Russian officials say they have found "conclusive evidence" that Yeti exists and lives in Siberia. What exactly is it?

The Yeti has long been considered a legend. But Russian officials say they have found "conclusive evidence" that Yetis exist and live in Siberia. The bold claim comes after an international conference and an expedition to find the Himalayan Yeti in Siberia's Shoria Mountains.

The administrative department of the Kemerovo region announced on the 10th: "During the expedition to the Azaskaya cave, conference participants collected conclusive evidence that Yetis live in the Shaulya Mountains. They They found footprints of the Yeti, what they presumed to be the Yeti's bed, and different markings that the Yeti used to mark his territory. "These markings are mostly broken branches, and some Russian media believe that this claim of finding signs of the Yeti is highly doubtful." Despite this, local government officials have publicly claimed that the probability of existence of Yeti in the highlands of the Shauliya Mountains is as high as 100% or 95%. Officials are more aggressive than researchers when it comes to claiming the Yeti actually exists. Researchers said DNA analysis of hair samples is needed before a conclusion can be drawn. They are currently working on this.

However, people also have doubts about this "discovery" because the scientific research team did not obtain convincing photos or DNA evidence. Their conclusion was apparently based only on broken branches, a vague footprint and some gray "hair" found in the cave. The administration of the Kemerovo region (where the cave where the footprints and hairs were found is located) announced on the 10th the "conclusive evidence" they had found. But critics say the expedition merely creates a tourist destination and does not reveal scientific truth. Researchers leading the search say they are closer to successfully capturing a yeti.

The bed made of small sticks they claimed the Yeti slept on did not contain hair. Still, Dr Egger-Botsev, director of the international conference - the first of its kind in half a century - believes people around the world will soon accept the existence of the Yeti. He said: "We are about to find the Himalayan Yeti."

He believes that there are about 30 Yetis living in the Kemerovo region, and said that they are Neanderthals who have survived to this day. Apparently, since the collapse of the Soviet Union 20 years ago, the number of "sightings" of the Yeti has been increasing. It is said that more than ten villagers and hunters living in this mountainous area near Tashtagol submitted written Reports of sightings of the animals or of tracks left by them. There have also been reports of Yetis, who are approximately 7 feet (2.13 meters) tall, stealing livestock from remote farms.