Encounter Atlas

Creature index / Hairy hominids

Mande Barung

Also called Mande Burung, Forest man of the Garo Hills, Indian Bigfoot, Ban manush

A large, hairy, upright 'forest man' reported from the Garo Hills of north-east India.

Mande Barung means 'forest man' in the Garo language. It is described as a large, hairy, upright ape-like creature living in the subtropical forests of the remote Garo Hills in Meghalaya.

Local hunters and villagers tell of seeing it in thick forest and of finding big footprints and broken branches. Similar 'wild man' stories exist next door in Bangladesh (ban manush) and across the Himalaya.

No physical evidence has been confirmed, and sceptics point to bears, which live in the region.

What witnesses report

  • A tall, hairy figure walking upright
  • Large footprints
  • Branches broken at a height

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