Page "Yeti" Paragraph 43

The 1983 Barun Valley discoveries prompted three years of research on the ' tree bear ' possibility by Taylor, Fleming, John Craighead and Tirtha Shrestha.

From that research the conclusion was that the Asiatic Black Bear, when about two years old, spends much time in trees to avoid attack by larger male bears on the ground (' ground bears ').

During this tree period that may last two years, young bears train their inner claw outward, allowing an opposable grip.

The imprint in the snow of a hind paw coming over the front paw that appears to have a hallux, especially when the bear is going slightly uphill so the hind paw print extends the overprint backward makes a hominoid-appearing track, both in that it is elongated like a human foot but with a “ thumb ” and in that a four-footed animal ’ s gait now appears bipedal.

This “ yeti discovery ”, in the words of National Geographic Magazine editor Bill Garrett, “ on-site research sweeps away much of the ‘ smoke and mirrors ’ and gives us a believable yeti ”.