Although Destination Truth differs greatly from a nature  documentary, both genres benefit from eyewitness  accounts. The Mandt Brother’s production handled this  well. I did not expect that the episode would include  details about Jacob Kepas’s childhood ropen-encounter; it  did not. But I was pleasantly surprised that the minister  was allowed to voice his opinions about the creature;  religious opinions are too rarely heard or considered in  television adventure shows, to say the least.   I believe that Josh Gates did very well in the limited time  his team had in their ropen search. The team was  successful in videotaping what most other adventurers  had failed to videotape. Except for the cave adventure, I  recommend Josh’s good judgment to future explorers: He  made some good decisions. Without access to the original video footage obtained by  the team, I hesitate guaranteeing that the glowing orb  must be a ropen light, but it does resemble Paul Nation’s  video, an obvious resemblance for investigators who have  seen both. Unless someone comes up with a better  explanation, I will continue to hold up this Destination  Truth video footage as evidence for the reality of the  ropen of Papua New Guinea and for the reality of its  extraordinary bioluminescence.  Destination Truth Josh interviewed several eyewitnesses, including Fabian,  who agreed that the large glowing creature that flies at night  looks like the American’s sketch of a pterosaur: It has a long  tail and a similar-looking head.  Copyright 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Jonathan Whitcomb A Mandt-Brothers-Produced Original Television Series See the Official site: DESTINATION TRUTH The Ropen of Papua New Guinea  with Josh Gates An evaluation of the ropen episode— by Jonathan David Whitcomb, author of two nonfiction cryptozoology books: Searching for Ropens (second edition) & Live Pterosaurs in America (third edition) Ropen Episode When an assistant from Neil Mandt’s people phoned me,  late in 2006, my associate, Paul Nation, was in the middle  of his expedition in a remote mountainous area of the  mainland of Papua New Guinea. Just before Eric Wing  and Neil interviewed me in their Hollywood office, I had  received news that Paul had videotaped some ropen lights  (also called indava lights: the first video footage of its  kind that would enter the United States). I told Neil about  Paul’s success, before the Destination Truth group left for Papua New Guinea, and I then assured him that the ropen  was a real creature, not just a legend. I also warned him  of the dangers (humans in cities, ropens in jungles).   Adventure, danger, enlightenment—those I experienced  half a year later, sitting in my living room, delighting in  the ropen-episode of Destination Truth. I thought I  remembered advising the production team “do not” enter  a cave that might contain a ropen; oh well, it is a  Hollywood production: The audience enjoys risk.   I believe that the video footage obtained from this team,  together with Paul Nation’s video footage, are the first  two visual evidences, to enter the United States, of living  pterosaurs in Papua New Guinea. Thank you, Josh! This episode first aired on television in June of 2007 The Destination Truth expedition team, on a ridge high over  the sea, videotaped a strange flying light that the native  Fabian later identified as coming from the flying creature.  Fabian told Gosh that the glow (his team had  videotaped) is from the stomach of the “bird” (that  Josh and others call “ropen” - it’s not really a bird)  Live Pterosaurs in America (third edition) by Jonathan Whitcomb  The Flying Fox fruit bat differs greatly from the long-tailed  flying creature that glows with bioluminescence at night   Ropen expeditions are an example of active investigations in cryptozoology: searches for modern living pterosaurs; as of early-2012, however, no ropen has yet been captured Jonathan Whitcomb (left) interviewed by Richard Syrett,  for a television talk show, for later in 2012, in Canada  Native eyewitness Jacob Kepas (left) was interviewed  by Josh Gates (right), during the 2007 expedition  Jonathan Whitcomb has written extensively about the ropen of  Papua New Guinea and was the first Western explorer to interview  three native witnesses of the Lake Pung ropen sighting on Umboi  Island, Papua New Guinea (Whitcomb 2004 expedition). He has  shown why this is not a Flying Fox fruit bat. He is the author of  the nonfiction book "Live Pterosaurs in America."  Evaluated by Jonathan Whitcomb Paul Nation, 2002 Umboi Island expedition (ropen search)   Sketch of the “Gitmo Pterosaur” of Cuba, drawn by the eyewitness Eskin C. Kuhn