After cutting back the verdant foliage that stood in his way, John Johansson rubbed his aching shoulder as he swiped away another thirsty blood sucker from his neck. His grip on his machete was weakening with every swing as sweat poured down from his brow, obstructing his vision as he desperately sought relief from the scorching African sun above. Visions of his temperate homeland in the north danced through his clouded mind. He was far from home and likely would not see it for quite some time.
Yet with years of experience to his name and a seemingly limitless amount of wealth at his fingertips, Johansson had left his home in Sweden to hunt in the untamed wilderness of the Congo. Elephants were his prey, and any quarrels about the morality of such a quest was far from his mind. He wasn't about to give up or leave for home without his trophy. His guide silently tapped him on his shoulder between swings.
Whispering, the man told him a group of elephants were grazing not far from where they stood, but they must cross the marshland to reach them. Staring back at his guide with a look of slight annoyance and with a deep sigh, the two pressed on, pushing past the colossal leaf covered trees and into a wetland filled with towering grass. Slogging their way through the knee high water, the two made their way through this unforgiving landscape. Bugs swarmed them, biting and feasting to their heart's content.
Thinking this was too much even for him, John began second guessing if his pursuit was worth it. When would this torment finally end? He could leave this godforsaken land. A deep, heavy footstep halted the two men in their tracks, a sure sign that a gigantic creature was drawing near.
Although the long grass obstructed their view, they prepared themselves, ready for what they surely expected was to be their prize. Hunkering down to remain unseen, the two waited. The water around them began to ripple as the footsteps drew near. They listened, hoping to catch their prey off guard.
The beast was wandering right to them. This was going to be easier than he thought, John silently told himself. Finally, as the animal drew near enough, the two men leaped from their hiding places, guns in hand. What stood before them was a creature neither of them could have expected.
Paralyzed, John stood still, his eyes wide as he observed an enormous lizard walking on two massive legs, marching right past them. Unimpressed with the two men's sudden surprise attack, Johansen realized the position he was in. A creature like this was unheard of back home. He could double or triple his wealth by bringing back his body.
This discovery was far more valuable than the common bull Elephant. Using his shotgun, John fired three times at the monster. Twice he missed. The third he struck in its back.
Backing away now, the lizard still seemingly disinterested, and the two men moved on. Trembling, John's guide suggested they vacate the area. Whatever this thing was, their guns had little effect on it. John, annoying his companion, was likely correct, took his wisdom to heart and handed him his gun.
It was best they moved quickly before that thing decided they would make a nice meal. As the two trudged through the deep, murky water, trying their best to widen the gap from the beast, a familiar sound managed to reach their ears in the form of a warning. The heavy footfalls that had caught their attention the first time were getting closer once more. Johansen's guide didn't wait around to find out why.
The man took off, sprinting as best as he could through the water. As John attempted to do the opposite. He stood his ground, ready to face his foe. Only as he reached behind to grasp his empty holster, only then did he remember he had handed off his shotgun to his guide, who was now half a mile away and counting.
Crouching down, John then reached for the only available thing that would allow him to take a shot at the monster. His camera. The distant sounds of ripping flash told him the creature was occupied with something far more interesting than he. So he crept closer to the noise.
He had heard these sounds in the past. He could never forget it. Ravenous lines ripping into the height of a buffalo was a sound that had been permanently engraved into his mind. Peeking from behind a patch of thick river reeds, Johansson watched in amazement as this great lizard easily and savagely ripped the hind legs off a dead rhinoceros.
Watching in astonishment as well as with deep admiration for such a natural hunter, John raised his camera to his eye. With a single click and sudden flash, the film captured the image of one of the most stunning discoveries that may have ever been photographed. A living, breathing Tyrannosaurus rex. Welcome back, everyone, to a brand new episode.
As always, I'm your host, Sean Hawkins, and you're listening to the Moonlight Lore podcast. John Johansson was shaken, to say the least. No doubt this was the discovery of a lifetime. But who would believe him?
Even with photographic evidence, it would be hard to sway the intellectual minds at any prestigious university back home that what he saw was real. Managing to catch back up with this guy who was cowering behind a large boulder, and out of breath, he scolded the man for fleeing with his much needed weaponry that might have been used to foul the ferocious beast. No matter. The creature was likely already on the move, searching for something else to quench its endless hunger.
