What Is Mpisimbi, The Strange African Leopard-Hyena Cryptid?

The Mpisimbi is a rare and mysterious animal said to live in the thick forests of East and Central Africa. People have described it as a strange predator with features of both big cats and scavengers, making it one of Africa’s most puzzling cryptids.

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Overview

Attribute	Details
Name	Mpisimbi
Aliases	Leopard-hyena, Nsui-fisi (regional equivalent)
Cryptid Credibility Index	Low to Moderate
Threat Level	Predatory; known to raid crops and livestock
Habitat	East and Central African forests and scrublands
Height / Weight Range	Estimated 2–3 feet (60–90 cm) at the shoulder; 100–150 lbs (45–68 kg)
Physical Traits	Feline build, leopard-like spotting, robust hyena-like features
Core Sighting Corridor	Central Africa and the East African interior
First Sighting	Documented in the early 20th century (c. 1927)
Species	Felid (unidentified)
Type	Terrestrial, nocturnal predator
Movement	Quadrupedal; agile hunter
Behavior & Traits	Elusive, crop-raiding, primarily carnivorous but known to consume sugar cane
Evidence	Eyewitness accounts and hunter reports
Possible Explanations	King cheetah variation, misidentified leopard, or extinct feline strain
Status	Actively debated; no recent confirmed sightings

Who or What Is Mpisimbi?

The Mpisimbi is an unknown predator reported by both local people and European explorers in Africa. It is often called a “leopard-hyena” because it looks like both animals. Unlike most big cats, it is said to eat crops such as sugarcane and grains.

Captain William Hichens brought attention to the Mpisimbi after hearing stories about it during his travels. Unlike other African cryptids often thought to be prehistoric, the Mpisimbi is usually seen as a biological oddity, possibly a unique subspecies of a known cat or a rare genetic variant that science has not yet classified.

What Does Mpisimbi Look Like?

People describe the Mpisimbi as having a cat-like shape, about the size of a large leopard. Its fur is said to have spots or rosettes. Still, the pattern is usually denser or longer than a typical leopard’s. The most noticeable feature is its head, which is said to be stronger and more sloped, similar to a hyena.

Some reports say the animal has strong jaws and a thick neck. Although it mainly eats meat, the Mpisimbi is also known for using its teeth to break tough plant stalks. Its tracks look like those of other big African cats, but the prints are sometimes deeper, which suggests it is heavier.

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Habitat

The Mpisimbi is believed to live in the dense scrublands and forests of Central and East Africa. These areas give a night-hunting animal plenty of places to hide from people. The land is full of thick plants, river forests, and fields near farms, where the creature is said to steal crops.

These regions have a tropical climate, with high humidity and heavy rainfall during certain seasons. This environment supports many prey animals, but also makes it hard to track or study the Mpisimbi. The animal is thought to be very territorial, living in remote areas with few people. Still, it sometimes sneaks onto farms at night.

Mpisimbi Sightings

There are only a few recorded reports of the Mpisimbi, mostly from the early 1900s.

Date	Place	Witness Details	Description	Reliability
c. 1927	East Africa	Captain William Hichens	A leopard-hyena observed raiding sugar cane	Moderate: Experienced hunter
Early 1900s	Central Africa	Local guides and trackers	A spotted predator with a thick neck and hyena-like head	Low: Oral tradition

Captain William Hichens (East Africa, 1927)

The main written records about the Mpisimbi come from Captain William Hichens, a British colonial officer who worked in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) in the 1920s.

Hichens, who sometimes used the name “Fulahn,” was an experienced hunter. He often had to track and stop lions and leopards that threatened villages. He learned about the Mpisimbi legend while working in the East African interior.

In 1927, Hichens wrote a piece titled “On the Trail of the Brontosaurus,” in which he described several mysterious animals from the area. He called the Mpisimbi a “leopard-hyæna” and said it stood out because of its strange eating habits.

Hichens said the animal was a danger to livestock and also a “raider of grain and sugarcane.” This surprised him, since leopards and hyenas do not usually eat crops.

Hichens said he tried to hunt the Mpisimbi several times but never caught it. Even though he was a skilled hunter, the animal was very hard to find and only showed up at the edges of his trips.

