Forestry workers and fisherman have reported sightings of Yetis, also known as Bigfoots, in different parts of Russia.
Also known as Abominable Snowmen or Bigfoot, Yetis are considered to be the link between the Neanderthal man and modern human beings.
The sighting of the furry ape-like creature in the recent weeks initiated further research and Russia will soon start an expedition to find them, Igor Burtsev, head of the International Centre of Hominology and Russia's Yeti expert, said according to Siberian Times.
"We have good evidence of the yeti living in our region, and we have heard convincing details from experts elsewhere in Russia and in the US and Canada," he said. "The description of the habits of the Abominable Snowmen are similar from all over the world."
One sighting was reported by a forest officer in the Shorsky National Park this September. The official claimed that the creature did not share any similarities with bears, which are common in these parts.
"The creature did not look like a bear and quickly disappeared after breaking some branches of the bushes," he said.
In a similar kind of incident, a fisherman was said to have sighted Yetis on the banks of a river and when he shouted aloud asking if any help is needed, the creatures ran away.
Earlier in August, a fisherman named Vitaly Vershinin claimed to have had seen two Yetis on the river banks. "Our binoculars were broken and did not let us see them sharply. We waved at the animals but they did not respond, then quickly ran back into the forest, walking on two legs," he had said.
"We realized that they were not in dark clothes but covered by dark fur. They did walk like people," the fisherman added.
The sighting of Yetis in Russia is on the rise. In 2011, Russian Yeti experts got hold of the hairs believed to be of Yetis in an expedition conducted by the international experts. The DNA analysis of the sample is yet to be disclosed.
The evidence of the Yeti existence was first accounted by Buddhists, who believed that Yetis existed in Himalayas. Yeti enthusiasts have been keen to document the existence of the creature since 1951, when a Mount Everest expedition first discovered the footprints of Yetis.
Earlier in May, scientists from Oxford University and Switzerland's Lausanne Museum of Zoology started a joint project looking into the existence of these creatures. Various samples like hairs and remains claimed to belong to the Yeti were examined using advanced methods of genetic testing. Results of the project are yet to be published.
