Interestingly, many believe that a mysterious entity called “Mokele-Mbembe” lives in the Congo River Basin.

However, it is difficult to tell whether this creature is a living species or an otherworldly entity, and most importantly, does it exist?
The origins of Mokele-Mbembe can be traced directly to Carl Hagenbeck’s 1909 book “Beasts and Men”.

Hagenbeck argued in that book, based on recently discovered dinosaur bones, that sauropods (long-necked dinosaurs such as Apatosaurus) might still be alive in the interior of Africa. He offered little evidence beyond stories and hearsay, but the spectacular claims were quickly picked up by the media. for example, a 1910 article in the Washington Post proclaimed that “Brontosaurus lives”.

It has been mentioned for centuries that a mysterious creature lives deep in the Congo River basin, hidden in forests and isolated river systems. It is perceived as a shadowy creature with small legs and a long serpentine torso. The origins of the stories surrounding this monster are probably pre-colonial when European explorers first witnessed it while exploring the Congo River Basin.

Those explorers kept their discoveries secret, but the word of the unusual creatures they had discovered spread quickly. Over time, legends about the unusual creature known as the Mokele-Mbembe who lived nearby among the indigenous tribes began to be known. The search for the Mokele-Mbembe is one of the most fascinating cryptozoological pursuits at the moment, as reports of this creature are still being made.

The Congo River basin is home to an alleged water-dwelling entity known as Mokele-mbembe, which translates to “he who stopped the rivers from flowing”. Local mythology extensively describes the creature as having an elephant-like body, a long neck and tail, and a small head. This description is consistent with that of a small sauropod.

Given that cryptozoologists are still searching for the creature in the hopes that it is a fossilized dinosaur, this lends some weight to the legend. Only reported sightings, remote motion videos, and a few photographs currently serve as the only available evidence of Mokele-Mbembe’s existence.

Most of the early information and reports were gathered by Thomas, a missionary working in the Congo since 1955. Thomas also claimed to have personally experienced two close encounters. According to legend, Bangombe locals who lived close to Lake Tele built a huge spiked barrier in one of the lake’s tributaries to prevent Mokele-mbembe from interfering with their fishing.

Despite being injured by the spikes, a Mokele-mbembe tried to cross and the locals killed him in 1959. According to legend, all who consumed the creature’s flesh fell ill and died. Locals were shown images of creatures they could accurately rate, accompanied by an image of an Apatosaurus, which is something most recognize as a Mokele-Mbembe. There have been no sightings of unusual creatures, although strange tracks have been discovered.

Pastor Thomas noted, “There was a victory feast where parts of the animal were cooked and eaten. However, those who participated in the feast eventually died, either from food poisoning or from natural causes.”
Although there are many hypotheses about the enigmatic Mokele-mbembe monster, its detailed description is largely similar when different stories and periods are considered.

Could this enigmatic sauropod-like creature, which is said to guard the rivers and lagoons of this isolated region of the earth, from human encroachment, be and is a real entity from here or from another world?