Library of Cryptozoology

Being in advance of the wagons, I suddenly came upon an animal, which, though considerably smaller, much resembled a lion in appearance. Under ordinary circumstances, I should certainly have taken it for a young lion; but I had been formerly given to understand that, in this part of Africa, there exists a quadruped which, in regard to shape and color, is like the lion, but, in most other respects, totally distinct from it. The beast in question is said to be nocturnal in its habits, to be timid and harmless, and to prey for the most part on the small species of antelopes. In the native language it is called Onguirira, and would, as far as I could see, have answered the description of a puma. As it was going straight away from me, I did not think it prudent to fire.

[On 18 March] Andersson started what he thought was a puma. The natives talk a great deal about such an animal existing; they describe it as a very shy creature, and hardly ever moving about in the daytime, of the same colour and general shape as a lion, but smaller, and with no mane. The animal Andersson caught a glimpse of answered the description perfectly. It might have been a young lion, but its movements were not those of a cub. It jumped up close by him, but was among the thick bushes and out of sight before there was time to fire.

My boatman informed me that he had seen an animal, with long wide spreading horns like an ox, called liombikalela –perhaps the modern bison; also another animal, which does not live in the water, but snorts like a hippopotamus, and is like that animal in size–it has a horn, and may be the Asiatic rhinoceros. And we passed some holes of a third animal, which burrows from the river inland, has short horns, and feeds only by night. I did not notice the burrows at the time of passing, but I give you the report as I got it ... and there is a pretty little antelope on the Sesheké, called " teeanyane ," which seemed new to me. These animals did not lie in my line, so you must be content with this brief notice.

There is an undiscovered antelope in these parts; also an animal which from its description and horns I conceive to be the Indian bison. It is named in Serotse Liombikala. Large horns like an ox. Gondi, short horns–burrows. Bumé or Boomy, one horned animal, probably a variety of Rhinoceros. ... Few die under this treatment [of suction and an emetic] unless bitten by the Mokhoapa, a black snake or a little yellow basilisk .