Awesome or Off-Putting is a weekly delve into cryptozoology, ufology, aliens, medical marvels, scientific wonders, secret societies, government conspiracies, cults, ghosts, EVPs, ancient artifacts, strange facts, odd sightings or just the plain unexplainable.

Dinosaurs in today’s world have completely sold out. Instead of gutting each other in magnificent toothy battles, they do boring things like chase after their Jeff Goldbloom-kidnapped babies. It’s enough to convince you they’ve all been neutered.

Now don’t fret, any dinosaurs that are reading this. Your reptilian-equivalent of testosterone can be restored in our eyes if you ravage a rhino or something.

You know, like this…

Normally when we talk about giant reptiles in this column they’re in the form of lizard-men who jump all over people’s cars, and drag human women into caves where they’re forced to lay eggs, and then bury them on a beach close, but not too close, to the ocean.

Today, however, our story is 100% based on actual science and guaranteed non-fiction!

That or just some random guy’s unverifiable account. It’s from 1932, and Wikipedia spills it:

“In 1932 John Johnson (sometimes spelled Johanson), a Swedish plantation owner, was traveling with a servant in the Kasai valley, in the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). They encountered a Rhinoceros, and, while attempting to pass it without detection, were surprised by a large creature rushing out of the undergrowth and attacking the rhinoceros. The servant ran away and Johnson fainted. He awoke to see that the creature was eating the rhinoceros. “It was reddish in color, with blackish-colored stripes,” he said later. “It had a long snout and numerous teeth.” He decided that the creature, 13 m (43 ft) long, was a Tyrannosaurus. He also said “The legs were thick; it reminded me of a lion, built for speed”.”

The dino was called Kasai Rex for this reason or that. As for whether or not said servant ever corroborated the story is unknown. We have a feeling that he definitely did though.

Believe it or not this isn’t the only time a T-rex has been spotted in Africa. A very similar story was told in a magazine that same year (1932). What’s more – in both stories pictures are said to have been taken. The one accompanying this article is from one of those encounters, but we’re not sure which.

Obviously that picture looks like a still from King Kong or something, but since we’re pretty sure the giant ape film was a documentary, that really doesn’t diminish from the pic’s authenticity.

And there you have it. As of 1932 at least one T-rex was still roaming the African wilds, so next time you’re on safari you might consider covering yourself in urine. After all, that’s how the kid survived so long in Jurassic Park 3.

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Tagged as: 1932, Africa, Dinosaur, Kasai Rex, T-rex