Searching For the Ropen in New Guinea: “Destination Truth” Makes Contact From Rainforest
Posted by: Loren Coleman on January 13th, 2007
I have heard from Neil Mandt (above), the executive producer for "Destination Truth," the new series that will be appearing on the Sci Fi Channel this spring. He’s been corresponding with me for some months now, and decided to give Cryptomundo an exclusive on what he and his crew are up to right now.
One location the series explored was Johor (above) to investigate reports of the Malaysian Bigfoot. Another they are going to deal with is Mongolia.
Incredibly, thanks to modern technology, Neil emailed me yesterday – from the rainforest – to give me an update and exclusive on where he is currently and what cryptids they are gathering information about. Neil and the "Destination Truth" team are on-site, shooting for a future episodes, out-of-the-US for a few weeks.
Neil said that the crew, including host Joshua Gates (above with investigators in Johor), are "in Papua New Guinea right now."
The Mandt Brothers production company, writes Neil, has been "shooting shows on the Ropen, Igwonadon and the Mermaids that have been seen here. We’ve found some pretty interesting stuff."
I’ll be getting together with Mandt and the team to examine the physical evidence they are bringing back, later in the spring.
The local people call it the ropen of Umboi Island and say it is similar to a long-tailed pterosaur. Jonathan Whitcomb’s book, Searching for Ropens notes the many similarities between African and New Guinean native eyewitness accounts. Ropens appear featherless with long tails, and reports indicate they eat fish.
Click image for full-size version
The "Destination Truth" group will be in Papua New Guinea for the next few weeks, then on the road, before returning to the States in early March.
Not certain if our transmission was corrupted as I must assume the "Igwonadon" is some reference to the word "Iguanadon," and the old reports of dinosaurs (sauropods) from New Guinea. Stay tuned on that one. We also discussed the fact that some of the best reports of Thylacines during the 1980s, came out of the rainforests of New Guinea.
Neil, btw, noted that the earlier reference to a "Fire Worm" show in their series "was a mistake made by a publicist somewhere in the NBC/SCIFI/UNIVERSAL/TV world. Since we are out of the country and were unable to review the press release, it was an honest mistake made by someone unfamiliar with the creature."
It should have been "Death Worm."
Neil Mandt and his brothers have been involved in several programs that may be familiar to viewers, including the "ESPY Awards" shows and "Jim Rome Is Burning" on ESPN. His credits, from the Internet Movie Database, are:
Producer – filmography
(2000s) (1990s)
1. Last Stop for Paul (2006) (producer)
2. "ESPN Hollywood" (2005) TV Series (producer) (unknown episodes)
3. Friday Night Lights Lost Scene (2005) (TV) (producer)
4. The ESPY Nomination Show (2005) (TV) (executive producer)
5. "My Crazy Life" (2005) TV Series (executive producer) (unknown episodes)
6. "Speed Dating" (2004) TV Series (executive producer)
7. I Am My Resume (2003) (producer)
8. ESPY Awards (2003) (TV) (contributing producer)
9. "Rome Is Burning" (2003) TV Series (executive producer) (unknown episodes)
… aka Jim Rome Is Burning (USA: second season title)
10. "Beg, Borrow & Deal" (2002) TV Series (executive producer)
… aka Beg, Borrow & Deal 2 (USA: second season title)
11. ESPY Awards (2002) (TV) (contributing producer)
12. Reel Classics Uncut (2001) (TV) (executive producer)
… aka ESPN’s Reel Classics UNCUT (USA: complete title)
13. Any Given Wednesday (2000) (producer)
14. Hijacking Hollywood (1997) (producer)
Filmography as: Producer, Director, Actor, Writer, Editor, Camera and Electrical Department, Miscellaneous Crew, Casting Director
Director – filmography
(2000s) (1990s)
1. Last Stop for Paul (2006)
2. "Kurtlar vadisi" (2 episodes, 2005)
… aka Valley of Wolves (literal English title)
– 97 Bolüm (2005) TV Episode
– 96 Bolüm (2005) TV Episode
3. Friday Night Lights Lost Scene (2005) (TV)
4. "My Crazy Life" (2005) TV Series
5. "Speed Dating" (2004) TV Series
6. "Beg, Borrow & Deal" (2002) TV Series
… aka Beg, Borrow & Deal 2 (USA: second season title)
7. Reel Classics Uncut (2001) (TV)
… aka ESPN’s Reel Classics UNCUT (USA: complete title)
8. Any Given Wednesday (2000)
9. The Million Dollar Kid (2000)
10. Arthur’s Quest (1999) (TV)
11. Hijacking Hollywood (1997)
Filmography as: Producer, Director, Actor, Writer, Editor, Camera and Electrical Department, Miscellaneous Crew, Casting Director
