  
Orang Bati
Location of Sightings:
Moluccas archipelago of Indonesia
Earliest - Latest Reported Sighting:
Early 15th century to present
Description:
The Orang Bati has an ape-like body, much like a human standing four to
five feet tall, with red skin on its body. The creature has large black
leathery wings and a long tail, compared to rhamphorhynchoid species
of flying dinosaurs or pterosaurs.
Odors described during or right after
encounters with this creature:
None reported
Sounds - Speech:
Shrill Wail
Interesting Sighting Details:
In Seram of the Maluku Islands, also known as the Moluccas archipelago
of Indonesia, lives a creature that has fueled both the curiosity and
fear of the locals. Known as Orang Bati, or in Indonesian terms, the
winged man, the creature resembles a human or giant ape with bat-like
wings.
Historical accounts of Christian missionaries visiting the islands
during the 15th to 16th century narrate how a winged monster has raided and
terrorized the village of Uraur in Seram. The residents fear the
creature, as it is known to abduct infants and children when it feeds at
night. The monster is also said to raid nearby villages. According to
these locals, the Orang Bati lives during the daytime on Mount Kairatu, a
dormant volcano with a network of deep caves on the island of Seram.
The Orang Bati has an ape-like body, much like a human standing four to
five feet tall, with red skin on its body. The creature has large
black leathery wings and a long tail, compared to rhamphorhynchoid species
of flying dinosaurs or pterosaurs. Some accounts describe the wings and
tail as covered with thick black fur. Villagers often hear the Orang
Bati’s arrival by the sound of its shrill wail, similar to that of
pterosaurs.
One of the most mentioned accounts of the Orang Bati were that of the
English missionary named Tyson Hughes, who went to the Moluccas to help
the villagers with their farming systems in 1987. At first the British
man was skeptical about the Orang Bati and the stories the locals tell.
During his 18 month mission, Hughes and the rest of his team admitted
that the village tales were actually true.
Comparable creatures have been said to exist in nearby Southeast Asian
and Pacific regions, such as Vietnam and the Philippines. Another
version of the Orang Bati, called the ahool in Java, is described as
possibly being a giant bat. The same description applies for residents of the
Philippines, where they believe giant bats to be responsible for
killing livestock in the villages. First thought to be flying monkeys, these
versions of the Orang Bati could possibly be a cross between birds and
bats, possibly even large eagles.
A similar large flying creature has also been sighted in several
regions around the world. In these accounts, however, the creature is not
mammalian nor does it resemble humanoid forms. Paleontologists, or those
who study prehistoric animals, find that these creatures resemble the
flying dinosaurs, so they are more reptilian or avian rather than mammal.
The kongomato of Zambia in Central Africa have been described as large
flying animals with reddish complexion and with wings covered in
leathery skin. The kongomato was also sighted in Rhodesia, Angola, and the
Congo. In Papua New Guinea, however, this creature’s name is ropen, which
means flying demon in the vernacular. Accounts from the natives claim
that the ropen also eats human flesh.
Webmasters Comments About This Case:
In Papua New Guinea, however, this creature’s name is ropen, which
means flying demon
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