Has The Yeti Vanished?

People in Bhutan no longer share stories of their encounters with the Himalayan yeti, which scientists believe to be a sub-species of brown bear.

16:15 04 November 2015

Residents of a remote village of Chendebji in Bhutan no longer encounter the Himalayan yeti as there is no need for them to climb high into the mountains. The village is surrounded by dense virgin forest and just seven years ago it was powered by a hydroelectric plant, bringing electricity to the once isolated village.

 

In the days before electricity, residents spent most of their days searching for firewood and walking into the high pastures to graze their yaks and goats. While doing so, they would come across an unusual paw print that struck chill into their hearts.

 

One of the residents, Pem Dorji, a woman in her late 70s, said: "I was about nine years old and had gone high up in the mountains to collect dry leaves for the cattle,"

 

"That was soon after a heavy snowfall, which lasted for almost nine nights. The yeti must have come down, trying to escape the snow. I just saw the footprints the yeti left behind."

 

She continued: "When I returned home, my parents were quite disappointed to see me empty-handed. I explained that I saw the footprints of the yeti, which were very fresh, as if the yeti had walked past in the morning. I told them I was very scared."

 

"When I described the footprints to my father, he explained to me that yeti's feet are pointed towards the back, unlike the feet of humans," she says.

 

Another resident, 73-year-old Kama Tschering, shared what he knew about the yeti.

 

"According to the stories that I have heard from my parents and grandparents, the yeti's hair is similar to that of a monkey but its feet and hands are more like ours - but very huge. The yeti is also said to have long, thick hair on its head that falls down to its chest," he says.

 

"The third King of Bhutan is said to have led an exploration team to search for the yeti. He told his men if they came across it, they should run downwards because the yeti wouldn't be able to see them - its long hair would cover its eyes, obstructing its vision. He told them if they ran up the mountain, the yeti's hair would fall back making it easy for him to catch the men."

 

He also told the story that took place further east.

 

"A group of men had gone into the mountains to look for a particular tree, which they used to carve masks. When a yeti appeared and chased them, one man disappeared. He hid in a small house used for meditation.

 

"The yeti is said to have destroyed the house, bringing down the walls. The yeti didn't eat the man but he was brutally killed. All his body parts were dismembered and thrown away."