On the seventieth anniversary of his extraordinary encounter with a mysterious hominid, the story of Lieutenant Colonel V.S. Karapetyan of the Soviet Army during World War II is returning to public consciousness. Karapetyan describes how, during a mission in Dagestan, he encountered a creature that resembled legendary ape-men such as Bigfoot. His account reveals not only a fascination with unexplored species but also the complexities of human nature and uncertainty in the face of the unknown. What was this mysterious creature?
When it comes to the controversy surrounding unidentified hairy apes, many people assume—incorrectly—that only two such creatures, the North American Bigfoot and the Himalayan Yeti, fit into this particular category. In reality, however, creatures similar to these two have been reported from countless parts of the world, including South America, China, and Australia. This year marks the 70th anniversary of a truly fascinating hominid encounter in yet another location.
Throughout his life and research, renowned hunter-gatherer Ivan T. Sanderson amassed a vast amount of information about strange animals sighted in remote corners of the world, including creatures resembling Bigfoot. One such story, which describes a startling face-to-face encounter with one of the legendary ape-men during World War II, comes from Lieutenant Colonel V.S. Karapetyan of the Soviet Army Medical Service.Karapetyan begins his story this way: "From October to December 1941, our infantry battalion was stationed some thirty kilometers from the town of Bumaksk (in the Dagestani SSR). One day, representatives of the local authorities asked me to examine a man captured in the surrounding mountains and transported to the district center. They needed my medical advice to determine whether this strange creature was or was not a disguised spy. I entered the hangar accompanied by two members of the local authorities."
"When I asked why they were making me examine this man in a cold hangar instead of a warm room, they said that a prisoner couldn't be kept in a warm room. He was sweating so profusely in the building that they had to put him in the hangar."
When Karapetyan entered the hangar, he realized that this was no ordinary human being: "I still see this creature standing before me, male, naked and barefoot. It was undoubtedly a human being, as its shape indicated. However, its chest, back, and shoulders were covered with shaggy, dark brown fur. Its fur, two to three centimeters long, resembled that of a bear."
"The fur under his chest was sparser and softer. His wrists were sparsely covered with hair. The lower parts of his hands and the soles of his feet were bare. The hair on his head, however, reached down to his shoulders and partially covered his forehead. The fur covering his arms, however, was very rough. He had no beard or mustache, yet his face was completely covered with short fur. The hair around his mouth was also short and sparse."Karapetyan continued his extraordinary story: "The man stood absolutely straight with his arms hanging down, and his height was about 180 centimeters. He stood before me like a giant, puffing out his chest. His fingers were thick, strong, and exceptionally large. He was significantly larger than any of the local inhabitants. His eyes told me nothing. They were dull and empty—the eyes of an animal. He seemed to be just an animal, nothing more."
"As I learned, from the moment he was captured, he had not taken any food or drink. He had not asked for anything or spoken a word. He was kept in a warm room and sweated profusely. While I was there, they put water and some bread in his mouth, and someone else offered him a hand, but he did not react. I concluded that he was not a masquerader, but some kind of wild man. Later, I returned to my unit and never heard from him again."
Was this strange creature a surviving representative of an ancient human species, perhaps a Neanderthal? Or was it perhaps the Russian equivalent of the Himalayan Snowman? Sadly, after seventy years, we likely won't know. However, this case serves as a constant reminder that while we think we know everything that walks this Earth, we truly know nothing.
Where there are wild places, there are also ape-men.
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