Mokele Mbemba: is there really an African monster

Mokele Mbembé - this is the name of the legendary creature who found refuge in the Congo Basin and Lake Tele, that is, in Central Africa. Translated from the language of the lingala, this name means "one who can stop the river." Another translation option was proposed by American missionary Paul Olin. He spent decades among natives in Africa. The name of the monster can also be translated as "rainbow", "sacrament", "mystery".

Over the centuries, many descriptions of a mysterious creature have accumulated. They are found in folklore and traditions of the people of the Congo. Despite some differences, they usually agree that the monster has a small head, but a long neck and tail. Some descriptions resemble a creature resembling an extinct sauropod, a four-legged herbivorous dinosaur. In other cases, it is more like an elephant or a rhino. And the inhabitants of the village of Boha generally consider him not a material being, but a spirit.

Moreover, Mokele Mbembe prefers to live in caves and likes to eat a certain type of vine. But he is very unhappy when people approach him. Even in spite of my vegetarian diet. One legend mentions that a creature has one single horn. With it, it protects its personal space, regardless of who comes close to it, an elephant or other living creature.

The first record recorded by Europeans dates back to 1776. Mokele Mbembé was described by the French missionary, Abbot Lieven Bonaventure. He traveled along the Congo River and noticed large footprints. He wrote down his comments on the African flora and fauna in a book. However, he did not see the monster.

For a while, they forgot about Mokel-Mbemba, until in the beginning of the 20th century, in 1909, the story of a certain lieutenant Paul Gratz appeared. He told about the legends of the inhabitants of the Congo Basin, who told him about the mysterious creature Nsanga. His descriptions were extremely important. According to residents, it lived in the area of Lake Bangweulu. Paul Gratz first described him as a dinosaur.

Since then, the version that Mokele Mbemba is a dinosaur has become widely popular.

At the same time, in his autobiographical book, the German large animal hunter Karl Hagenbeck said that although he did not see the animal, he heard about it. The natives described him as a half-elephant, half-dragon, living in the swampy lowlands of Rhodesia.

Hagenbek wrote: “I’m sure that some reptiles must exist. For a lot of money I equipped an expedition, but, unfortunately, we returned empty-handed”.

He, of course, was not the last adventurer who sought to find Mokele Mbemba. To date, there are more than fifty of them. But so far, nothing but fuzzy pictures, prints and verbal reports of eyewitnesses have been found. True, they found one missionary to whom the locals told that there was such a dinosaur, but fifty years have passed since they killed and ate it. It happened around the 1960s. But the Europeans did not believe them.

Historians believe that if the Mokele Mbembe really exists and if it is a surviving prehistoric dinosaur, then why is it alone? Or are there several of them? If a population has survived that has managed to survive over the past 65 million years, then there must be representatives of several generations. In addition, any living creature leaves itself with signs of life. At least the remains and stuff. If they existed, then researchers would have found them long ago.

Zoologists also doubt the existence of a dinosaur. They argue that if some kind of animal species unknown to science exists, it is usually found after three or five expeditions, but if nothing was found after fifty, then most likely the next expedition is just a good reason to go to Africa safari at the expense of the sponsor.

The last staunch followers of the existence of Mokele Mbembé are creationists. If this dinosaur is found, it will be literal proof of the biblical description of creation. No evolution, all species exist, live and reproduce at the same time, and do not pass from one to another.

Most likely, the search for the elusive dinosaur will continue. Maybe we are really waiting for the great discoveries of the unknown.