Yeti ‘proof’ actually belongs to cliff-dwelling goral
Jeremy Hance, mongabay.com
October 14, 2008
In 2003 an Indian forester claimed to have seen a Yeti three days in a row. Dipu Marak, general secretary of the Achik Tourism Society and Yeti enthusiast, followed the man’s trail and discovered strands of hair that he believed belonged to the mysterious creature. According to popular tradition, the Yeti is an ape-like animal that lives in the Himalayan forests.
After close study and DNA tests, researchers discovered that the hairs did not belong to a large unknown primate, but rather the Himalayan goral. The goral is a unique wild ungulate, which possesses characteristics of both antelopes and goats. Inhabiting high elevations, the goral confidently moves along cliff-sides and dizzying heights to escape predators such as wolves, tigers, and snow leopards.
Although the hair failed to prove the existence of the Yeti, its discovery remains exciting. Found in an area where no one expected the Himalayan goral, the hair has expanded the ungulate’s known range.
Mr. Marak is undeterred by the findings. “While these results are discouraging, it does not affect my firm conviction that there is a Yeti-like creature out there,” he told the BBC. “It has been seen too often for it to be dismissed as nothing more than a myth.”
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