The Republic of the Gambia is the smallest of the countries of continental Africa. Recently, it has attracted increased attention of cryptozoologists, and the reason for this is the mysterious creature living here, which is called "ninki-nanka".
This is how the local residents called the nine-meter reptile, whose habitat is mangrove thickets in the remote inland regions of Gambia. The strange creature has the body of a crocodile and the neck of a giraffe, with three horns on its head. It is very difficult to see a reptile, since it spends most of its time plunged headlong into a swamp.
First meetings with ninki-nanka
Europeans first heard of ninki nanka in 1935. André Salier, a French physician, was in the Gambia during the malaria epidemic. It was then that he learned from the aborigines (the people of Fulier) about the swamp monster. According to them, the reptile lived in tropical evergreen forests in the Abuko reserve. A person who can kill her will become extremely strong and live for two hundred years.
However, if the daredevil is killed by the monster itself, tearing it apart with sharp teeth or piercing it with horns, then the whole family of the warrior will suffer: its members will face illness and then a painful death.
It should be said that Salye himself did not see ninki-nanka, he drew an animal from the words of the natives. Subsequently, the famous English cryptozoologist Chris Moiser suggested that the Gambian monster is a miracle of the surviving reptile of the Mesozoic era, most likely a plesiosaur. Chris Moiser is the author of many scientific articles, the objects of his research are Bigfoot, English giant cats, Australian Jovie, Point Pleasant moth man.
Promotional video:
The Search for Ninki Nanka by Chris Moiser
In May 2004. An expedition was sent to Gambia, which the famous cryptozoologist organized at his own expense. Moiser hoped to learn more about the ninki-nanka, and if he was lucky, to see him.
… The destination of the trip is the village of Sallo, situated on the outskirts of a large mangrove swamp. Here in 1935. was visited by a French doctor who had heard stories about the monster. Moiser was looking for someone to meet in person with the owner of the mangrove swamps. Such a person was found.
It turned out to be a decrepit, toothless old man who rarely gets up from the mat on the floor of his thatched hut. He told the Englishman that he had seen a ninki-ninka in a swamp about twenty years ago. According to the old man, the monster was terrible and huge - larger than an elephant. In its hideous crocodile mouth were several rows of white, sharp teeth, each one the size of a human finger. The old man had no doubt that the ninki-nanka would bite him in half if he could quickly get out of the swamp. He also tried to convey the noise and snorting of the monster.
This story made an impression on the cryptozoologist, but Moiser was even more amazed to learn that the "ancient old man" was not yet forty years old. The villagers were sure that the cruel Ninki Nanka had sent the disease to the unfortunate man. By the way, none of them agreed to accompany Moiser, and he had to go to the swamp alone. It, as it turned out, was practically impassable, and Chris was bitten, as he feared, by an anopheles mosquito. Two weeks later, the scientist fell ill with a fever, he no longer had the strength to continue searching for the swamp monster.
Elusive dragon
In the summer of 2006. "Dragon hunters" led by cryptozoologist Richard Freeman (Center for Anomalous Zoology) traveled to Gambia to investigate reports of the mysterious creature and obtain eyewitness testimony.
The researchers met with the caretaker of Kiang West National Park ("Kiang West" - National Park of the Gambia), who described his encounter with the ninki nanka, which happened three years earlier. The man said that he saw a huge green animal, the length of which reached 50 meters. He was shown several illustrations of reptiles and various mythical creatures. Of these, the caretaker chose a drawing with a Chinese dragon (see the title picture).
The expedition received media attention, in particular its activities were covered by BBC Online, but no convincing evidence of the existence of the Gambian monster was found. Ninki-nanka is still a mysterious creature like the Loch Ness monster or the Yeti. And maybe even more mystical, since there is not even a photograph of this dragon, let alone a video …