The Agogwe
Hunters in East Africa told of small, upright, reddish-haired figures walking through the forest.
What was reported
The agogwe is a small, ape-like creature reported in East Africa, especially Tanzania, said to be around 1 to 1.5 metres tall, walking upright, with reddish-brown hair. In 1937 the British officer William Hichens wrote that he had seen two while hunting years earlier, and others reported similar sightings.
Some local traditions in the region describe little forest people.
Explanations offered
Zoologists suggest the sightings were of baboons, chimpanzees or other primates seen briefly, or of people. Some cryptozoologists imagine an African equivalent of the small human species found on Flores, for which there's no evidence.
- When
- Reported in the early 1900s
- Where
- Western Tanzania
- Witnesses
- Hunters and colonial officers
- Status
- Unconfirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.