Proposal: The Yeti

I am going to research and determine if the Yeti is in fact a plausible animal unknown to science. I have decided on this topic because of its popularity, and to fuel my curiosity with the unknown. In my opinion this creature may be trekking across the snowy Himalayas. I think this because, there is more plausible evidence supporting this creature than most other cryptids. Among the pieces of evidence are fur samples, which have been DNA tested, and found to be unlike anything documented to date. I hope to uncover more evidence to support the plausibility of this creature's existence.

Background: The Yeti

The Yeti is said to live in the icy Himalayan Mountains, with most sightings occurring between Tibet and Nepal. It is described as a human-gorilla hybrid, having brown fur, up to eleven feet tall, and a menacing howl (Animal Planet, Lost Tapes). Stories of this creature have been passed down through the generations among the native peoples of the surrounding countries (Abominable Snowman Internet Resource Study Group). The first documented encounter with the Yeti was in 1832 in Nepal by a British representative (Mendhak). He claimed that the creature had attacked his servants (Mendhak). Since then, there have been many other sightings, as well as, photographs taken of footprints found in the snow. The Yeti is widely disputed, in my opinion, because of its plausibility as an existing creature. A perfect set of circumstances makes this creature's existence possible, extremely tall snowbound mountains, frigid climate, and dense wilderness. These circumstances make it extremely, hard, if not impossible, for researchers to collect physical evidence as proof of the creature’s existence.






Works Cited


"Yeti." Lost tapes. 12 October 2010. Web. 19 October 2010. http://animal.discovery.com/tv/lost-tapes/meet-the-creatures/yeti.html

"The History of the Myth of the Yeti, and famous sightings of him." Abominable Snowman Internet Resource Study Group. Web. 19 October 2010. http://www.abominablesnowman.co.uk/  


"Yeti, its Story, History and Characteristics." Mendhak. Web. 19 October 2010. http://www.mendhak.com/49-yeti-its-story-history-and-characteristics.aspx

Stories: The Yeti

"The Daily Mail team in 1954 decided to organize its own expedition, and came up with a few hairs from a 300-year-old alleged Yeti scalp, kept in a Buddhist temple. The scalp, conical in shape, is about 8 inches high and has a base circumference of 26 inches. The hair was later analyzed and could not be attributed to any known animals. Even recent DNA testing of the found hair, defied analysis.  Below is a picture from the Buddhist temple harboring the scalp" (Abominable Snowman Internet Resource Study Group).

"In December 2007, US TV presenter Joshua Gates and his crew from the program Destination Truth reported finding footprints in the Everest area of Nepal resembling descriptions of Yeti. Each prints measured 13 inches long with five toes measuring 9.8 inches across. Casts have been made of these prints for research. Jeffrey Meldrum of Idaho State University believed them to be just too accurate to be hoaxed or be man-made. Meldrum stated they were similar to a pair of Bigfoot footprints found elsewhere" (Mendhak).

These stories, I have found, are very compelling making the idea of a Yeti more plausible. The fact that scientists in our country have run DNA tests on hair from the alleged scalp, and came back undefined is mind-boggling. As I look deeper into this legend the more reason I find for further investigation and research. The puzzling thing about all this and I'm sure I'm not the only one who has said this, is why there have been no bones found from the dead ones. This begs the question if they are real then maybe there social system works much like ours, in the fact that, we bury our dead. Hopefully time will tell - as more groups explore this peculiar mountain range - if in fact the Yeti does exist, and if so what further actions will be taken.





Works Cited


"The History of the Myth of the Yeti, and famous sightings of him." Abominable Snowman Internet Resource Study Group. Web. 19 October 2010. http://www.abominablesnowman.co.uk/ 

"Yeti, its Story, History and Characteristics." Mendhak. Web. 19 October 2010. http://www.mendhak.com/49-yeti-its-story-history-and-characteristics.aspx

Evidence: The Yeti

There is a great amount of evidence supporting the possibility of this unknown animal. For example, many sets of footprints have been found in the snow at tremendously high altitudes, negating the possibility of a hoax. Hair and even tissue samples have also been recovered from the mountains with no scientific explanation as to their origin.

Casting of a footprint (Destination Truth).

  

Scalp of the Yeti

(Abominable Snowman Internet Resource Study Group)

Below is a hair sample collected by the Destination Truth team, which also cast the footprint above.

DNA tests have been conducted on the hair... all came back with an unknown DNA sequence (Destination Truth).



Works Cited

"Bhutan: Yeti." Syfy. Web. 25 October 2010. http://www.syfy.com/destinationtruth/episodes.php?seasonid=3&episodeid=309

"The History of the Myth of the Yeti, and famous sightings of him." Abominable Snowman Internet Resource Study Group. Web. 19 October 2010. http://www.abominablesnowman.co.uk/

Conclusion: The Yeti

In the mysterious snow bound Himalayas hides a creature that will shock the world if accepted by science. After reviewing countless encounters, and piles of evidence I have concluded that the Yeti is in fact a plausible animal. The fact that scientists in our country have ran DNA tests on hair samples from the alleged scalp, and the Destination Truth expedition, yielding an unknown DNA sequence is astounding. In my opinion further in-depth research should be done by the "official" scientific community; they might be shocked by what they find. Regardless, until an official discovery is made by "experts" the Yeti may forever remain a mystery.