Monsterquest versus Destination Truth

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Regarding searching for the ropen with an open mind, Destination Truth wins easily against Monsterquest. Josh Gates interviewed a number of native eyewitnesses, one of them twice. His expedition team was prepared to videotape a living pterosaur, if the opportunity came up, and they recorded a strange flying light, an orb that was out over the sea. Josh tried to find other explanations for that light, interviewing three scientists, but no easy explanation came forward.

Monsterquest, on the other hand, in their expedition on New Britain Island, arrived there prepared to explain away the giant nocturnal flying creature that glows. They arrived prepared to catch a small bat in a net and make a dramatic scene as if that tiny bat held in one of their hands was the explanation for the creature seen in daylight by Duane Hodgkinson. That Monsterquest episode failed to mention that Hodgkinson’s “pterodactyl” had a tail that he estimated was “at least” ten or twenty feet long.

Regarding a believable and satisfying ending, Destination Truth wins easily against Monsterquest. Josh took their video footage back to the United States, where two video analysis experts were stumped by the glowing orb. This demonstrated that not everything strange in Papua New Guinea can be simply explained away as something common, something Americans scientists already know everything about.

Monsterquest, on the other hand, brought along on their expedition a paleontologist. In other words they brought an expert who had no expertise in cryptozoology and no expertise in interviewing eyewitnesses. Monsterquest was prepared to proclaim that nothing is left to be discovered, at least not regarding any large nocturnal flying creature. Monsterquest failed, for near the end of the show they showed us a tiny bat, non-bioluminescent, held in a human hand, non-long-tailed, held up as an explanation for a creature that is reported to occasionally carry away an adult human. Monsterquest failed.

Destination Truth – Ropen Episode

Josh Gates interviewed at least two native eyewitnesses of the glowing ropen of Papua New Guinea: Jacob Kepas and Fabian.

Josh Gates interviews the native ropen eyewitness Fabian