He said he never caught a specimen, but local people insisted the Mpisimbi was different from the more common nsui-fisi (the king cheetah variant). His main reason for studying the animal was to help protect local crops from what seemed to be a smart and adaptable predator.

Evidence & Investigations

Most of the evidence for the Mpisimbi comes from eyewitness stories and local folklore. There are no photos, bones, or DNA linked to the animal. Captain Hichens’ reports from the 1920s are the main written records, and he noted that local tribes saw the Mpisimbi as different from the usual leopard (Panthera pardus) and spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta).

Cryptozoologists like Karl Shuker have looked into these claims by comparing them to known animals. They often ask if the Mpisimbi could be a mistaken identity or a rare mutation. Even after several trips into the African interior in the mid-1900s, no physical evidence has been found to support the claim that it is a separate species.

Theories

The King Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) Genetic Variant

One of the main scientific theories is that the Mpisimbi was actually a local group of king cheetahs. In the early 1900s, people thought the king cheetah was a separate species, possibly a mix between a leopard and a hyena, because of its unusual coat with big stripes and thick fur.

This matches what people say about the Mpisimbi’s appearance. In some parts of East Africa, the same local name was used for both the king cheetah and the Mpisimbi. Since Western science did not recognize the king cheetah as just a genetic mutation until 1981, people like Hichens probably thought they were seeing a totally new species.

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The “Nsuifisi” or Anomalous Hyena Theory

One local theory from Tanganyika claims that the Mpisimbi was a special type of hyena, possibly now extinct, that learned to act more like a cat. This idea comes from its strong, sloped back and thick neck, which are typical of hyenas.

But reports that the animal could climb and had a cat-like face do not fit with normal hyena behavior. Some researchers think it might have been a Spotted Hyena with a rare skin condition or mutation that changed its spots to look like rosettes, making people think it was a mix of animals.

The Berg-Lieu or Mountain Leopard Theory

This theory says the Mpisimbi was a type of leopard that lived in high forests and developed a heavier body and new eating habits to survive in certain East African climates. Unlike leopards from the savanna, these forest cats may have raided farms for crops like sugar cane because they needed extra food or saw an easy chance.

The theory also suggests that the animal looked like a hyena because it had a thicker coat and stronger front legs, which are traits seen in other cats that live in the mountains.

Surviving Dinofelis or Machairodont

A less common theory has that the Mpisimbi might have been a remnant group of Dinofelis, a type of “false saber-toothed cat” that lived in Africa until the early Ice Age. These animals were bigger and stronger than today’s leopards, with shorter, stronger legs and thick necks, which could explain why people thought they looked like hyenas.

Most scientists believe Dinofelis has been extinct for over a million years. However, some people think the thick, unexplored jungles of Central Africa could have been a last hiding place for a small group that disappeared in the 1900s.

Comparison with Other Similar Cryptids

Cryptid	Region	Appearance	Primary Behavior
Nunda	Tanzania	Giant grey cat	Predatory attacks on humans
Mngwa	East Africa	Stalking cat-like beast	Nocturnal hunting
Dingonek	Kenya	Walrus-headed feline	Aquatic and terrestrial
Onza	Mexico	Leggy, cougar-like cat	Elusive predator
Queensland Tiger	Australia	Striped feline	Arboreal hunter
Water Lion	Central Africa	Aquatic predator	Attacking hippopotamuses
Beast of Gevaudan	France	Wolf-like large cat	Mass killings of livestock
Marozi	Kenya	Spotted forest lion	High-altitude dwelling

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Is Mpisimbi Real?

Whether the Mpisimbi really existed is still debated among cryptozoologists. Without physical evidence like fur or bones, most scientists do not accept it as a real species. Still, the detailed reports from skilled hunters like Captain Hichens make the story more believable than many other legends.

It is possible that the Mpisimbi was a real animal. Still, it was probably a rare type of cheetah or a leopard that people misidentified. The story of the Mpisimbi reminds us of how much of Africa’s wildlife was unknown in the early colonial days. Without new evidence, the Mpisimbi remains a mystery from the past.