London, Jan 16 (ANI): A Russian official has claimed that the yeti is an "extraterrestrial" being sent to Earth to watch over things.

Igor Idimeshev, 48, deputy head of Sheregesh's local council in Siberia, insisted that he has seen the creature - dismissed by most scientists as legend - several times, the Daily Mail reported.

Idimeshev's comments came as his district in the Shoria Mountain area of Keremovo, is setting up a resort dedicated to the Abominable Snowman following a succession of claimed sightings.

He told the Siberian Times that he has seen this creature several times, and when he saw the yeti's eyes, his only thought was that they are not from Earth - they are clearly of an extraterrestrial nature.

"To me, the yeti is an extraterrestrial creature. I believe that it is like a controller to look over things here on Earth," he said.

Idimeshev added that the creature - known as Big Men by locals - could "suddenly disappear and re-materialise."

"Another extraordinary thing is that yeti's hair is luminous at night, and also that the Yeti can walk on water," he said.

"Every man round here sees him when he hunts. It's all right to mention the fact of meeting - but we don't go into the details of it, like where exactly it was, what he did do, or your luck will be gone.

"The feeling is one of fear. It is a fear that you cannot explain rationally. You feel yourself very scared and tense at the same time," he said.

He said that one of the closest comparisons is the feeling of looking into a wolf's eyes.

"Like with a wolf, you can see a yeti's eyes from a distance of some 100-150 metres. They are quite hypnotizing," he said.

The planned Yeti Park in Sheregesh, including a hotel and a museum, is intended to bring in tourists keen to be the first to prove the existence of the yeti.

Last year Russian academic Professor Valentin Sapunov claimed a population of 200 yeti exist in the Kemerovo, Khakassia and Altai regions of Siberia. (ANI)