Mokele Mbembe
is not the only creature reported in lakes in Africa. Here is a selection of
some of the reports.
The
Irizima
It is
said that there is a monster in Lake Edward called the irizima; which
apparently means 'the-thing-that-may-not-be-spoken-of.' The indigenous people who live near Lake Edward in Zaire refer
to it as a "gigantic hippopotamus with the horns of a rhinoceros on its
head. "The lake is said to have an average depth of 111 m/364 ft.
It is has good fish stocks is said to be free from crocodiles. Some describe
the creature as a gigantic hippopotamus with the horns of a rhinoceros upon its
head, others say the irizima is a marsh monster with a hippo's legs, an
elephant' trunk, a lizard's head, and an aardvark's tail. The creature seems to
have been seen in many places around that area of Africa. The story goes that
Lewanika, King of the Barotse, saw the beast in the marshes of his land, and
set a special warrior watch to capture it. 'A monster,' says he in his official
report to the British Government, 'with a head like a snake, making a huge
track in the reeds as large as a full-sized wagon would make were its wheels
removed.'
J.E.
Hughes in 1933. wrote in his book “Eighteen Years on Lake Bangweulu” that the
Wa-Ushi tribesmen had killed such a creature along the Luapula River, between
Lakes Mweru and Bangweulu. It is described as having a smooth body, without
bristles, and armed with a single smooth horn fixed like that of a rhinoceros,
but composed of smooth white ivory, very highly polished.
In December, 1919, the London Daily Mail published a letter from C.G.
James, who had lived in what is now Zambia. He reported that there was an
enormous beast with a single ivory horn living in the waters of Lakes Bangweulu
and the surrounding lakes and swamps. James said this animal was called
"Chipekwe" by the natives. The same creature is also mentioned in
both Millais’ 1924 book “Far away up the Nile”
So what is or was this mysterious creature? It appears to live in more
than one place in the area. Some say it is a quiet hervibore others that it
attacks other animals. Could it be more than one species of creature? That
would explain the differing descriptions. It sounds like a hybrid of two other
creatures but whether a hippo and a rhinoceros would mate is debateable.
Certainly one to add to the pile of unexplained and intriguing tales, though
some say it is a triceratops , a living dinosaur.
The
Mamlambo
The "half horse, half fish" monster called Mamlambo inhabits the
Mzintlava River in the Mount Ayliff area of South Africa. Eyewitnesses describe
this creature as being 20 meters (67 ft) long, with short stumpy legs,having a
crocodilian body, and the head and neck of a snake. It is said to have a
hypnotic gaze and drag human and animal victims into the water.It apparently
sucks their brains out.
The Mamlambo is mentioned in Xhosa tribal mythology. Government sources say
that the creature claimed seven human victims in 1997 and several goats.
Freelance journalist, Andite Nomabhunga, reported that nine human deaths have
been blamed on the Mamlambo, including a school girl. Mount Ayliff police claim
that most of the alleged victims which have been found had simply drowned.
Sometimes, crabs have eaten away at the soft tissues of the face and throat.
Despite police explanations for the deaths, villagers claim that they are not
just superstitious tribe people, but educated people who are being terrorized
by the Mamlambo. On April 29, 1997, the Reuter wire service reported that at an
Eastern Cape legislative meeting held in Bisho, South Africa, the agriculture
minister, one Ezra Sigwela, told an astonished governing body that a
"half-fish, half-horse monster" had devoured at least seven victims
in his region of Mzintlava River, located in the northern area of the former
Transkei black homeland. Sigwela pledged that he would solicit the help of the
national agriculture ministry, in the hopes that they would organize a mission
of armed nature conservation officers in order to hunt and kill the beast.
There is no mention of what happened or if the hunt took place .
The KwaNogqaza
A report :REUTERS NEWS SERVICE13 Jun 96 By
Celia Locks and Kevin Rafferty.:South Africa has one more attraction for
ever-eager tourists: its very own monster. Zulu legend has it lurking at the
bottom of the 300-foot Howick Falls, exerting a magical force as it sucks
victims into its underwater lair. The beast, said to look just like the one in
Loch Ness, is drawing sightseers to the town of Howick in KwaZulu-Natal. They
can see fuzzy photographs of a skinny long neck rising out of a swollen body,
with three smaller `monsters' (looking suspiciously like ducks) swimming beside
it. CL.
And more
on this: The Inkanyamba are said to be a population of giant migratory,
carnivorous eels, which are allegedly indigenious to southern Africa. The most
well known of these is said to dwell in the deep pools beneath South Africa's
legendary Howick Falls (known to the Zulu as "kwaNogqaza" or
"The Tall One").
Lake Serpent
There is
said to be a 100 foot-long lake serpent that lurks in the swamps, rivers, and
lakes in Uganda.It is feared by natives because of its predatory nature, aid to
often take large mammals or fishermen. Explorers of the region heard these
bizarre tales that became more credible as some of them were said to have
observed the creature themselves.
The
Ninki-Nanka
Then
there is the dragon-like beast known as Ninki-Nanka which lives in the swamp
land of Gambia. Ninki-Nanka translates as Dragon-Devil. The Ninki-Nanka is said
to be a large reptile, possibly as large as 30 ft (9 metres) living in the mangrove swamps and rivers of
Gambia. The beast is said to have the body of a crocodile, the neck of a
giraffe, the head of horse with three horns, one right in the middle of its
head. The reclusive monster spends most of its time submerged in the mud in the
regions of inland swamps and upriver from the coast
The Le’Kela-mbembe
In
Cameroon, there is another creature called Le’Kela-mbembe. It is said to grow
around 70 feet in length and will eat the leaves from the Esem Tree.
The
Dingonek
Also said
to dwell in the lakes of western Africa, is the Dingonek which has been
described as being approximately 12-feet ( 4 metres)in length, with a square
shaped head, a long horn, large canine teeth , and a tail complete with a bony,
dart-like appendage, which is reputed to be able to secrete a deadly poison.
This creature is also said to be covered head to toe in scales.
From The Independent (Papua New Guinea), December 30,
1999, p. 6.
IN
Africa:
In 1776,
Abbe Proyhart wrote that there had been found of clawed footprints in West
Africa that were as large as three feet in diameter. Reports of dinosaur-like
creatures came from from central Africa in the late 1800s. Native tribes people
told explorers of a large animal they called jago-nini, which translates to “giant diver.” The footprints of
this creature were about the size of a Football . Other tribes who said they
were familiar with this creature had other names for it, including dingonek, ol-umaina, and chipekwe.
There are, of course, others and
this is just a sample really to show what a fascinating array of lake creatures
are said to be found in just one part of the world. Some may be mistaken identity
but some remain unexplained.
