Indian Army's Yeti footprint tweet to arouse curiosity has people laughing instead

On 29 April, the Indian Army said it had stumbled on footprints of a “Yeti” on a thick patch of snow near the Makalu Base camp in Nepal. The expedition team that discovered the footprints — made by an “elusive snowman”, a “mythical beast Yeti” — did so for the first time in the history of the Indian Army while conducting a survey of the region in early April. It isn’t just the suggestive language of the tweet that got people nostalgic about all the Yetis we’ve come to know and love from literature and fiction. The clear photograph of the footprint of the supposed “Yeti” also captured the imagination of the Twitterverse.

For the first time, an #IndianArmy Moutaineering Expedition Team has sited 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. pic.twitter.com/AMD4MYIgV7

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

Going by these images, the footprints appear to be made by a single foot — a one-legged creature, or someone who quite literally has two left feet. The tweet went viral, and news traveled far and wide, even making it to Joe Rogan’s podcast.

For decades, people living in and around the region have claimed to have spotted “Yetis”, but never managed to get visual proof. The myth is entrenched in local folklore and makes an appearance in many stories as “The Abominable Snowman” for its gigantic size and blood-curdling howl. A popular episode of Tintin comics, “Tintin in Tibet”, chose to go with the more furry and ape-like interpretation of Makalu’s mythical Yeti.

The Army’s ‘Yeti spotting’ tweet reminded me so much of... pic.twitter.com/6ec0M9X455

— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) April 29, 2019

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But some of the more grounded and rational responses came from people who are familiar with Nepal’s local fauna — even the less familiar, Yeti-like beings in the area. A  report published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B in 2017 claims that what we’re calling a “Yeti” sighting is likely one of three different kinds of bears — the Asian black bear, the Tibetan brown bear or the Himalayan brown bear.

Some of these bears can grow over 6 feet in height and are capable of walking on two legs, the study states. Despite being aware of what the limited possibilities of who’s foot made those prints in the snow, the Air Force was reportedly hoping to “excite scientific temper” and “generated curiosity” with the suggestive mythical references. “We tweeted as we thought prudent to excite scientific temper and rekindle the interest. Some of us who reject the story surely shall have a definite answer to the evidences. As they say, nature, history and science never write their final story,” a source told NDTV. Idle curiosity, perhaps, but it doesn’t look like their “Yeti” gimmick arose much scientific curiosity in the Twitterverse. All we saw was just awareness about Himalayan bears and a sea of hilarious Yetis being more goofy that you’d expect from “The Abominable Snowman”.

I always knew Tintin was right. He was the first to spot the mysterious beast Yeti. Time to re-read Tintin In Tibet pic.twitter.com/mEBdxhqTVx

— bhavatosh singh (@bhavatoshsingh) April 30, 2019

Also sighted: a delighted Yeti after being tweeted by the Indian Army pic.twitter.com/YzKSWpLDbV

— Sachin Kalbag (@SachinKalbag) April 30, 2019

He entered in city for voting pic.twitter.com/8QQRr5NBIR

— Asif Karjikar 🇮🇳🇮🇳🇮🇳 (@asif_karjikar) April 29, 2019

Yeti I Love You pic.twitter.com/CcpIZtHZLO

— Sam Khan (@SamKhan999) April 30, 2019

#Yeti caught in tape!🤣 pic.twitter.com/mKsrJ4JcaY

— ﾌㄖ-乇ㄥ 🐒☭ 🇵🇸 (@Anti_Nationale) April 29, 2019