INTERVIEW: Monster Week special delves deep into Yeti lore
Photo: Eva, Mark Evans and Steve look at map at Khakthang army camp, all while in the hunt for a Yeti. Photo courtesy of Animal Planet.
Animal Planet’s annual celebration of all things mysterious and scary kicks off Sunday, May 27 with a special episode of Finding Bigfoot. Quick on its heels is the Monday, May 28 premiere of The Lost Kingdom of the Yeti, a new documentary featuring the adventures of yeti hunter, veterinarian and scientist Mark Evans, a frequent presence on TV when legends are being questioned.
Evans travels into the Bhutanese wilderness for the special, which airs at 8 p.m., and doesn’t stop until he’s deep within the Himalayas, the reported stomping ground of the mythical creature.
For the unbeknownst, the Yeti is the Himalayan entry into Bigfoot lore. For generations, individuals and communities have reported seeing a bipedal creature traipsing through the snowy upper reaches of the Himalaya Mountains. Sometimes called the Abominable Snowman, the “monster” often draws parallels to the legends of Bigfoot.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Evans about his expedition. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
How confident are you that the Yeti existed or exists?
The term ‘Yeti’ is a modern, western invention, but I am absolutely certain that the ancient legend that describes it is not just some mumbo-jumbo, mountain myth. There is, I am absolutely certain, a rational biological explanation for the tantalising tales that have been told by modern humans for millennia. If you analyse all the documented evidence, it seems to me that there are not one, but two types of ‘Yeti.’
One, I am sure, is the brown bear — elusive and poorly studied in the Himalaya. The other Yeti is said to be bipedal and ape-like. On a previous expedition a couple of years ago, I investigated the possibility that the origin of this cryptic creature could well be a recently-discovered human species, the so-called ‘Denisovans.’ My latest quest, and the subject of this new documentary, was a world-first attempt to use an emerging and really exciting new DNA technique to discover if either creature, or something completely unknown to science, still exists in Bhutan … possibly the best place on Earth to hide.
What can audience members expect from the TV special?
Inspired Big Foot believers. The spell of a forbidden and sacred mountain. Breath-taking, unexplored landscapes. Spectacular, cutting-edge DNA science. Precious little oxygen to breath and … a shocking medical disaster. A truly epic adventure. And all by Royal appointment.
Why does the Yeti still transfix the world?
Good question. I am not sure. In an ever more hi-tech, artifically-intelligent, machine-based, robotic world, may be a connection with our ancient past. May be some kind of unconscious, genetic memory we share as modern humans of a time when we didn’t rule the world. May be the strong hope that in this ever-more-populated, increasingly polluted and perishable planet, there are still remote places where unknown creatures can survive and hide. I really hope that’s true.
Of the types of evidence out there, what are you the most skeptical of?
I am a scientist. I am skeptical of everything!
Have you always had an interest in monsters? Ever since you were a child?
No. For me it’s a relatively recent obsession that started in my late 40s when [I] read an extraordinary book about a massive Yeti-hunting expedition in 1954 — the year after the first ascent of Everest. But, I am glad I came to Yetis later in life as we now have the DNA science to really interrogate the claimed evidence. The science isn’t perfect yet, but it is evolving at a spectacular pace. And the results we’re getting may beggar belief, but they are fact. DNA doesn’t lie.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Lost Kingdom of the Yeti, featuring Mark Evans, will premiere Monday, May 28 at 8 p.m. on Animal Planet as part of Monster Week. Click here for more information.
