8-foot tall 'well-preserved yeti' sold at auction

An 8-foot (2.4m) tall "well-preserved yeti" has been sold at auction in Somerset for £1,350. The specimen, described as having "some signs of wear" to its feet, was sold as part of an estate clearance.



Thought to have been commissioned by a Victorian shop keeper to enhance his business, the "mystical creature" in fact had the opposite effect. The giant stuffed creature had a guide price of £600 to £1,200. The lot was sold with an accompanying plaque, which describes the beast as a "particularly well preserved specimen of a yeti" and the only one "known to exist".

It also states that it was discovered "120 years ago in a crevasse into which he had fallen" on the borders of Azerbaijan. But, according to Shaun Rock from Yeovil Auction Rooms , the giant "Big Foot" was in fact made for a local chemist who thought it would be "good for business" in his shop.



"It had completely the opposite effect, people were scared to go in," he said. "Locals were scared to come out of the house because of this unknown creature and he lost his business." Although it has not been revealed who the buyer was, it is thought the "yeti" will be leaving the country.