Police hunt for PNG dinosaur

AAP/Ninemsn ^ | 12 Mar 2004

[Piefloater]

Reports a live dinosaur had been sighted on a volcanic island of Papua New Guinea prompted the deployment of heavily-armed police in search of the mystery creature.

Villagers in the superstitious island province of East New Britain this week said they fled in terror after seeing a three-metre tall, grey-coloured creature with a head like a dog and a tail like a crocodile.

They said the creature was living among thick green plants in a mosquito-ridden marsh just outside the provincial capital Kokopo, near the devastated town of Rabaul which was buried by a volcanic eruption in 1994.

Kokopo's Mayor Albert Buanga said the dinosaur would make a great a tourist attraction, if it existed.

A government official confirmed police carrying M-16s and shotguns searched the area but found no trace of the creature.

Eyewitness Christine Samei told reporters she ran for her life after seeing a three-metre tall, grey creature with a head like a dog and a tail like a crocodile which was as fat as a 900-litre water tank.

"It's a very huge and ugly looking animal," Samei told local media.

A government official said the villagers had identified the creature from books and movies about dinosaurs.

"They told us it was a dinosaur," the official told AAP.

Although police found no trace of the creature, Senior Sergeant Leuth Nidung warned villagers to take extra precautions when going about their daily business, amid reports it had eaten three dogs.

Villagers were told to report any further sightings immediately to police, who were already organising a more thorough search of the area.

Black magic and other superstitions are common in many parts of PNG's predominantly village-based society.

Each year large numbers of foreigners visit the area to see World War II relics as well as the devastated town of Rabaul - the only urban centre in the world built inside the crater of a giant volcano.

[VadeRetro]

That web page notwithstanding, I'm pretty sure she's dead, Jim.

I was sure, but I was sure wrong. She isn't.

[ASA Vet]

police carrying M-16s

.223's for hunting dinosaur?

[BenLurkin]

You arent supposed to drink the bong water, are you?

Drinking the bong water - a 1970s "rite of passage".

[BenLurkin]

See post #17. 8^)

[VadeRetro]

From this site I finally figured out where Komodo is in relation to Papua New Guinea. Hundreds of miles, maybe over thousand, to the West, with lots and lots of intervening islands which should also be reporting dragons. In short, not a likely swim by a big lizard. Can't prove it's not a surreptitious catch-and-release, of course.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Bong water, billabong water, sounds bad either way.

[Fedora]

True. I was thinking about that logistical problem last night, so I checked to see if there were any reports of Komodos on Papau itself and found this:

The Komodo Dragon

(A monitor of New Guinea, Varanus salvadorii, also known as the Papua monitor, may be longer than the lengthiest Komodo dragons. The former's lithe body and lengthy tail, however, leave it short of the thickset, powerful dragon in any reasonable assessment of size.)

[curmudgeonII]

Sounds like Rosie O'Donnell to me.

[Bernard Marx]

Kokopo's Mayor Albert Buanga said the dinosaur would make a great a tourist attraction, if it existed.

Smart mayor. Just think what Nessie has done for Scotland's tourism. I don't think we've heard the last of the "dinosaur."

[ZULU]

"A government official confirmed police carrying M-16s and shotguns searched the area but found no trace of the creature."

I hope they have good insurance for their widows. I'd rather have a .308 or a Holland and Holland Express.

Anything 9' tall that looks like what their describing wouldn't fall to a puny M-16 or shotgun.

[Fedora]

Kind of like the Abbot and Costello movie where they meet a scream queen who can't scream when she is really scared! I can't remember the name of the movie!

LOL!--I'd like to see that :) I've seen Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein several times and I don't remember it there. Hmmm--maybe Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man or Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy?

[Fedora]

>"Marcellin Agnaga is a Congolese Biologist who accompanied Roy Mackal on his second expedition. He launched his own search in 1983. At Lake Tele he saw an animal resembling a sauropod dinosaur in the lake."

Can't anybody take a bath in peace?? Sheesh!

Hey, everybody, quick, I found a live sauropod!--he's over here on this thread! :)

[Fedora]

BTW, speaking of surreptitious catch-and-releases, that reminds me of this:

Giant lizard terrorises Beirut

Giant Komodo dragon terrorises streets of Lebanon

[VadeRetro]

Supposedly was some German guy's pet!? Variation off of the "'Where does it sleep?' 'Anywhere it wants to'" theme.

[Fedora]

Supposedly was some German guy's pet!? Variation off of the "'Where does it sleep?' 'Anywhere it wants to'" theme.

LOL! I bet this was the German guy:

[Eaker]

Reports a live dinosaur had been sighted on a volcanic island of Papua New Guinea prompted the deployment of heavily-armed police in search of the mystery creature.

A government official confirmed police carrying M-16s and shotguns, searched the area but found no trace of the creature.

Ok, which is it? Heavily armed or M16s and shotguns?

When I am heavily armed, I will not be carrying an M16 or shotgun.

[humblegunner]

When I am heavily armed, I will not be carrying an M16 or shotgun.

No, the M16 and the shotgun are for just around the house or in the yard.

[thackney]

3 meters tall, must weigh 1000 or more. It has to have some pretty big feet and leave foot prints I would think?

It would leave some other big traces, wouldn't you think?

[thackney]

Exactly, my first thought was a 10 foot tall dinosaur needs at least a 50 caliber. Where's TexasCowboy when you need him?

[pointsal]

where's Al Gore been traveling lately?