Cryptid Vault
Popobawa

Popobawa

Also known as: Bat Wing, Popo Bawa

Zanzibar's most feared entity attacks at night and demands that victims tell others, or it returns.

First Reported

1965

Origin Area

Pemba Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania

Size

Human-sized with large wingspan

Temperament

Malevolent

Status

Unverified

Eyewitness reportsHigh DangerAfricaUrban

The Lore

The Popobawa is a feared nocturnal entity reported on the island of Zanzibar and the Tanzanian coast. Described as a one-eyed, bat-winged humanoid with a foul smell, it allegedly attacks people in their homes at night. Mass panic events occurred in 1995 and 2007, with entire neighborhoods sleeping outside to avoid encounters. Skeptics attribute the phenomenon to sleep paralysis and social hysteria.

Body Type

HumanoidAvian

Folklore Origin

Regional folkloreModern urban legend

Similar Real Animals

Pemba flying fox