In 2004, the American living-pterosaur investigator Jonathan Whitcomb explored part of Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea, and interviewed a number of native eyewitnesses of the large nocturnal ropen. Gideon Koro was one of those eyewitnesses.
Email contact form for Jonathan Whitcomb
copyright 2005-2017 Jonathan Whitcomb
part of the sketch drawn by the eyewitness: U.S. Marine Eskin Kuhn
Gideon was  Terrified by the Ropen
Gideon Koro’s Interview in 2004  Enlightening and dramatic testimonies in the book Searching For Ropens and Finding God include interviews of a young man named Gideon, who had been quite nervous when he had been questioned in about December of 1993. Jonathan Whitcomb, an American forensic videographer, interviewed Gideon, on October 7, 2004, on the island of Umboi in Papua New Guinea and confirmed the reliability of the young man’s testimony that he saw a giant long-tailed flying creature when several other boys hiked up Mount Tolo. Gideon was more at ease during his videotaped interview in 2004. Whitcomb, whose profession involved interviewing persons on camera for attorney firms, found nothing in his interview with Gideon Koro that suggested any dishonesty or any gross errors in what this young man reported to him. When asked about the ropen’s head, the young man replied that he did not have a good look at it, yet he did see a series of bumps or ridges, starting at the back of the head, and con- tinuing over the neck, back, and tail. Gideon told Whitcomb that the creature had a tail. The young man answered “how long was the tail?” with an estimate of “sefan meetuh” (seven meters or 23 feet long), yet he did not answer immediately: He thought for a moment, gazing at the ground and looking back and forth, apparently imagining how long the tail was and how many meters it would measure. He gave his estimate only after he had finished that process. He had also mentioned gave an estimate of seven meters when Whitcomb asked about the size of the wings, but the American later realized that Gideon probably was thinking of one wing alone. The word wings is almost the same as the word wing, for that is how plural and singular forms are constructed in English, with few exceptions. But Gideon was not proficient in English. Why did Whitcomb conclude, while later writing about his interview with Gideon, that the native was thinking about only one wing length in his estimate of seven meters? After all, a flying creature with a wingspan of more than 45 feet is unheard of among Westerners, except in fictions about dragons. Several factors led to Whitcomb’s conclusion. It was not just the possibility that Gideon might have mis- understood, missing the significance of “s” in wings. The overall proportions would have been too far off if the tail length was equal to the wingspan. Duane Hodgkinson saw a “pterodactyl” in New Guinea in 1944 and estimated the wingspan to be in the vicinity of 30 feet and the tail length to be around 10-15 feet, with an emphasis suggesting it was more likely closer to 15 feet. In spite of that enormous overall size, the ratio does make sense. It makes little sense, however, for a flying creature to have a tail length equal to the wingspan. In addition, Gideon was videotaped in 1994, and he said something about “ten or twenty.” The interviewers thought he referred to the number of ropens he had seen, but on closer examination of the video footage, it is much more likely that he was estimating the overall size of the animal. Since he uses meters, that would mean the total length or the wingspan (which could be the same) could have been around fifteen meters. That makes sense, if Gideon had given Whitcomb an estimate of the length of ONE wing, rather than the wingspan. On top of all that, Gideon gave his approval to a drawing that he and Whitcomb had made in the dirt, at the end of the interview in 2004, and the tail length in that crude sketch is not nearly as long as the total wingspan could be. When talking about the tail, Gideon volunteered the word “diamond.” A flange at the end of the tail suggests the ropen is a Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur. The other two young men who were briefly interviewed by Whitcomb confirmed this “diamond” on the tail. Whitcomb did not suggest or bring up the subject of a diamond-shape. The drawing that Gideon made in the dirt (at the end of the interview session) didn’t show anything that Whitcomb identified as a “diamond.” The American concluded that Gideon made an oversight, leaving out that detail when he drew the ropen. From this and other eyewitness accounts and other sources of information, Whitcomb concluded that there is only one ropen living regularly in the interior of Umboi Island and glowing at night and that it is a giant Rhamphorhynchoid  pterosaur, albeit much bigger than any discovered fossil of that type. Conclusion Contrary to what some critics have said, the idea that living pterosaurs still fly over some islands of Papua New Guinea is not well countered by any reference to the large bat know as “flying fox.” On the islands where there are accounts and testimonies of very large long-tailed flying creatures, natives are perfectly aware of fruit bats. They have another name for this fruit bat, but natives of Umboi Island use the word ropen for a larger nocturnal flying creature that is a predator and a scavenger. The witnesses from this remote village who describe the ropen they saw in the daytime, refer to a tail with a “diamond” at the end. The flying fox has no tail in any way resembling this description. And it does not attain nearly the size of “seven meters,” regardless of what is 23 feet long.