The most important thing to do right now was to get this evidence back safely to camp. There it would be decided what the best course of action will be next. Without his much desired prize, John and his guide migrated back the way they had came, finally reaching their camp by nightfall. Those who had previously ventured all the way from Cape Town with the man were surprised to see him and his guide return so soon.
The two were supposed to have been gone for at least a full day. Surely the hunt hadn't gone so well that they needed to already fetch help to secure their kill. The ashen color that remained on John's face told them something else entirely had happened. He didn't talk much, merely made his way to his tent to grab a bottle of whiskey to calm his shaking nerves.
Naturally, everyone was curious at what had transpired in the jungle. What could have been so nasty out there that would have left this experience and normally stoic man to look as if he had faced the devil? Turning to his guide, John's friends questioned if they were alright, what had happened out there? Without being granted the chance to speak, John interrupted him before the breath even passed his teeth.
A monster, he said, still trembling while taking another swig of his liquid courage. The realization of what he had experienced, what he had witnessed, had obviously caught back up with him by this point. As the residents of the camp drew around him, waiting for him to elaborate, John John spoke softly but clearly, as if still trying to make sense of the situation he was in earlier that day. The quiet cracks and pops of the bonfire filled the silence as he went into detail about what had transpired.
The men of the camp were in astonishment. Others didn't quite realize what this meant, nor fully understood what a dinosaur even was. It was only a little more than a hundred years before where the first fossils of these gigantic animals became worldwide knowledge. But this far deep into the Congo, this knowledge seemed to yet fully resonate with the locals.
They, of course, had legends and myths pertaining to giant lizards who lived and hunted in the remote regions of the unexplored wilderness. But still, though to hear a creature like a Tyrannosaurus was on the loose did not give much comfort or excitement. Like many might have believed, this was a predator unlike anything they were prepared to deal with. If it had decided to follow John and his guide back to camp, they would not be able to stop it from attacking.
That night, very few eyes found any rest as many of the men tossed and turned in their tents, their minds racing at the thought of such a ferocious beast roaming the savannah. At the break of dawn, the rays of the sun breached through the towering jungle, stirring the tired men from their beds. Any enthusiasm to continue their journey and Hunt had dwindled. It was unanimously decided to return back to Cape Town to leave this land before they had pushed their luck too far.
Upon their return, they met with several of their fellow hunters who were quite fascinated by their outlandish story. They didn't necessarily believe Johansson had come face to face with a surviving prehistoric member of the Cretaceous period, but rather that he had simply come across a giant crocodile and his imagination had gotten the better of them. As the news continued to spread around Cape Town, as news outlets began loosely reporting on the developing story, it caused more than a few parties to grow interested in finding the truth. In total, it was said, about five hunters had planned an excursion to the Kaisa Valley to search for the overgrown reptile in hopes of killing it so that they may sell its skin at an exorbitant price.
Although the names of those individuals in this second hunt had gone unknown, rumors of what they had found deep in the Congo spread like wildfire. According to exaggerated online sources, it was said they had managed to discover the marshland Johansson and his guide had wandered into and encountered the great beast. But when they arrived, they found nothing. With money on their minds, they decided to press forward in hope of finding a warmer trail that could lead them on the right track.
Not long after an extensive search of the surrounding area, the team decided it best to cover more ground and split up. If someone happened to find any sign of the beast, call out to the others and prepare for a fight. As the group diverged off from one another, they continued their search, heading deeper into the swamp and into unfamiliar territory. While sifting through the mass of overgrown river grasses, one of the men caught something off in the corner of his eye.
It was a new color, one that certainly was out of place from this bleak, dark environment. As he focused in, he saw what looked like the reddish tail end of a gigantic anaconda. Believing this wasn't what they were after, the man was just about to move away and lead the creature to its rest, when suddenly it began to slowly sink into the water. Not wanting to become an unfortunate snack for this snake, he cried out to his companions and stood in absolute stillness as the others showed themselves.
He pointed out where he saw the snake disappear, and the others readied their weapons. A wave of tenseness washed over them as the atmosphere around them began to shift. Something was wrong. The men's survival instincts kicked in.
