BACKGROUND:

Like so many cryptid mysteries, what one realizes is that the deeper you search for the answer of what the creature might be, you find what it represents is so much more than just a singular beast. Such was the discovery of tonight's guest, Professor Daniel C. Taylor, PhD., author of Yeti: The Ecology of a Mystery. Dr. Taylor has spent 60 years of his life on a quest to solve the mystery of the Yeti, and that process has ultimately led to the foundation of a worldwide network and university dedicated to preserving not only the culture and ecology of the Himalayan region and beyond but it has also become a force for social change and preservation in other sensitive areas of the planet. But, if you just want to know if the Yeti is real or a legend, then consider the words of Dr. Taylor: "a legend doesn't leave footprints." The Yeti's prominence in the daily life of the peoples who inhabit the Himalayas makes it very real, and not just in a spiritual and cultural context. If you believe the Yeti exists, but just want to know what it is, you'll find that the question is lacking and that the answer indeed has more to do with the ecology of a mystery.