Whitcomb interviewed Gideon deep in the interior of Umboi Island. The native told the American about the ropen that he and his six friends had observed flying over a crater lake (Pung) ten years earlier.
Gideon made it clear that they had seen only one ropen on that day of terror.
Gideon agreed with the crude outline of the head drawn by Whitcomb and he then continued with his addition: bumps or ridges beginning at the back of the head and continuing along the neck and back.
According to the forensic *videographer, Jonathan Whitcomb, who interviewed Gideon, “I found this witness to be very credible. There’s no reasonable alternate possibility other than that this young man honestly told me what he had experienced. Two others, who were also present when the sighting was made, upheld Gideon’s account of the giant flying creature.” (*certified court videographer) The ropen is nothing like the flying fox fruit bats of Papua New Guinea.
Take Gideon’s testimony in the context of Western eyewitnesses of gigantic flying creatures that have no feathers but do have long tails. The animals are obviously living pterosaurs.
Wesley Koro, brother of Gideon, was one of the seven boys who were terrorized by the huge flying creature they saw flying over the surface of Lake Pung.
The ropen of Umboi Island may be related to the long-tailed featherless flying creatures seen in North America.
Photo of the crater lake Pung, on Umboi Island, 2004
Lake Pung, where seven island boys had a frightening encounter with a huge ropen around December of 1993. (photograph by Garth Guessman, 2004)
Support the living pterosaur investigation of Jonathan D. Whitcomb by purchasing your own copy of the nonfiction paperback cryptozoology book Live Pterosaurs in America (now in its third edition).
Searching for Ropens and Finding God
Another cryptozoology book about these sightings of modern living pterosaurs
Gideon was  Terrified by the Ropen
In 2004, the American living-pterosaur investigator Jonathan Whitcomb explored part of Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea, and interviewed a number of native eyewitnesses of the large nocturnal ropen. Gideon Koro was one of those eyewitnesses.
Email contact form for Jonathan Whitcomb
Whitcomb interviewed Gideon deep in the interior of Umboi Island. The native told the American about the ropen that he and his six friends had observed flying over a crater lake (Pung) ten years earlier.
Gideon made it clear that they had seen only one ropen on that day of terror.
Gideon agreed with the crude outline of the head drawn by Whitcomb and he then continued with his addition: bumps or ridges beginning at the back of the head and continuing along the neck and back.
part of the sketch drawn by the eyewitness: U.S. Marine Eskin Kuhn
The ropen of Umboi Island may be related to the long-tailed featherless flying creatures seen in North America.
Wesley Koro, brother of Gideon, was one of the seven boys who were terrorized by the huge flying creature they saw flying over the surface of Lake Pung.