Actor – filmography (2000s) (1990s)
1. Last Stop for Paul (2006) …. Charlie
2. I Am My Resume (2003) …. Steven
3. The Million Dollar Kid (2000) …. Benny Seaver
4. Little Insects (2000) (voice) …. Teebo
5. Arthur’s Quest (1999) (TV) …. Policeman
6. Hijacking Hollywood (1997) …. Tad
Filmography as: Producer, Director, Actor, Writer, Editor, Camera and Electrical Department, Miscellaneous Crew, Casting Director
Writer – filmography
(2000s) (1990s)
1. Last Stop for Paul (2006)
2. "My Crazy Life" (2005) TV Series (writer)
3. "Speed Dating" (2004) TV Series (writer)
4. "Rome Is Burning" (2003) TV Series (writer)
… aka Jim Rome Is Burning (USA: second season title)
5. Hijacking Hollywood (1997)
Filmography as: Producer, Director, Actor, Writer, Editor, Camera and Electrical Department, Miscellaneous Crew, Casting Director
Editor – filmography
1. Friday Night Lights Lost Scene (2005) (TV)
2. "My Crazy Life" (2005) TV Series
Filmography as: Producer, Director, Actor, Writer, Editor, Camera and Electrical Department, Miscellaneous Crew, Casting Director
Camera and Electrical Department – filmography
(2000s) (1990s)
1. Reel Classics Uncut (2001) (TV) (camera opera
tor)
… aka ESPN’s Reel Classics UNCUT (USA: complete title)
2. Arthur’s Quest (1999) (TV) (camera operator)
Filmography as: Producer, Director, Actor, Writer, Editor, Camera and Electrical Department, Miscellaneous Crew, Casting Director
Miscellaneous Crew – filmography
1. Hijacking Hollywood (1997) (stand-in: Henry Thomas)
Filmography as: Producer, Director, Actor, Writer, Editor, Camera and Electrical Department, Miscellaneous Crew, Casting Director
Casting Director – filmography
1. Hijacking Hollywood (1997) (uncredited) ————————————————————————
About Loren Coleman
Loren Coleman is one of the world’s leading cryptozoologists, some say “the” leading living cryptozoologist. Certainly, he is acknowledged as the current living American researcher and writer who has most popularized cryptozoology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
Starting his fieldwork and investigations in 1960, after traveling and trekking extensively in pursuit of cryptozoological mysteries, Coleman began writing to share his experiences in 1969. An honorary member of Ivan T. Sanderson’s Society for the Investigation of the Unexplained in the 1970s, Coleman has been bestowed with similar honorary memberships of the North Idaho College Cryptozoology Club in 1983, and in subsequent years, that of the British Columbia Scientific Cryptozoology Club, CryptoSafari International, and other international organizations. He was also a Life Member and Benefactor of the International Society of Cryptozoology (now-defunct).
Loren Coleman’s daily blog, as a member of the Cryptomundo Team, served as an ongoing avenue of communication for the ever-growing body of cryptozoo news from 2005 through 2013. He returned as an infrequent contributor beginning Halloween week of 2015.
Coleman is the founder in 2003, and current director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine.
Thank you for the info.
Ropen, Duah and Ahool. I have been waiting for updates on these cryptids! Keep us updated please, Loren.
There are also reported sightings of small sauropod in PNG. I don’t remember what they call it.
Ropen, now there is a cryptid that I haven’t heard about for awhile! I’ve always held to the theory that it could be some sort of large, fish eating bat. It will be interesting to see what the crew digs up about these! I am also pleased to see mention of the Mongolian Death worm. This is a cryptid that I am very interested in, yet rarely see any literature on. I’m curious about the claim that thylacines were sighting in New Guinea. Is this part of the original range of these animals?
It would be really cool if they could find something definitive on this cryptid because I feel it is one of the more exciting ones out there! 🙂
Mystery_Man yes Papa New Guinea (just the eastern part of the island) was part of the Thylacine’s original range and there have been a number of alleged sightings from there in the last few decades. I believe the animal supposedly went extinct there around the same time as it did on mainland Australia. It is possible I suppose it could have survived, Papa New Guinea does still have large areas of pristine habitat, so anything is possible! 🙂
It’d be nice if the Thylacine turned up, alive and well in New Guinea. That was (in Australia and Tasmania) a species which received a raw deal from the human race, and confirmation of it’s existence in New Guinea would give us a chance to try to get it right this time around.:)