Locals deep in the forests of the Congo have told stories of massive, lion-eating chimps for more than 200 years. Called bili apes or Bondo mystery apes, these creatures had previously been considered as scientifically important as the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot and the theory of intelligent design. Suddenly, however, scientists have begun to change their tune.
Reported photo of a Bondo mystery ape (as it appeared in National Geographic)
Sporadic accounts of the large, gray apes have emerged from expedition crews in the last few decades, but now Cleve Hicks, a researcher at the University of Amsterdam claims to have spent the past 18 months observing them. According to an article in the UK’s Daily Mail, Hicks lived in close quarters with a population of very large chimpanzees who apparently do have a taste for large cat flesh.
Dr. Shelly Williams claims to have encountered evidence of the bili ape, including this footprint, in 2002.
Said Hicks’ report (as quoted in the Daily Mail), “The adult males do appear to be larger than the average chimpanzee male, although I doubt nearly as large as gorilla males.”
The apes, which are probably a new subspecies of chimpanzee, display some unique characteristics. For example, unlike common chimpanzees, they do not show any fear of humans. They also spend most of their time on the ground, like mountain gorillas, not in the safety of trees. Finally, Hicks actually did observe these creatures eating the carcass of a dead leopard, though he did not know whether they killed the animal themselves.