Photo of the crater lake Pung, on Umboi Island, 2004
Lake Pung, where seven island boys had a frightening encounter with a huge ropen around December of 1993. (photograph by Garth Guessman, 2004)
Gideon Koro’s Interview in 2004  Enlightening and dramatic testimonies in the book Searching For Ropens and Finding God include interviews of a young man named Gideon, who had been quite nervous when he had been questioned in about December of 1993. Jonathan Whitcomb, an American forensic videographer, interviewed Gideon, on October 7, 2004, on the island of Umboi in Papua New Guinea and confirmed the reliability of the young man’s testimony that he saw a giant long-tailed flying creature when several other boys hiked up Mount Tolo. Gideon was more at ease during his videotaped interview in 2004. Whitcomb, whose profession involved interviewing persons on camera for attorney firms, found nothing in his interview with Gideon Koro that suggested any dishonesty or any gross errors in what this young man reported to him. When asked about the ropen’s head, the young man replied that he did not have a good look at it, yet he did see a series of bumps or ridges, starting at the back of the head, and con- tinuing over the neck, back, and tail. Gideon told Whitcomb that the creature had a tail. The young man answered “how long was the tail?” with an estimate of “sefan meetuh” (seven meters or 23 feet long), yet he did not answer immediately: He thought for a moment, gazing at the ground and looking back and forth, apparently imagining how long the tail was and how many meters it would measure. He gave his estimate only after he had finished that process. He had also mentioned gave an estimate of seven meters when Whitcomb asked about the size of the wings, but the American later realized that Gideon probably was thinking of one wing alone. The word wings is almost the same as the word wing, for that is how plural and singular forms are constructed in English, with few exceptions. But Gideon was not proficient in English. Why did Whitcomb conclude, while later writing about his interview with Gideon, that the native was thinking about only one wing length in his estimate of seven meters? After all, a flying creature with a wingspan of more than 45 feet is unheard of among Westerners, except in fictions about dragons. Several factors led to Whitcomb’s conclusion. It was not just the possibility that Gideon might have mis- understood, missing the significance of “s” in wings. The overall proportions would have been too far off if the tail length was equal to the wingspan. Duane Hodgkinson saw a “pterodactyl” in New Guinea in 1944 and estimated the wingspan to be in the vicinity of 30 feet and the tail length to be around 10-15 feet, with an emphasis suggesting it was more likely closer to 15 feet. In spite of that enormous overall size, the ratio does make sense. It makes little sense, however, for a flying creature to have a tail length equal to the wingspan. In addition, Gideon was videotaped in 1994, and he said something about “ten or twenty.” The interviewers thought he referred to the number of ropens he had seen, but on closer examination of the video footage, it is much more likely that he was estimating the overall size of the animal. Since he uses meters, that would mean the total length or the wingspan (which could be the same) could have been around fifteen meters. That makes sense, if Gideon had given Whitcomb an estimate of the length of ONE wing, rather than the wingspan. On top of all that, Gideon gave his approval to a drawing that he and Whitcomb had made in the dirt, at the end of the interview in 2004, and the tail length in that crude sketch is not nearly as long as the total wingspan could be. When talking about the tail, Gideon volunteered the word “diamond.” A flange at the end of the tail suggests the ropen is a Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur. The other two young men who were briefly interviewed by Whitcomb confirmed this “diamond” on the tail. Whitcomb did not suggest or bring up the subject of a diamond-shape. The drawing that Gideon made in the dirt (at the end of the interview session) didn’t show anything that Whitcomb identified as a “diamond.” The American concluded that Gideon made an oversight, leaving out that detail when he drew the ropen. From this and other eyewitness accounts and other sources of information, Whitcomb concluded that there is only one ropen living regularly in the interior of Umboi Island and glowing at night and that it is a giant Rhamphorhynchoid  pterosaur, albeit much bigger than any discovered fossil of that type. Conclusion Contrary to what some critics have said, the idea that living pterosaurs still fly over some islands of Papua New Guinea is not well countered by any reference to the large bat know as “flying fox.” On the islands where there are accounts and testimonies of very large long-tailed flying creatures, natives are perfectly aware of fruit bats. They have another name for this fruit bat, but natives of Umboi Island use the word ropen for a larger nocturnal flying creature that is a predator and a scavenger. The witnesses from this remote village who describe the ropen they saw in the daytime, refer to a tail with a “diamond” at the end. The flying fox has no tail in any way resembling this description. And it does not attain nearly the size of “seven meters,” regardless of what is 23 feet long.
