"When browsing through our series of illustrations, the Baka became quite excited as they pointed to an illustration of the Triceratops as the closest likeness to
the n’goubou. While they respect and fear creatures like the la’kela-bembe and
n’goubou, they do not regard them as any stranger than an elephant or gorilla. Puzzled
by this identification, we pressed the Baka more closely on the animal. Although
the Triceratops was very similar to the savannah n’goubou, they stated the nose
possessed a single prominent horn, but with between three and six horns adorning
the neck frill. This feature was confirmed by other witnesses independently, including one plantation owner who drew a rough sketch of the savannah n’goubou for
John Kirk on a piece of paper. The drawing bore a striking resemblance to a ceratopsian, with a prominent frill, six horns or spikes, and a beaked mouth. After returning to Vancouver, John compared the drawing to a Styracosaurus, an extinct
ceratopsian dinosaur that supposedly went the way of the dodo eons ago. While the
comparison is remarkable and has been repeated by close to a dozen eyewitnesses
independently, ceratopsian fossils have yet to be found in Africa. This does not
mean, however, that ceratopsian dinosaurs never lived there, but the lack of such
fossils on that continent does present a stumbling block to the theory, as do other
factors, including its offspring, structure of the limbs, food supply, and general habitat.
"Most, if not all, ceratopsian dinosaurs are thought to have laid eggs. The savannah n’goubou, however, is reported to give birth to live young. According to experienced hunters who observed these animals deep in the bush, the animals move
around in small herds of up to six individuals, and often conceal themselves in the
forest, possibly when foraging for food. The female n’goubou is said to give birth to
a single live calf, which it then rears alone away from the herd.
"These animals are herbivorous, browsing on grasses, leaves, shoots, and other
foliage, as do elephants and rhinos. An n’goubou approximately the size of a forest
elephant would have to eat between 300 to 600 pounds of food daily. If the two
animals are sharing the same habitat, and more or less the same food supply, then
native reports of heated, ongoing battles between the two should not be surprising.
"In November 2000, Pierre Sima visited the village of Ndelele near the border of
the Central African Republic. Two days before his arrival, village hunters had shot
an n’goubou, which they quickly butchered for its meat. The horns has been sawn
off and sold to a French employee of a logging company, while the last few remains
and bones had been given to the village dogs to finish off.
"Although Pierre did not have our binder with the various illustrations to show to
the villagers, he was able to establish that the animal that had been slain was not a
rhinoceros, but an n’goubou with a heavy neck frill, several prominent horns or
spikes, and a beaked mouth. He was even invited to dine with the villagers, and
commented later that the animal’s meat tasted like pork!
"The question is, what kind of animal could the n’goubou be? The pygmy drawings of the animal reminds one of a rhino, except for the armored body and neck
frill. But what do we make of the beaked mouth? I would venture a guess and suggest that the beaked mouth may be nothing more than an exaggerated prehensile lip,
somewhat similar to that of the black rhino. However, until an actual specimen is
made available to study, the elephant-killer of the savannah remains an intriguing
mystery."
