalu in Nepal on April 2. On April 9, the team spotted "my
sterious footprints" measuring 32 X 15 inches to close to the Makalu base camp, the sources said.
They said the pictures were sent by the team using satellite communication.
"We will share the photos and videos with domain experts to understand more about this," the sources said.
They did not elaborate on which domain experts they will approach.
The team is expected to be back in India next month.
Makalu is the fifth highest mountain in the world at 8,485 metres. It is located in the Mahalangur Himalayas, some 19 kilometres southeast of Mount Everest, on the border between Nepal and Tibet, China.
Stories of the Yeti first emerged as a facet of Western popular culture in the 19th century.
Given the lack of evidence of its existence, the scientific community has generally regarded the Yeti as a legend.
In one genetic study, researchers matched DNA from hair samples found in the Himalaya with a prehistoric bear from the Pleistocene epoch.
Though the hunt for the mythical beast stretches back centuries, tales of a wild hairy beast roaming the Himalayas captured the imagination of climbers in Nepal in the 1920s, prompting many, including Sir Edmund Hillary, to go looking for the creature.
Sightings have been reported for centuries. Footprints have been spotted and stories have been passed down from generation to generation.
A 2017 DNA study of purported Yeti samples from museums and private collections provided insight into the origins of this Himalayan legend.
The research, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, analysed nine Yeti specimens, including bone, tooth, skin, hair and faecal samples collected in the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau.
Of those, one turned out to be from a dog. The other eight were from Asian bears one from an Asian black bear, one from a Himalayan brown bear, and the other six from Tibetan brown bears.
Our findings strongly suggest that the biological underpinnings of the Yeti legend can be found in local bears, and our study demonstrates that genetics should be able to unravel other, similar mysteries, said lead scientist of that study, Charlotte Lindqvist, an associate professor at the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences.
Lindqvist's team was not the first to research the Yeti DNA, but past projects ran simpler genetic analyses, which left important questions unresolved.
This study represents the most rigorous analysis to date of samples suspected to derive from anomalous or mythical hominid'-like creatures, Lindqvist and her co-authors wrote in their paper.
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CM Siddaramaiah slams Yatnal's campaign in bypoll, calls it BJP’s ‘double standard’
Bagalkote (Karnataka) (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday accused the BJP of adopting “double standard” by bringing expelled MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal to campaign for the Assembly bypolls.
Yatnal has been campaigning extensively in Bagalkote for BJP candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath, who is in a direct contest with Congress candidate Umesh Meti, son of sitting MLA H Y Meti, whose death necessitated the April 9 bypoll.
Yatnal, a firebrand leader, was expelled from the BJP for anti-party activities after making a series of allegations, including on dynastic politics and corruption, against party stalwart and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and his sons—Shivamogga MP B Y Raghavendra and BJP state president and Shikaripura MLA B Y Vijayendra.
Speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah said bringing Yatnal in for campaigning shows that the BJP is losing the election.
“Once the BJP realised it would lose the election, it brought back those it had expelled. On one hand, the BJP expels him (Yatnal); on the other, it brings him back, praises him, and makes him campaign. Isn’t this a double standard?” the CM asked.
According to him, roping in Yatnal indicates that the opposition party is in a “weak position.”
On the BJP’s allegation that the budget favours minorities, Siddaramaiah asked whether they are not citizens of India. “Do you know what percentage they constitute? More than 14 per cent. In our budget, we have provided for everyone, including them,” he said.
Responding to the opposition’s charge that the Congress is “misusing power and money” to win the bypolls, Siddaramaiah said the BJP was doing so instead.
“The BJP has no limits when it comes to telling lies. There is no truth in what it says, and it does not act according to its words. I do not react much to the BJP. Out of fear of losing this constituency, it is saying whatever comes to its mouth,” the CM said.
On the proposed increase in Lok Sabha seats and its impact on the state, Siddaramaiah said the exercise should be based on population, but without any discrimination. “Seats should not be reduced for southern states while being increased for northern states. There must be uniformity,” he said.
On the auto-LPG shortage that has led to long queues of autorickshaws at LPG stations, he said the Centre must address the issue.
“It is the responsibility of the Centre to supply gas cylinders, not the state government. The state only distributes what is supplied. The Centre should be held accountable,” he said.
Dismissing the BJP’s claim that the bypoll results would affect state politics and his position, Siddaramaiah said the Congress would win both Bagalkote and Davanagere seats.
