Strange African Beast

[Ron Caliburn]

Residents in northern Namibia, on the southwest coast of Africa, have reported being terrorized by a bizarre dog-pig hybrid creature. The animal is said to be mostly white and unlike anything the villagers have ever seen, with a doglike head and the broad, round, nearly hairless back and shoulders of a giant pig. The beast was spotted chasing and attacking dogs, goats and other domestic animals in this arid region not far from the Kalahari desert.

As often happens when rumors of monsters spread in rural areas around the world, some locals have taken extra safety precautions, such as traveling in groups and arming themselves with weapons. In 1995 and 1996, some Puerto Ricans armed themselves against the vampire beast el chupacabra; last year, Malaysian residents patrolled the streets searching for the mysterious orang minyak, or "oily man" creature that had recently terrorized them.

What could this monster be? One Namibian official, regional councilor Andreas Mundjindi, was quoted in Informante newspaper as saying, "This is an alien animal that the people have not seen before. We don't have a forest here, only bushes. So, this must be black magic at play." Some people in the area trace the beast to one old man rumored to be a warlock or witch doctor, suggesting it's his pet (or, what witch-hunters hundreds of years ago would have called a "familiar").

The assumption that the beast has magical origins is not surprising. A 2010 Gallup poll found belief in magic widespread throughout sub-Saharan Africa, with more than half of respondents saying they personally believe in witchcraft and sorcery.

This is not the first time that unusual animals have been spotted in rural areas of Namibia; several other monsters have been reported over the years, including in July 2009, when unknown creatures reportedly sucked the blood out of livestock, including nearly two dozen goats. Though no one saw the monsters, they were said to have left footprints similar to those of a dog, but much larger. Police followed the footprints, but they mysteriously stopped in an open field, as if the creature suddenly took flight or vanished. At that time, locals were also convinced that the strange beast was the product of black magic — going so far as to accuse an old man and his sister of conjuring the creature.

It's not clear whether locals believe that the current dog-headed, pig-bodied animal is the same mystery creature that terrorized the region three years ago. Whether the reports are real or rumor, hopefully belief in these creatures won't be used as an excuse for mob attacks on elderly men and women suspected of witchcraft.

[RAVEN]

Thank you for the news, Ronald. This is just the sort of critter that I can use for the After Midnight Centerfold page.

[Tms3]

the thing about it that saddens me is such things are often blamed on black magic or witch craft. and so the healers and the Herbalist are often the ones to suffer.

[Ron Caliburn]

Your welcome Raven, though Ron isn't short for anything. My screen name is an alias. In some versions of the legends of King Arthur Ron is his spear and Caliburn is his sword.

[Hannah]

Okay, so maybe my dad knows a few things that don't involve guns. . .

Hannah

PS: Yanking your chain Dad. See you again when the semester is over.

[Serpens Walker]

Thank you for the news, Ronald. This is just the sort of critter that I can use for the After Midnight Centerfold page.

That is really NOT what I think of when I think centerfold. >.>

[Rowan]

Nothing about the tracks—a picture, or anything—I wonder if this is truly “far from home.” There is some strange beast that wanders about my employer’s fields at night. Nobody’s been able to spy it yet, but chickens continue to die nightly.

[RAVEN]

I admit that I just looked up Namibia's page on Wikipedia. I was wondering if Professor Ali was near this region. No, he is on the far side of the continent.

Nonetheless, I have been wondering about this description. The witnesses say that the beast is nearly hairless, but what if they are slightly mistaken and it is entirely hairless? If bald, it would well match the reports of chupcabras which come out of Northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. The Puerto Rican version of the chupacabra is a scaled biped, so that is clearly a different critter. If the Strange African Beast does have a little fur like a pig, than perhaps this might be the same species that Serpens Walker described recently as "chupathingies".

[Ron Caliburn]

If the chupas are spreading that may be a sign of worse things to come.

[RAVEN]

Agreed, I think I will start a new thread chupacabras.