UPCOMING ORANG PENDEK EXPEDITION

On April 2nd I will be entering the equatorial rain forests of Sumatra to conduct my fifth Orang Pendek expedition.The objective this time around will be to set up trail cameras and DNA traps in multiple locations with an emphasis on Mount Kerinci. This 3805m high stratovolcano has a long history of sightings and is surrounded by large tracts of unspoiled highland rain forest which are virtually unexplored. The perfect habitat for this creature and possibly the best place for obtaining photographic and physical evidence to prove its existence.

Once again I will be teaming up with one of the most experienced guides in the region, Endatno Een, who himself encountered the creature on the slopes of Mt. Kerinci some twenty-five years ago.

I expect to post my first photos and  initial findings shortly after I return in late April.

THE MANY RETURNS OF ORANG MAWAS

Discussing animal tracks with wildlife officials on a plantation in central Malaysia that was said to be frequented by an Orang Dalam. The tracks turned out to be those of a large solitary tapir.

The very first cryptid that I investigated was the anomalous primate historically called Orang Dalam ( Interior Man ). More commonly known today as Orang Mawas or the Johor Hominid,this creature is said to inhabit the lowland rain forests,or what's left of them in the southern Malaysian states of Johor and Pahang.

Virtually unknown to the outside world until stories of enormous tracks and jungle giants began trickling out of Orang Asli settlements in the late 1960s. It then  made international headlines when writer and adventurer Harold Stevens and photographer Kurt Rolfes found and photographed possibly the most convincing hominid trackway to date on a riverbank near the headwaters of the Endau river in 1970.You can see these amazing images here :

http://www.haroldstephens.net/node/258

http://www.rolfes.net/argosycover.jpg

In the years since there have been sporadic reports of tracks and sightings but nothing of real significance.The following is a collection of photos from various investigations which I have conducted over the past eight years. Unlike my research into Orang Pendek I have yet to organize a proper "full blown" expedition into the heart of the jungle inhabited by the "Man of the Interior". However,that may change in the very near future.

WHERE TO FIND THE YETI BEAR?

Several months ago I was finally able to get a hold of Professor Sykes' latest book NATURE OF THE BEAST, in which the renowned human geneticist from Oxford documents his search for DNA evidence to support the existence of anomalous primates and relict hominds.

Although the release date of the book was moved on at least two occasions, his conclusions regarding the Yeti hair samples remain unchanged: an archaic proto-polar bear inhabits both the western and eastern regions of the Himalayas. This controversial hypothesis and the lab work associated with it has been peer reviewed and challenged on several occasions,most recently by Proferror Eliécer E. Gutiérrez  and Ronald H. Pines.You can read their research paper here: 

http://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=4885&display_type=list&element_type=8

Having conducted my own field research in three separate areas of the Great Himalayan Range my personal opinion is that at least one type of Yeti, the massive and shaggy Dzu-Teh, is most probably an unclassified subspecies of Himalayan brown bear that exhibits exceptional bipedal abilities.

Although the controversial hairs were found in two very distinct regions,the Kingdom of Bhutan and Lahdak State 
in India, I feel that there are two other areas where more evidence for the Dzu Teh-Yeti Bear connection could be found. My top two regions for the independent researcher would be both in Nepal.The extremely remote Kanchenjunga region which straddles both Nepal and Sikkim,India and the western Dhaulagiri range,particularly the valleys and mountains enclosing the Konabon Glacier. Both of these areas have a considerable amount of historic Yeti reports and below is a brief photographic overview of these two magnificent regions.

Kanchenjunga



Dhaulagiri

If the Dzu-Teh is a known or unknown sub-species of brown bear,then what about the man-sized Meh-Teh? Said to inhabit the temperate and subtropical valleys of Nepal, most of which today are found within buffer zones of various national parks.These regions are also well populated and recent credible sighting are virtually nonexistent. If a relict and breeding population of these creatures does still exit then we have to look elsewhere.Venture further south to India to one of the wettest regions on the planet,the rain forests of Meghalaya.

ORANG PENDEK ENCOUNTERS: The Night-Time Intruder

Eyewitness: Mr. Rahman Kitab and his wife.
Date: 2004
Location: Rawa Bento Swamp Forest

Approximately halfway between the towering Kerinci volcano and the mysterious mountain lake Gunung Tujuh lies an extensive tract of marshland and jungle-clad hills known as the Rawa Bento Swamp Forest. This area has an interesting history of Orang Pendek sighting and some of the first tracks ever described by a foreigner were found here in 1915 by the Dutch naturalist Dr. Edward Jacobson.

The marsh forest itself was virtually uninhabited until the early 1960s when small  farming communities began cropping up,eventually leading to large sections of the wetlands being converted into agricultural land,primarily rice paddy fields. Mr.Kitab moved into one of these villages in 1976, and built himself a small house about one kilometer from the center where the paddy fields merge with the marsh and forested hills.A skilled woodsman with vast experience in tracking and hunting game he would have to wait almost 30 years before it would be his time to encounter the region's most infamous resident,Tirraw.

One clear evening with a half moon in full view the family dog started to bark feverishly.Surprised by the ruckus Mr.Kitab grabbed a high-powered flashlight and went to investigate.As he flung open the door his dog darted inside,he then quickly stepped out and shone a light into the yard.To his amazement and only about 10m away where the edge of his yard blends in with the rice fields was a man-like creature with the face of a monkey.

Only about one meter tall with very broad shoulders and a bulging abdomen, it was walking bipedally in a somewhat awkward side to side manner.Its arms slightly outstretched to the sides and from time to time it would reach out and grab at branches for support and balance.The limbs were of human proportions and its powerfully built body was covered in short brownish-red hair similar to that of a wild boar.The eyes did not reflect light when the flashlight was directed at them,indicating that it was most likely some form of primate and not just a misidentified known animal.

