The Ropen (demon flyer) of Papa New Guinea came to the attention of the modern world when Duane Hogkinson, a pilot stationed with a cavalry unit northwest of Lae, was walking through a clearing. He was startled by a crashing in the bush and observed a winged creature slowly take flight. He estimated the wing span to be twenty feet. He watched in wonder as the dark- gray colored animal with a serpentine neck, beak and head crest lifted off the ground. 

Early explorers may also have come into contact with the creatures similar to what Mr. Hogkinson encountered. There is a sea chart, dated 1595, which gives sailors warning about sea creatures. Flying over New Guinea are two animals with the general description given by the pilot. They are depicted with ribbed wings and large tails which are split like flippers at the end.

Most reports of the creature were brought back by missionaries who began to penetrate the remote islands shortly after WWII. The natives were fearful of animals with large, razor-sharp teeth and huge ripping claws. It is reported that the creatures have a taste for decaying human flesh. There have been reports of them harassing native funeral processions and rituals sometimes with missionaries present. There are indications that two species of pterosaurs are living in Papa New Guinea. The believed extinct flying dinosaurs are believed to be the Ropen. A smaller species are thought to inhabit caves on the island of Rambunzo. They are three to four feet in length.

It’s the larger variety that has been most frequently sighted. The animals are nocturnal and appear to give off a glow as they fly through the night sky.  Lights, moving as a living creature would, have been photographed and video taped. The lights did not leave a trail and they sparkled about the edges. The glow is thought to aid the creatures as they hunt for food in what is often total darkness. The Ropen was investigated by the Genesis Park Staff during a three week expedition in October of 2004. They took numerous eyewitness accounts and developed a composite drawing of the creature. It most closely resembles a Dimorphodon pterosuar with the addition of a head crest and dermal bumps. They also photographed carvings from an unknown artist one of which depicts a lizard-like creature perched on the shoulders of a medicine man. The carvings display an animal with a lizard-like ear, elongated neck, scaly wings, webbed feet, dermal bumps running down the back and a long tail. One of the works shows a creature’s tail being devoured by a crocodile.  Such interaction with a known, living creature is interesting and makes one wonder if it was a real life scene witnessed by a native. 

Lending credibility to the Papa sightings is reports of a like creature on Ceram Island in Indonesia. The Orang-bati “Men with Wings” were described to Tyson Hughes who was working with the Moluccan tribes people to develop farm land. The natives told him of huge creatures with enormous bat-like wings.  They were said to live in the caves of Mount Kairatu, an extinct volcano in the center of the island. The descriptions and habits are similar to the Ropen and the islands are adjoining.

The volume of sightings from both natives and Westerners have led to increased explorations into these still remote and dangerous areas. Jim Blume and David Woetzel traveled to the islands where the creatures are known to hunt. They were successful in filming some footage of a flying creature. Also discovered was evidence of gigantic nesting areas high in mountainous regions.

There are numerous films of large flying creatures posted on youtube. It’s up to the observer which ones, if any, may picture something the modern world has thought long dead. Whatever the case sightings of the Ropen continue and like creatures are reported in other remote areas. 

These reports have not convinced the scientific circle that these creatures exist but then, they’ve been wrong before.