Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea

Umboi Island is remote in the sense that it takes an American as much as a

week to get there. Most of the people dress in Western style clothing, with

only an occasional exception of some of the old women who sometimes do

not wear much clothing around their homes. Some of the villagers speak a

bit of English, but amazingly many of these people live in the deeper areas

of the island like Opai  and Gomlongon Villages. Here we see schools and

churches, for many of these villagers seem to value education.

The small children are sweet

and innocent, yet remarkably

capable. A seven-year-old can

carry a machete up a tree and

toss down coconuts with ease.

These children in a small village

near Lake Pung, are excited at a

rare visit from an American. They

probably had never before seen a

man with white skin and a camera.

Many people in “Piugini” or Papua New Guinea, call this

island “Big Siassi”. This tropical volcanic island, at about

900 square kilometers in area, may be best known as the

home of the ropen, a giant nocturnal flying creature.

On the northern coast are Aupwel

& Kampalap villages. Buan is the

largest lake, surrounded by some

marshy land. There are several

volcanic peaks, including Barik,

Sual, Tolo, and Bel. Some of

these include crater lakes such

as Pung, within Mount Tolo. This

is where seven boys saw a ropen

in the mid-1990’s.

Opai Village and Gomlongon are

southwest of Lake Buan. Many

of these people have witnessed a

strange light at night. It is known

by the villagers as the ropen and

it is said to fly out to the coast to

catch fish at night. Researchers

believe its bioluminescence can

help the creature in catching the

fish. Much research is needed.

In the non-fiction book Searching for Ropens, the cryptozoological investigations of this creature are analyzed and compared with the standard models of science. It is also a humorous look at how a non-mountain-climber struggled through jungle trails in his quest to videotape a ropen.

 

Although there are legends about the ropen, investigators believe this is a real creature.

 

Contrary to the opinion of some skeptics, ideas about the Mesozoic strata cannot reasonably be used as if evidence against the idea of living pterosaurs. (A critical part of dating strata is in finding what kinds of fossils are in it.)

Villagers are asking for help; they need to dig a well, for now they must walk up a steep hill when they carry water.

Modern Sightings of Living Pterosaurs