During the encounter,which lasted almost ten minutes, no audible sound was made by the creature as it slowly made its way along the field and then disappeared into darkness of the jungle.Due to the muddy terrain no discernible tracks could be made out, however,several years later he found what he believed were Orang Pendek footprints in the neighboring forest.

The entire event was also witnessed by his wife, making it one of the rare occasions where an Orang Pendek was observed by two individuals.

An interesting footnote is that Sumatran tigers were commonly encountered in the area until about twenty years ago.However, Mr. Kitab believes a black panther took some chickens from his yard about two years ago.This is a rather interesting statement as phantom panthers and melanistic big cats have been mentioned by villagers in several regions during my travels in central Sumatra,despite the fact that leopards (Panthera pardus) have never been officially recorded on the island.







  

ORANG PENDEK ENCOUNTERS : The Grey-Haired Beast

Eyewitness: Mr. Jur

Date: 1987

Location: Danau Gunung Tujuh

At almost 2000m above sea level ,Danau Gunung Tujuh (the Lake of Seven Peaks) is the highest lake in southeast Asia and is reputed to have a depth of 250m. This crater lake has long been considered  by the inhabitants of the Kerinci region to be the home of a short but powerfully built primate whom they call Tirraw, and nobody knows the remote valleys that surround the lake better than Mr. Jur. A semi-permanent resident since 1974 he has assisted on every major Orang Pendek expedition to the lake since the early 1990s but has never been interviewed,until now.

Prior to becoming declared a national park some twenty years ago,Mr Jur extensively hunted and trapped large game such as samba deer,wild boar and interestingly feral goats which roamed the marshes and closed canopy forests that enclose the lake,often spending weeks alone in search of his quarry.The area was also home to a large number of Sumatran tigers whose presence has significantly diminished over the past several decades, however pug marks can be still be found on occasion.

One late morning in 1987 as he was returning to his camp by the lake shore,he spotted a greyish figure standing about twenty meters away.He saw the creature from the back as it proceeded to run away at breakneck speed, grabbing at branches and leaves as it raced from a clearing near the shore and into the forest.

From his vantage point the creature appeared to have a thick waist and very wide shoulders, and its entire body was covered in dark grey hair.He estimated its height to be no more than 1.2 meters and the entire encounter lasted only 10-15 seconds. When he went to look for tracks, he was quite baffled to find human-like foot prints that led in the opposite direction to its movement.

In 1993 he encountered what he believed was the same individual in virtually the same spot.It's also worth noting that two encounters in a span of forty years by a professional woodsman indicates that it's an incredibly elusive and shy animal and chances of having a third sighting are nil.

ORANG PENDEK ENCOUNTERS : The Hairy Couple

Eyewitness: Mr.Matidris

Date: 1980

Location: Rawa Bento Swamp Forest

While traversing through dense rainforest in the late morning about an hour from his village, Mr.Matidris made his way into a clearing where to his shock he saw two creatures walking side by side. Frightened by the angry looking expression on their faces he quickly climbed up a tree and for the next few minutes was able to watch them from an initial distance of just over five meters. His vantage point enabled him to closely observe the pair as they slowly made their way across the forest floor.

They appeared to be a male and female and both were only about one meter in height.The female was black in colour while her companion was light brown.Their bodies were completely covered with hair that was of medium length and long bangs fell across their foreheads. As the couple made their way across the clearing they both grabbed at vegetation for support and several times a “Hoo Hoo” sound was made by them before they slowly disappeared into the thick undergrowth.

Once he felt safe he climbed down and began examining their tracks.On closer inspection  he believed that at one point prior to encountering them they were walking quadrupedally as he saw what appeared to be hand prints on the forest floor.

This is a fascinating encounter as it is the only case I am aware of where more than one individual was seen and the observation that the creatures were possibly alternating between walking upright and on all fours is also very intriguing.It would also be the only time that Mr. Matidris would come face to face with an Orang Pendek.

ORANG PENDEK ENCOUNTERS : 15 Minutes With An Apeman

Eyewitness: Mr.Poniman

Date: November 1980

Location: Planation on Gunung Kerinci

On a sunny morning around 9am Mr.Poniman made his way up to the end of a potato plantation on the slopes of Mount Kerinci. Like many of the inhabitants of the area,he worked the fields surrounding this enormous stratovolcano and had visited this particular location countless times but this day was to be very different.As he neared a clearing which was bordered by a dry stream bed with dense forest behind it he came upon a strange animal which was standing upright and somewhat resembled a pygmy gorilla.

The creature was standing almost motionless and observing him from a distance of approximately 10m. He estimated its height to be around 1.2m and it was covered with reddish brown hair which was of medium length and uniform across the body.The shape of the head was similar to a human's and not pointed.The face resembled a gorilla except the eyes looked very human and the brow ridge was not particularly prominent.The face was hairless but appeared to be somewhat darker than the surrounding hair,the lips were thin.The neck-less head was set on incredibly wide shoulders,possibly 50% wider than that of a normal man.The arms and legs appeared to have very human proportions.

They watched each other for several minutes before it calmly started walking down to the dry stream bed taking steps in a side to side manner.On several occasions it emitted a “Hoo Hoo” sound as it slowly moved away and then proceeded to start grabbing at branches and leaves as it made its way up the bank and then into the forest. The entire encounter lasted for approximately 15 minutes and Mr Poniman was able to examine the tracks in detail. They where approximately 18cm in length with a pointed heel and the track depth was similar to his own foot prints, indicating a body weight of about 60kg. Interestingly,he also determined that the tracks led with the heel and the toes pointed in the opposite direction. 

His son also encountered a similar looking creature on the same plantation in 1983 or 1984.