These vicious, soaring simians are notorious for kidnapping children during their nocturnal raids on native villages.

Covered with acres of unexplored rainforest, the little known Indonesian island of Seram – the second largest island in the Moluccas group – is said to be the home of yet another bizarre winged primate, known as the Orang-Bati.

Since as far back as the 1500s the Moluccans have told Christian missionaries blood curdling tales regarding a species of nocturnal, airborne predators, which were infamous for their night time raids on local villages (such as Uraur), as well as their penchant for kidnapping both infants and small children. As to the purposes for which these alleged abductions take place, one can only speculate… and presume the worst

Ostensibly related to other winged monkeys like the AHOOL, and possibly even the North American BATSQUATCH, there are some researchers who contend that the physical descriptions of these creatures are less like winged primates and more like those of traditional pterosaurs, such as the African KONGOMATO or gigantic bat-like creatures such as the OLITIAU.

The natives of Seram, however, insist that their night sky is infested with soaring simians, which they describe as being approximately 5-feet in height. These creatures are also said to bear black, leathery wings, blood-red skin and a long, thin tail. Aboriginals have further claimed that these animals emit a long “mournful wail” while on the prowl.

As if to confirm this fact, the name “Orang-Bati” itself translates from the indigenous language of the Moluccan’s as “men with wings.” Still, some investigators insist that the description of these animals seems to be more in line with that of its Papua   New Guinea cousin, the ROPEN. This fact also seems to coincide with the purported habitat of the Orang-Bati – which, much like that of the Ropen – consists of a network of caves wedged deep into the side of a now extinct volcano known as Mount Kairatu.

In 1987, English missionary, Tyson Hughes, began an 18 month contract to assist the Moluccan tribes people of Seram Island to develop more efficient farms. Tyson heard stories about the Orang-bati and told them to the rest of the “civilized” world, though he remained skeptical regarding their more vicious traits.

That was until about midway through his contract, when Hughes claims to have had an actual eyewitness encounter with one of the beasts. After this event, Hughes claimed to have forged a deeper trust between himself and the indigenous Moluccan’s, which is what helped to inspire him to chronicle their stories.