He told them to run, but they didn't know where to or what from. A ripple of water to their left drew their attention away from where the one man watched the tail submerge itself. Something was stirring. Suddenly, the red tail that had disappeared only about a minute ago burst from the dark green water and swung itself at one of the men, knocking him down into the bog.
The others, without hesitation, fired their guns at the appendage, all while it slithered away into the grass. A tremendous roar emerged from beyond their sights. A roar unlike anything they'd ever heard before, but maybe most comparable to a lion. The man who had fallen stood himself back up, nursing his now broken arm.
A footstep shook the ground beneath her feet, sending more ripples through the water. A beast stood before them, rising out of the water, separated only by the grass. The men were petrified. Never in their lives would they have thought what Johansen had encountered was truly of this scale.
The hunters dove for cover behind a large boulder. Before the creature could turn to face their gaze, they disturbed its rest and probably wasn't all too pleased about it. It began walking, searching for those who had woken it from a slumber. Thankfully, the creature wandered off in the opposite direction.
The hunters realized just how close they came to become o' Neal for this overgrown lizard. Instead of trying to push their luck any further, they determined, at best to cut their losses and return to Cape Town with their unbelievable story. Notably, those same online sources who describe the band of five hunters encountering the Kassai Rex also explain. A famed zoologist, Robert Henderson, also happened to spot the beast.
In 1951, after the death of his wife, the man had decided to conduct an excursion into the Congo in search of new and undiscovered exotic species. With the help of a group of local natives, Robert traversed through the jungle and savannas, eventually crossing the Kasai River. The locals at the nearby town of Mutambo Lamada, the location where Robert had stationed his outpost, awaited for the man and his guides to return after a week of searching. Upon the sixth day, the very day the group was scheduled to return, a thunderous blanket of rain clouds stretched across the land, raising the level of the great Kazakh river to become impassable.
The excursion group was trapped on the other side of their vehicles. The town waited for the rain to cease, which it had later in the evening. But on the seventh day, there was still no sign of Robert or his guides. It was decided another group of 10 locals, along with five others from the local military regiment, journey across the Kassai in search of the men.
As expected, they were able to discover where Robert and his men had set up their main camp, though it had been completely abandoned for several days at that point. Not only this, but it also seemed like they had deserted the place with incredible speed. There was still food on the grill over the charcoal remains of an old, forgotten fire. Their tents still housed many of their belongings they would have needed to survive in the jungle.
A few weapons and even some boots were still littered among the site. Obviously, they had left this place in a hurry for some reason. Realizing there was nothing here that could offer up any clues as to what had transpired, their search party decided to push on into the jungle in hopes of finding some trace of the lost men. As they cautiously and blindly searched for clues, one man happened to stumble onto a compact clearing that had obviously hosted Robert and his men.
As the others of the search party scrambled to the location, as each man brushed past the last of the folkage, one after another, their eyes were met with a gruesome scene. It was clear this crude campsite was made in a hurry. These men did not expect to stay long. It was only a short distance from their main camp, so it was plausible something had chased them out of it, only for the men to regroup here.
But whatever it was that had attacked them evidently had followed their trail. Several other men were missing their heads or limbs. Bits of torn flesh and a spray of blood coated the entirety of the tiny holdout. Whatever these men had run from, it tore through them like it was nothing.
Any normal animal would have made the kill, then devoured it. But the monster that had decimated the group was hunting for sport, leaving the bodies of its kills behind. Robert was missing. There was no trace of the man, aside from a leftover forearm that seemed to continue to reach for Robert's discarded shotgun.
A shell had been specped out of it, meaning the man had fired on his attacker. But obviously, even his shotgun was no match in stopping whatever beast had done this. Since the legend of the Kaisa Rex became more widely known thanks to the few online articles who have written about it, it doesn't necessarily instill a sense of believability behind it. In my opinion, every website that has written about the creature only ever says the same exact things over and over, which alludes to copy and paste writers who may haven't done their due diligence in researching this particular topic.
In truth, the Kaiser Rex is a tremendously Exaggerated legend that dances on the tightrope of fact and fiction. The fact being that, yes, the story exists, and Johansen did indeed snap a photo of something and spoke with media outlets about what he had allegedly seen deep in the Congo. But more or less anything else that is stuck onto this story is fiction. In my own personal research online, and scouring through the few books I have that touch on the subject, I have yet to discover anything about a group of five hunters having encountered the monster, nor of Robert Henderson having been killed by it.
