Former Governor of Siberia Responsible for Yeti Sightings
“It was I who fueled interest in the Yeti.”
Siberia, Russia —
Aman Tuleyev and friends. Photo by Tuleyev.
Aman Tuleyev, the Former Governor of the Kemerovo Region of Russia, revealed via Instagram, he was the man behind a series of sightings of the mysterious yeti in the region from 2010.
While Tuleyev was responding to questions of whether the yeti still roamed the region, the former governor noted several legends that have been passed among hunters in the Shoria Mountains. He even wrote that he had made his own expedition into the snow to find the creature.
After writing about the history of the creature in the region, Tuleyev then claimed, “It was I who fueled the interest in the Yeti.”
According to the post, Tuleyev had successfully turned the area into a tourist destination for skiing; attracting over a million people to the area each year. For the then governor “[it was] not enough.”
While arguing with a colleague, Tuleyev proposed they turn a resort town in the mountain range into “the homeland of the Yeti.” The community quickly took to the idea going as far as declaring the start of the ski season as “Bigfoot Day”. The local government also offered a one-million ruble reward for catching the creature.
The plan was a success, attracting many hoping to find the elusive creature. Eventually, the interest in the yeti faded. The lack of interest inspired Tuleyev to go further and fake sightings.
“Find someone tall,” Tuleyev said, "let him take off his suit, turn his fur coat inside out and run around in crowded places, shouting, so that the tourists took notice, but wouldn't be able to catch him."
The Russian government did find a person to portray the large mountain creature, leading to another wave of renewed interest in the possibility of the Yeti roaming the Shoria Mountains.
"Maybe he really wanders somewhere,” Tuleyev finished his Instagram post. “[perhaps] You will be able to meet the Yeti and write your name in world history."
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