Canadian scientists invited to Russia to hunt for Bigfoot

Most videos of an alleged Bigfoot tend to be out of focus and barely show the hairy creature, but due to increased sightings, scientists from Canada and other countries have been invited to Russia to hunt for one.

Sightings are up threefold over the past 20 years in the Kemerova region of Siberia and one Russian scientist estimates there are several dozen Yetis living in the area about 3,000 kilometres east of Moscow. At least 15 people in Russia say they have spotted one in the past year.

"When homo sapiens started populating the world, it viciously exterminated its closest relative in the hominid family, homo neanderthalensis," says Dr. Igor Burstev, who heads the Moscow-based International Centre of Hominology, to The Voice of Russia.

"Some of the neanderthals, however, may have survived to this day in some mountainous wooded habitats that are more or less off limits to their archfoes. No clothing on them, no tools in hands and no fire in the household. Only round-the-clock watchfulness for homo sapiens around."

Burstev has previously travelled to Canada, where he looked for evidence of Bigfoot on Vancouver Island.

The governor of Siberia's Kemerovo Region Aman Tuleyev is hosting the conference that begins Thursday and runs through Saturday. He invited international scientists to the area to evaluate evidence and go searching.

Evidence of the creature includes rudimentary twig huts and footprints as large as 35 centimetres. Scientists say an animal with feet that large would stand about two metres tall and weigh about 150 kilograms.

This will be the first expedition of its kind since 1958 when scientists crisscrossed the south of Western Siberia hoping to spot a Yeti, reports The Voice of Russia.

Burstev was also a key part of setting up a university research institute to study the animal. Its main goal is to establish contact with a creature.

(Screen capture from knobbylives YouTube video)