Sightings of the Almas have remained much the same through the years. Consistent. And much more accepted than the concept of bigfoot in North America.

There is not much said of hearing these creatures speak. They tend to keep to themselves in remote areas, glimpsed as they go about their lives by people while they are moving their cattle from pasture to pasture area. The time of day encountered is generally dawn or dusk. They are said to be similar in height to modern humans. They are considered shy. And are "able to use tools". (1)

"Almas seem to eke out a living ... by hunting small mammals and eating wild plants, unassisted by fire although with shelter available in the form of caves. A crucial point, however, is that they do not appear to be afraid of fire, unlike all non-human species." (2)

"This very simple lifestyle and the nature of their appearance suggests strongly that Almas might represent the survival of a prehistoric way of life, and perhaps even of an earlier form of man." (3)

Russian doctor Ivan Ivlov was one of the first to take an interest in the Almas and Yeren and publish his findings. He was sent by the Russian government to attend to children in Mongolia as part of a goodwill mission. In this way, the government hoped to strengthen the bonds between the two governments.

In the fall of 1963, Ivlov was traveling through the Altai Mountains. He was accompanied by local Mongolians who were acting as guides and helping to transport his medical equipment.

Three figures were seen on a distant mountain slope. Being curious, Ivlov took up his binoculars to get a better idea of what was there. He could see that the figures were human-like in shape and in their actions and the way they moved. He could also see that they appeared to be covered in hair.

He was able to discern a male, a slightly smaller female, and a child. They all appeared to be digging, perhaps unearthing roots for food. When the creatures became aware of Ivlov and his party, they began to move. Rounding a rock crag, they disappeared from sight.

When Ivlov asked the Mongolians what he had just witnessed, he was told that he had seen "wildmen". The guides considered them not quite human, perhaps more of an animal.

This sighting intrigued Ivlov and throughout the rest of his journey, he would ask questions of his patients while he treated them. The main thing he took from all his questions was that the locals did not consider the 'wildmen' mysterious or unusual. They were just another part of local wildlife.

One patient told Ivlov that one time he came upon an almas male and juvenile. When the male saw him, it scooped up the child and strode off. The young one peered over the shoulder at the man, then it stuck its tongue out and made faces at him. Very much like a human child would.

When Ivlov returned to Russia with his stories and discoveries about the Almas, they were mostly dismissed as more stories of the yeti. The awareness of the yeti was at its peak in popularity at the time and the stories were lumped with the yeti tales, although it was acknowledged that they came from a different area.

But as researchers finally started looking into his findings, it gradually emerged that the Almas were different. They appeared to be more human than the basic ape-like theories of the yeti. The wild man also had a longer history of human encounters than the yeti.