Is The Himalayan Yeti A Real Animal?

For decades people have reported seeing an ape-man roaming the snowy wastes of the Himalayas. Is there any truth to the tales?

You can probably picture a Yeti, even if you've never visited the Himalayas. From Scooby Doo to Doctor Who, Tintin and Monsters, Inc., the "Abominable Snowman" has popped up regularly in films, video games and
television for decades.In popular culture, a Yeti is an enormous, shaggy ape-man with huge feet and aggressive sabre-like teeth. Its fur is either grey or white. It is often depicted roaming the snowy mountains alone, a feral throwback to our violent evolutionary past.
Is there anything to this mythical figure, beyond tall tales and vivid imaginations? In the last few years, modern genetics has been brought to bear on the Himalayan Yeti. As a result, we may finally be able to put the mystery to bed.

A Yeti (not drawn from life, obviously) (Credit: dieKleinert/Alamy)

The Yeti is one of several supposed "ape-men". Elsewhere in the world, people tell tales of Bigfoot or the Sasquatch, which are beyond the scope of this article.
The Yeti figure has its origins in folklore. The character is an ancient and important part of the legends and history of the Sherpa, the communities that live at an average altitude of 12,000 feet in eastern Nepal.
Shiva Dhakal collected 12 traditional stories in his book Folk Tales of Sherpa and Yeti. In the stories, the animal is always a figure of danger.