Now, in all fairness, I don't know. Maybe Robert Henderson did happen to be mauled to death by an animal while exploring Africa at some point, but to attach that possibility to this particular legend. Well, there's just nothing concrete that would say he was killed by a giant lizard. We must also keep in mind the shocking revelation that when John Johansson reported that he had seen and produced the photograph with the Rhodesia Herald newspaper back in 1932, he at no point called it a Rex or Tyrannosaurus.
It's actually unclear where this narrative came from, as the Tyrannosaurus didn't even live in Africa when they were alive. They were mainly a North American dinosaur. All that I was really able to find about what Johansson was ever good at saying was that it was something incredible. A monster about 16 yards in length with a lizard's head and tail.
Then, further, as he describes the second moment when he spotted the creature, he said, there in the swamp, the huge lizard appeared once more, tearing lumps from a dead rhino. It was covered in ooze. It was only about 25 yards away. I thought of my camera.
I could plainly hear the crunching of rhino bones in the lizard's mouth. Just as I clicked, it jumped into the deep water. So, with this misconception that this creature had possibly been a T. Rex out of the way, we're left to wonder what he may have seen that deep in the Congo.
Now, yes, I'm sure there will be many people saying that animals like the Tyrannosaurus rex had indeed lived in Africa at some point. The Allosaurus, during the Jurassic epic. The Tynanosaurus, which was a smaller contemporary of the T. Rex, or perhaps the apex predator known as the Carpet Odontosaurus, who lived during the late Cretaceous period.
But we also have to think logically when it comes to dinosaurs and possible cryptid sightings. Many people, including myself on some occasions, like to say that a particular cryptid may be a surviving dinosaur. There are a few examples of this, like certain types of fish or species of crocodile. But we also must consider that those creatures are typically on the smaller size when compared to their ancient ancestors.
A 12 foot tall lizard who walks on all fours is not going to go unnoticed for very long. Especially when we must consider that there would have to be an entire pocket of that particular species to carry on the lineage. Dinosaurs did not live forever. The millions of years separating us from them would mean entire generations would have to have managed to survive for that long without going extinct, extinct or being discovered.
And now, yes, I know that Africa is an absolute vast landmass that not only harbors a favorable climate for such a creature to survive in, but also the human population density can be very sporadic in some regions, which would leave nature to take care of herself. But I personally would find it very difficult to believe that an entire population of giant ancient lizards managed to not only survive extinction, but also be able to elude the watchful gaze of humanity for several thousand years. But now you might be wondering. Well, the photograph that John Johansson had managed to take surely could put to rest any argument of what the creature might have been.
Well, sorry to say this, but I've also looked into this as well, and I have to say it's a very unclear image that doesn't necessarily convey exactly what the camera had captured, due to the fact that it was a black and white picture and also taken nearly a hundred years ago. The quality is just not there. But I did do some digging and I found something interesting. The photo that had been snapped by Johansson and then later printed in the Rhodesia Herald was actually indeed of a giant lizard, only it's of one that we already know of.
Dr. Bernard Hoovel then slightly covered this particular topic in his book on the Track of Unknown animals, published in 1958, and describes how the picture Johansen adamantly claimed to have taken was actually a picture of a Komodo dragon that had been carefully cut out from another photograph. The cutout was then pasted onto another picture of a jungle scene with a Komodo dragon's feet resting on an unidentifiable object presumed to be an animal carcass. So what we have here is a story that unfortunately seems to have been a hoax right from the very beginning.
Because we've now learned the original photograph that had been taken by Johansson had been poorly faked and the story was greatly exaggerated, if not an entire work of fiction. We now know that the following two stories that I shared were nowhere near the truth. Again, the story about the other band of hunters setting the beast as well as Robert Henderson and his team being massacred, were all works of complete fiction that were used to justify the original story that this creature exists. And like I mentioned, online articles pertaining to this legend are all completely copied and pasted from one another, none of them offering neither any sources nor originality.
