Explorers to search Himalayas for yeti

Abominable snowman, bigfoot, sasquatch --

Over the next two months, a team of Japanese explorers hopes to obtain indisputable video evidence confirming the existence of the legendary yeti, the mysterious apelike creature long believed to inhabit the Himalayas of Nepal and Tibet.

A 7-member crew of experienced climbers, led by veteran yeti hunter and mountaineer Yoshiteru Takahashi, will depart Japan on August 16. At their destination in the Dhaulagiri mountains in central Nepal, they will establish base camp at an elevation of 4,300 meters (14,000 ft) and set up an array of automated infrared cameras along a ridge. For six weeks, the men and their state-of-the-art motion-sensitive cameras will monitor the area for signs of the yeti.

The expedition is Takahashi’s third attempt to find the elusive creature. The 65-year-old mountaineer first became interested in the yeti while on a climbing expedition in the Dhaulagiri region in 1971, after fellow climbers saw a mysterious humanoid creature covered in gray fur that appeared to be about 150 centimeters (5 ft) tall and walked upright. In 1994, when Takahashi returned to the region on his first mission to find the yeti, he reportedly found small humanoid footprints in a mountain cave that had a strong animal scent. In 2003, on his second expedition, Takahashi and his crew found more mysterious footprints and observed the silhouettes of unidentified humanoid creatures from a distance.

In a written statement on the Yeti Project Japan 2008 website, Takahashi describes the yeti sighting that took place in 2003. “Three dark silhouettes were observed at 12:25 PM on September 27, 2003 on the southeast ridge of Gurja Himal,” he writes. “They looked almost human and walked upright on two legs.”

According to Takahashi, the expedition crew had long expected to lay eyes on a yeti, but the sighting shocked them nonetheless. At the same time, however, the incident brought a sense of relief because it confirmed that the creature was indeed out there somewhere.

Over the years, numerous yeti sightings have been reported in the region. Takahashi’s 2003 encounter — the 4th sighting known to have occurred on the southeast ridge — strengthened his convictions about the yeti. In a recent interview with the Asahi Shimbun (who, along with Suntory, is a co-sponsor of the current expedition), Takahashi said, “The yeti is not a bear or a monkey. It is definitely an unknown creature that walks on two legs.”

Unfortunately, however, the 2003 expedition (whose sponsors included Pepsi, Suntory, Nikon, and the Asahi Shimbun), failed in its goal to produce visual evidence of the yeti’s existence.

But now, five years later, Takahashi and his crew are better equipped than ever to capture the yeti on camera, and they are sure they will succeed this time. Takahashi, who believes clear photographs or video of the yeti will pave the way for future scientific research, says, “We are confident we can prove its existence this time, and once we do, we can start working to protect it.”

[Sources: Asahi, Yeti Project Japan 2008]

Related: Seven mysterious creatures of Japan

17 responses to: “Explorers to search Himalayas for yeti”

  1. […] believing in mythical creatures like we haven’t really done since the mid-ages, we have a Yeti hunt. If bigfoot just showed up dead, who’s to say we won’t just stumble upon the Yeti this […]

  2. […] Yoshiteru Takahashi is about to head off to the Himalayas again in his third attempt to capture indisputable video proof of the existence of the famed Himalayian Yeti. He is taking infra-red video cameras this time and […]

  3. Llenan el Himalaya de cámaras para encontrar al Yeti (Otra vez) [ING]…

    Al parecer un equipo de investigadores van a viajar al Himalaya a instalar un conjunto de cámaras especiales con sensores de movimiento para localizar a la mítica criatura. Según las palabras del lider de la expedición, Yoshiteru Takahashi: El Yeti…

  4. […] a series of motion-sensitive cameras at 14,000 feet. They’ll be at camp for 6 weeks trying to get a photo of the 5-foot-tall humanoid that the scientist saw on his first trip to the mountain in 1971. Hopefully they pack enough peyote […]

  5. Leon

    Pepsi sponsored?

  6. bigfoot

    Suntory = Pepsi’s distributor in Japan. Not that it really matters, but Pepsi itself was not a sponsor in ‘03. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cms.dll/html/uncomp/articleshow?msid=134461

  7. Again, this story just goes to show that we can not easily abandon our beliefs. This is because we need a sense of mystery and the supernatural in our lives. Japan may be one of the most technically advanced nations today but it still harbors all sorts of supernatural beliefs. And rightly so… it would just be so dull without them

  8. jamie

    ATLANTA — A hairy corpse crammed in a Georgia freezer is Bigfoot, say two men who have been tracking the legendary creature, when they aren’t busy looking for leprechauns and the Loch Ness monster.

    press conference today noon est

  9. Maybe they should send the goobers (pun intended) from my home state of Georgia along with them. :P

  10. Explorers to search Himalayas for yeti…

    In search of the ultimate gaijin….

  11. A.Heim

    It’s quite possible that Bigfoot exists.However,these assholes that continue to present these fraudulant claims take credibility away from the legitimate Bigfoot hunters.I wish this Japanese expedition the best of luck.

  12. jacob

    yeti will not be found using conventioal technology. yeti and others of its kind is being protect by various secret societies throughout the planet. if a serious scientific expedition is to be successful then they must conduct themselves in total secrecy. if various fraternal orders don’t have any information on any particular endeaver to make contact with these beings from the sirius star system who we call yeti,bigfoot and sasquach then they won’t inform these beings of coming expeditions and their base of operations. only then will proper documentation can be achieved. this japanese explorer expedition is already unsuccessful due to the fact that it was announced to the world. yeti is aware now of this expedition and will not or will vacate the intended location for expeditional base of operation. human ego and lust for prestige is its failures and yeti and their human protectors know this.

  13. Pink Tentacle,

    I’m a huge fan of your site and I saw this posted on ebay and thought you might be interested in breaking the news?

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  14. […] L’équipe restera au camp de base pendant six semaines, espérant obtenir un bon cliché du mythique animal. C’est sa troisième expédition depuis que Yoshiterua a entendu parler du yéti lors d’une escalade dans la région de Dhaulagiri en 1971, au cours de laquelle d’autres alpinistes ont déclaré avoir clairement vu un humanoïde d’environ 2,15 m couvert de poils gris. Je connais cette sensation, j’ai la même après chaque soirée trop arrosée. [Pink Tentacle] […]

  15. samd

    What an incredible waste of time and money….

  16. […] […]

  17. […] Iltasanomat huffingtonpost Kuvalähde Kuvalähde 2 […]

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