According to the forensic *videographer, Jonathan Whitcomb, who interviewed Gideon, “I found this witness to be very credible. There’s no reasonable alternate possibility other than that this young man honestly told me what he had experienced. Two others, who were also present when the sighting was made, upheld Gideon’s account of the giant flying creature.” (*certified court videographer) The ropen is nothing like the flying fox fruit bats of Papua New Guinea.
Take Gideon’s testimony in the context of Western eyewitnesses of gigantic flying creatures that have no feathers but do have long tails. The animals are obviously living pterosaurs.
Support the living pterosaur investigation of Jonathan D. Whitcomb by purchasing your own copy of the nonfiction paperback cryptozoology book Live Pterosaurs in America (now in its third edition).
Searching for Ropens and Finding God
Another cryptozoology book about these sightings of modern living pterosaurs
copyright 2005-2017 Jonathan Whitcomb
Gideon was  Terrified by the Ropen
In 2004, the American living-pterosaur investigator Jonathan Whitcomb explored part of Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea, and interviewed a number of native eyewitnesses of the large nocturnal ropen. Gideon Koro was one of those eyewitnesses.
Email contact form for Jonathan Whitcomb
Whitcomb interviewed Gideon deep in the interior of Umboi Island. The native told the American about the ropen that he and his six friends had observed flying over a crater lake (Pung) ten years earlier.
Wesley Koro, brother of Gideon, was one of the seven boys who were terrorized by the huge flying creature they saw flying over the surface of Lake Pung.
Gideon made it clear that they had seen only one ropen on that day of terror.
part of the sketch drawn by the eyewitness: U.S. Marine Eskin Kuhn
The ropen of Umboi Island may be related to the long-tailed featherless flying creatures seen in North America.
part of the sketch drawn by the eyewitness: U.S. Marine Eskin Kuhn
Gideon Koro’s Interview in 2004  Enlightening and dramatic testimonies in the book Searching For Ropens and Finding God include interviews of a young man named Gideon, who had been quite nervous when he had been questioned in about December of 1993. Jonathan Whitcomb, an American forensic videographer, interviewed Gideon, on October 7, 2004, on the island of Umboi in Papua New Guinea and confirmed the reliability of the young man’s testimony that he saw a giant long-tailed flying creature when several other boys hiked up Mount Tolo. Gideon was more at ease during his videotaped interview in 2004. Whitcomb, whose profession involved interviewing persons on camera for attorney firms, found nothing in his interview with Gideon Koro that suggested any dishonesty or any gross errors in what this young man reported to him. When asked about the ropen’s head, the young man replied that he did not have a good look at it, yet he did see a series of bumps or ridges, starting at the back of the head, and con- tinuing over the neck, back, and tail. Gideon told Whitcomb that the creature had a tail. The young man answered “how long was the tail?” with an estimate of “sefan meetuh” (seven meters or 23 feet long), yet he did not answer immediately: He thought for a moment, gazing at the ground and looking back and forth, apparently imagining how long the tail was and how many meters it would measure. He gave his estimate only after he had finished that process. He had also mentioned gave an estimate of seven meters when Whitcomb asked about the size of the wings, but the American later realized that Gideon probably was thinking of one wing alone. The word wings is almost the same as the word wing, for that is how plural and singular forms are constructed in English, with few exceptions. But Gideon was not proficient in English. Why did Whitcomb conclude, while later writing about his interview with Gideon, that the native was thinking about only one wing length in his estimate of seven meters? After all, a flying creature with a wingspan of more than 45 feet is unheard of among Westerners, except in fictions about dragons. Several factors led to Whitcomb’s conclusion. It was not just the possibility that Gideon might have mis- understood, missing the significance of “s” in wings. The overall proportions would have been