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The vassoko was a tigre de montagne reported from Birao in the Central African Republic's Vakaga Prefecture,[1] often synonymised with the gassingrâm,[2] which was reported from Ouanda Djallé, on the very edge of Birao.
According to M. H. R Maudry, Governor of the Birao Autonomous District and informant of Bernard Heuvelmans, who gathered information on the vassoko, it is a big feline the size of a horse, with a head which is held rather low, small, dog-like ears, and very long fangs. The colour of its pelt is unclear, but, just like the gassingrâm, it is said to have phosphorescent eyes, which "illuminate like lighthouses". Some informants claimed that it has very hairy legs which erase its tracks; others ascribed this function to its bushy tail. It lives in caves in the heart of the mountains, and bellows like an elephant. It is a predatory animal and "very mean", and is said to be able to carry its prey on its back. According to some accounts, it is followed by clouds of some kind of butterfly.[1]
Maudry's informants included two Africans, one of whom was a poacher, who claimed to have seen the animal. One of his European interpreters also saw a feline he could not identify about fifty kilometres from Birao in around 1940, but it was not the same size as the vassoko was alleged to be.[1]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Heuvelmans, Bernard & Rivera, Jean-Luc & Barloy, Jean-Jacques (2007) Les Félins Encore Inconnus d’Afrique, Les Editions de l'Oeil du Sphinx, ISBN 978-2914405430
- ↑ Eberhart, George M. (2002) Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology, ABC-CLIO, Inc., ISBN 1576072835