The creature has allegedly been seen and documented for at least 100 years by forest tribes, local villagers, Dutch colonists, and Western scientists and travelers.

[2] The park, 2° south of the equator, is located within the Bukit Barisan mountain range and features some of the most remote primary rainforest in the world.

Habitat types within the park include lowland dipterocarp rainforest, montane forests, and volcanic alpine formations on Mount Kerinci, the second highest peak in Indonesia.

[3] According to the Orang Rimba, the Hantu Pendek travel in groups of five or six, subsisting on wild yams and hunting animals with small axes.

Along the Makekal River on the western edge of Bukit Duabelas, people recount a legend of how their ancestors outsmarted these cunning yet dim-witted creatures during a hunting trip, and the story is often used to boast of their intellect and reason.