It's not honestly clear how popular the story might have been prior to the Internet. But another indication that it was all a hoax was made in 2007 when a second photograph suddenly appeared on the web claiming Johansson had really taken two photographs of the creature and that this second image was supposed to be far more convincing. Only it wasn't. This second photo was far clearer and taken in a more professional manner, which tells us that this was not taken by the same man with the same camera back in 1932.
But regardless on who took it or with what equipment, they certainly did their work in trying to pass the picture off as genuine. It depicts an easily identifiable theropod dinosaur crouching over the carcass of an equally recognizable rhino. Needless to say, this was no more authentic than the first photograph. To call it another hoax, however, would be interactive.
It was produced by a well known photo manipulator named Finbarr, who used a separate image of an allosaurus model superimposed over a photo of a prone rhino. At no point did he ever say it was a genuine photograph of the Khae Rex and even openly admitted that he had manipulated the picture to fit with the story. Though, as the Internet is wont to do, there were many eager minds who wanted proof of this creature to exist. They either ignored that it was openly known to be faked, or just simply didn't care that it was.
They wanted evidence no matter if it was true or false. As the legend of the Cassirex goes, I believe we can safely say with certainty that this is one cryptid that does not erase the surface of our planet. Although the story behind it continued to grow over the past 100 years and is a popular tale among those willing to suspect their disbelief, we must recognize that there is no scientific or reasonable evidence to suggest that it was at all true in the slightest. However, I will be the first to say that a shroud of mystery seems to have always surrounded the continent.
In several regions across Africa, local indigenous tribes and the occasional explorers will sometimes speak of unknown giants who roam the jungles. Some might be far fetched, like the Cassi Rex, but there are others that may be a little bit more difficult to disprove. Whatever might be the case, it's always important to remain logical, rely on science, search for that undeniable evidence, because without it, I'm afraid many stories may be suspended in the realm of disbelief. Despite the fact this thrilling and fascinating story of this ferocious cryptid turned out to be nothing more than another hoax, I hope you enjoyed listening to the retelling of it and then the breakdown.
As always, as much as I love tall tales or suspicious cryptid sightings, I know there is always a hint of doubt in the back of my mind that prevents me from fully believing a story. But even so, I do hope that I was able to do this particular legend justice and bring a new creature into the spotlight, even if it was likely never to exist. If you happen to enjoy this episode, or perhaps one of the many others I produced on the podcast, then maybe you might find the extra bonus episodes I produced over on my Patreon page just as interesting and entertaining. You can find Patreon by following the link in the description of this episode, and for only $5 a month you gain access to monthly bonus episodes and a few other neat treats as well.
My most recent episode on THERE was about the Crosswalk Monster, an equally ferocious giant lizard who attacked two young boys who were fishing alongside a riverbank in Ohio back in 1882. Here's a little clip of what that episode was like. Whatever this creature was, it was obviously not a typical snake, as it had four legs, two short ones in the front and two powerful ones in the back. To say it was an unnerving sight would have been an understatement, as the two boys had no earthly idea what they were looking at.
It was obvious it was a reptile of sorts. They just had no clue what it was, as they had never seen something like this before. Suddenly, as if a switch had been flipped, the creature's eyes narrowed on the two boys watching it and let loose a fearsome roar. It charged directly towards them, picking up speed with every step.
The two boys attempted to run, flinging their fishing rods to the ground, hoping to distance themselves as best they could before the beast was upon them. But despite its smaller front legs, the creature was easily able to reach them in only a moment. Larger than what it first appeared to be, the two boys were now face to face with this lizard, Only it did not take long before things took a deadly turn for the worse. Joe, unable to keep pace with his older brother, fell into the clutches of the monster, with it firmly snapping its large jaw directly down on the boy's torso.
As well as that episode this month I'm also doing a shorter episode coming out near the end about another lesser known Cryptid. So if you're at all interested in those extra episodes, please consider donating. All donations go towards the upkeep of the show, like managing website costs, recording software fees, hosting fees, and any equipment purchases that might need to be done in the future. But I know not everyone can afford to donate to multiple podcast patreons every month.
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Again, I want to thank you all for listening to Moonlight Lore over the past few years. It's been great so far and I hope to continue doing this for a lot longer. So as always, stay tuned for more interesting stories and legends. Keep being the amazing people you are and I'll see you all next time.
Take care.