It's also equally hard to trust give it's based on Hindu scripture, and the Wikipedia article itself states that they're considered mythical creatures.
Hmm. I am interested in this. Perhaps the modern forms have experienced enough predation that makes it difficult to follow this up. But we do such analysis often. Basically I would like to see if local ape populations continue to use our terms after a few isolated years.
So how is trusting authority working out for you so far?
It's a piece of the puzzle, these stories come from somewhere. The general idea is to use your brain to put the pieces together.
A very rich imagination? It's so easy to see something perfectly normal and imagine a whole new world around it. Even more so if at the time there is no "rational" explanation for it.
A three headed malformed dog? It must be the monster guarding the entrance to Hell.