The Almasty
In the mountain villages of the Caucasus, people describe a wild, hairy figure that steals from orchards and braids horses' manes.
What was reported
In the North Caucasus, villagers tell of the almasty, a tall, hairy, human-like being that lives in the forests and mountains. It is said to raid gardens and orchards at night and to tangle the manes of horses.
For decades from the 1950s, the French-born doctor Marie-Jeanne Koffmann collected hundreds of accounts from people in the region who said they had seen it, and led expeditions to find it.
Explanations offered
No body, bones or clear photographs have been found. Sceptics suggest bears, people living wild, and folklore. Some researchers have suggested a surviving relative of early humans, which most scientists consider very unlikely.
- When
- Reported for generations
- Where
- North Caucasus, Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia
- Witnesses
- Villagers and herders; researcher Marie-Jeanne Koffmann
- Status
- Unconfirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.