Pat Spain from the Beast Hunter show of National Geographic answers about Mokele Mbembe

By Jaime Ortega Simo.

Patrick Spain

1) Is it true that a giant animal might be roaming throughout Central Africa?

1 – There are a lot of large animals roaming Central and West Africa!  It is true that there may still be undiscovered large creatures, but my best assessment of Mokele Mbembe is that it is mistaken identity and a strong tradition of folk-lore.

2) When you spoke to the Locals did they seem credible or were they fantasying? 

The locals were very credible; they clearly know the creatures of their forest, but I also believe they may see what they want to when it comes to MM.  Elephants, Rhinos, and Hippos are no longer found in the regions MM is spotted.  I would believe that, while the locals know of these creatures, they could mistake them for the legendary MM.  Also, the strong traditions of folk-lore might cloud their accounts of friends / family who have died in tragic ways (boats hitting rocks, animal attacks etc) and link these deaths to MM in order to keep the stories of their loved ones alive.

3) As a scientist, do you think a Creature like Mokele Mbembe would really live in those regions? What would he eat?

A creature like MM would have ample food sources from the forest.  Many fruiting plants exist on the banks of the river for a large herbivore to eat.  I do not believe a sauropod would live in the swampy regions in the Congo however.  Recent scientific evidence shows that these creatures did not live in swamps as previously thought.

4) When you went there what were you expecting at first? And once you actually were there, did anything change regarding what you had previously thought about the creature?

I went with a notion that there was likely an unknown creature and left with a sense that it was most likely mistaken identity.

5) Evolutionist say this is a fake video to sell, do you agree?

I’m not sure what video you are referring to.  There is a video of a large “animal” crossing a lake taken by a Japanese film crew.  Personally, I believe this is an elephant.  There are also videos of large animals in the water that all appear to be swimming elephants or boats to me.

6) Will this animal ever be found?  

I do not believe we will ever find a living saurpod.  I would love to be proven wrong!  While I do hold out some hope that MM might be a large, undiscovered creature, I think it much more likely that the accounts can be attributed to folk-lore and misidentification.  Of all of the mysterious animals I investigated, I believe MM is the least likely to truely be a new species of animal.

Thank-you again for this opportunity!  Hope all is well.