Nunda

The nunda, or mngwa, is said to be a great feline lurking in the jungles of Tanzania, its size and strength considerably greater than any lion’s. Interestingly enough, hair samples of the creature were used to confirm the fact that it is indeed a new species of carnivorous mammal.

In 1922, William Hichens, Native Magistrate of Lindi, brought the creature to the attention of the European press for the first time, based on the accounts of several of his subjects whoclaimed to have been attacked by it. Scottish hunter Patrick Bowen attempted to hunt the creature during the 1920s; he failed, but nevertheless he was convinced by the animal’s tracks and hair samples that this was no species known to science. Given the rather large number of attacks on humans in the area, there have been many hunting expeditions since then – none of which has been successful yet.