Russian Bigfoot

The majority of people think that all publications about yeti are fantasies, and they accuse all witnesses who saw the snowman of deliberate lies or excessive susceptibility. However, there are quite different people. One of them, cryptozoologist Viktor Rogov, told us a very interesting story.

The word cryptozoology belongs to the Greek language and consists of three roots: “cryptos” meaning “unknown,” “zoo” meaning “animal,” and “logos” meaning “word or teaching.” And the whole word means “the science of unknown animals.” Cryptozoology focuses on the search for and study of rare animals unknown to science. Although one might think that Earth has already been completely studied and photographed, hundreds of new species of insects, fish, and sea invertebrates are discovered every year. Large animals are more rarely discovered, but at least few are discovered practically every year as well. By the way, in order to prove tje existence of an animal species, scientists must obtain a specimen, dead or alive. No drawings, photos, videos, or stories are accepted as evidence. That is the reason why Pygmean elephants, hairy snakes, worms with paws, the Loch Ness monster, and the notorious snowman are still considered to be legends. Soviet historian Boris Porshnev is considered to be the founder of Russia’s cryptozoology. In 1962, he published his work “Modern Science of Relic Hominoids,” in which he proved the connection of the creatures called snowmen with Neanderthal man. The very name “snowman” appeared quite accidentally by the way. In 1920, a British research expedition to Mount Everest headed by Sir Howard-Bery saw several unknown anthropoid creatures. Later, the expedition discovered unusual footsteps. After that incident, the whole of the world started using the term “snowman.” However, all scientific facts know about these creatures prove that leave an animal ways of life and that they resemble man only in outward appearance. The snowman mystery was studied very seriously in the Soviet Union. A special commission for the study of this problem was created in the Soviet Academy of Sciences in the mid-50s; the results of the Commission’s work were published in special reports and bulletins. However, as no quick results were obtained (the commission couldn’t present a yeti dead or alive to prove its existence), the commission was soon dissolved. After that, enthusiastic scientists from the Cryptozoology Association worked on the yeti problem.

Starting with 1980, Viktor Rogov became an active investigator of the yeti phenomenon.

Yeti Was Difficult to Catch In Tien Shan

The first expeditions in which Viktor Rogov took an active part were to Tien Shan. As a result, evidence from residents, tourists, and mountain climbers were collected; these people said that they had seen the strange creature. According to the evidence, the yeti live in the remotest, most difficult to access places; each time it appeared rather unexpectedly, and when it suddenly disappeared, the witnesses remained seized by panic and fear. Can you imagine what superstitious mountain-climbers felt when a strange hairy creature about three meters tall dropped on them from somewhere above; watched them with its red, glowing eyes and suddenly disappeared after a second? The expedition visited all places mentioned in the testimonies; each time, they found only yeti hair and its strange footsteps, but they failed to see the creature themselves or to take its picture. Yeti easily escaped traps and ambushes; it was difficult to catch. When they waited for the yeti in one place, the yeti was in a different one, and when the expedition moved there, they couldn’t find the creature.

Finally, Viktor Rogov chanced to see the mysterious snowman. It happened not in Tien Shan, but in the Kola peninsula, near the Lovozer lake. Wild, Almost Animal Fear

“In the summer of 1988, together with Maya Bykova, the author of numerous articles and a large monographs about the mysterious relic hominoid and Misha Gavrilov chose a place for our next expedition. Rather unexpectedly, we received a message from Lovozer (this is the name of the lake situated there), the then-closed area of the Kola peninsula; the message said that several residents came across yeti. We had received messages of this kind before, but the last information proved that yeti was noticed close to an inhabited locality. Moreover, yeti terrorized a small hut in the southern part of the lake, a place where fishermen stayed for the night when they went fishing in the lake. It was actually very difficult for me and the other two members of the expedition to reach the mentioned place where the hut stood; we settled in the hut and were in wait for yeti there. The yeti visited the place on the very first night of our staying in the hut. At daybreak, we heard a loud noise from a landfill; someone big was forcing his way through the bushes and rattled the tins. Unfortunately, the windows of the hut didn’t face the side from where the noise came, and we were too scared to leave the hut. On the third night, someone tried to open the door of the hut, then jumped on the roof and walked on it for a long time. Fortunately, the roof was strong enough to stand the heavy walking. The next morning, we saw many footprints left by some unknown animal. One footstep was 34 centimeters long. When we inspected the area in the daytime, besides the large footsteps, we discovered smaller ones; in a mountain crack, we found a rookery where the animal could remain unnoticed and watch us. You should agree that this animal must be intelligent and have at least some skills.

We managed to see the strange creature for the first time only on the fourth night. The yeti was walking around the hut, and its head was on the level of the hut’s only window, at the height of about three meters. And when we saw the objective of our expedition in the moonlight, we were extremely shocked. We felt a wild, almost animal fear. We felt as if we wanted to run away and hide somewhere, but at the same time, we couldn’t stop watching the yeti. Later, we saw the creature several times. And each time we saw the yeti, an awful fear anticipated its approaching. When we felt the strange fear, we realized that the yeti was somewhere nearby. The creature resembled a huge anthropoid ape, 2.75-3 meters high, with broad shoulders and strong muscles. The body was covered with light gray hair of average length, it was almost white on the buttocks. The neck was short and strong, the forehead was low, and the jaws were protruded.

The face of the creature was almost naked, without hair, covered with dark wrinkles; the eyes were small and angry. Almost at once we understood that the creature was angry because we intruded on its territory and it came to drive us away. We were awfully scared and couldn’t take even a single picture of him. After the expedition, we brought material proof of the yeti’s existence to Moscow: hair, gypsum copies of its footprints, feces, and drawings; however, unfortunately, no pictures. We sent the hair to the Institute of the Ministry for Internal Affairs for an analysis. The specialists said that the hair didn’t belong to any known animal.

That was our last expedition. Since that time, I haven’t had a chance to meet with Misha Garvrilov, the third member of the expedition; he left the hut early in the morning even without saying goodbye. Maya Bykova died in three years after the expedition.

Russian UFO Portal

Translated by Maria Gousseva