too far off if the tail length was equal to the wingspan. Duane Hodgkinson saw a “pterodactyl” in New Guinea in 1944 and estimated the wingspan to be in the vicinity of 30 feet and the tail length to be around 10-15 feet, with an emphasis suggesting it was more likely closer to 15 feet. In spite of that enormous overall size, the ratio does make sense. It makes little sense, however, for a flying creature to have a tail length equal to the wingspan. In addition, Gideon was videotaped in 1994, and he said something about “ten or twenty.” The interviewers thought he referred to the number of ropens he had seen, but on closer examination of the video footage, it is much more likely that he was estimating the overall size of the animal. Since he uses meters, that would mean the total length or the wingspan (which could be the same) could have been around fifteen meters. That makes sense, if Gideon had given Whitcomb an estimate of the length of ONE wing, rather than the wingspan. On top of all that, Gideon gave his approval to a drawing that he and Whitcomb had made in the dirt, at the end of the interview in 2004, and the tail length in that crude sketch is not nearly as long as the total wingspan could be. When talking about the tail, Gideon volunteered the word “diamond.” A flange at the end of the tail suggests the ropen is a Rhamphorhynchoid pterosaur. The other two young men who were briefly interviewed by Whitcomb confirmed this “diamond” on the tail. Whitcomb did not suggest or bring up the subject of a diamond-shape. The drawing that Gideon made in the dirt (at the end of the interview session) didn’t show anything that Whitcomb identified as a “diamond.” The American concluded that Gideon made an oversight, leaving out that detail when he drew the ropen. From this and other eyewitness accounts and other sources of information, Whitcomb concluded that there is only one ropen living regularly in the interior of Umboi Island and glowing at night and that it is a giant Rhamphorhynchoid  pterosaur, albeit much bigger than any discovered fossil of that type. Conclusion Contrary to what some critics have said, the idea that living pterosaurs still fly over some islands of Papua New Guinea is not well countered by any reference to the large bat know as “flying fox.” On the islands where there are accounts and testimonies of very large long-tailed flying creatures, natives are perfectly aware of fruit bats. They have another name for this fruit bat, but natives of Umboi Island use the word ropen for a larger nocturnal flying creature that is a predator and a scavenger. The witnesses from this remote village who describe the ropen they saw in the daytime, refer to a tail with a “diamond” at the end. The flying fox has no tail in any way resembling this description. And it does not attain nearly the size of “seven meters,” regardless of what is 23 feet long.
part of the sketch drawn by the eyewitness: U.S. Marine Eskin Kuhn
Gideon agreed with the crude outline of the head drawn by Whitcomb and he then continued with his addition: bumps or ridges beginning at the back of the head and continuing along the neck and back.
Photo of the crater lake Pung, on Umboi Island, 2004
Lake Pung, where seven island boys had a frightening encounter with a huge ropen around December of 1993. (photograph by Garth Guessman, 2004)
According to the forensic *videographer, Jonathan Whitcomb, who interviewed Gideon Koro, “I found this witness to be very credible. There’s no reasonable alternate possibility other than that this young man honestly told me what had happened.” “Two others, who were also present when the sighting was made, upheld Gideon’s account of the giant flying creature.” (*certified court videographer) The ropen is nothing like the flying fox fruit bats of Papua New Guinea.
Support the living pterosaur investigation of Jonathan Whitcomb by purchasing your own copy of the nonfiction paperback cryptozoology book Live Pterosaurs in America (now in its third edition).
Searching for Ropens and Finding God
Another cryptozoology book about the sightings of modern living pterosaurs
Take Gideon’s testimony in the context of Western eyewitnesses of gigantic flying creatures that have no feathers but do have long tails. The animals are obviously living pterosaurs.
copyright 2005-2017 Jonathan Whitcomb