In the 1980's Dr. Roy Mackal, Chicago Professor of Biology, organized two expeditions to attempt to find a live African dinosaur. This was motivated by the rumors and eyewitness accounts of African natives to the existence of such Animals.
I have known of the expeditions for many years and mentioned a similar expedition in the first edition of my book, Ammunition in 1991.
Gene and Sandy Thomas - Faithful Missionaries
Recently I had the opportunity to meet and interview missionaries Gene and Sandy Thomas. Gene was the interpreter on both of the Roy Mackal expeditions. He and his wife are veteran missionaries of remarkable sacrifice and very rich in experience. Gene preached the gospel while Sandy provided needed medical help for the natives. God had delivered them from cobra bites to being surrounded by overzealous juvenile Communist militia soldiers with machine guns, set on taking their lives. Their description of the magnificent manifold abundant Grace of God was exciting. My fervent interest in the creation science field brought me to interview Brother Gene on his participation in Dr. Roy Mackal's two expeditions to find a live African dinosaur.
I know that looking for a dinosaur in the 20th century seems unreasonable and unintelligent. The unscriptural propaganda and indoctrination that Satan has brought through the "educational system" in the last 100 years provided fertile ground to reject the idea of dinosaurs in the 20th century.
Consider these important points. God created these animals on the sixth day of creation. There are no "millions of years." Noah would have most certainly taken dinosaur kinds aboard the ark. The large number of different dinosaurs today are the product of overzealous "scientists" trying to make a name for themselves. I believe that some of the "small dinosaurs" are nothing more than young dinosaurs that haven't reached adult maturity and would as adults be classified as a known larger "specie". Looking at pictures of these dinosaurs one could reasonably lump them into a smaller number of Genesis kinds. This small number of kinds would be brought aboard the ark.
As they dispersed from the ark they would have roamed to their natural habitats directed by God given instincts. The jungles of Africa would provide the climate, and a remnant could have understandably survived.
The West Cannot Comprehend the Congo Jungle
Mrs. Thomas shared with me how we in the United States cannot comprehend the vastness and denseness of the Congo Jungle. It's a thousand miles long and five to six hindered miles wide. This dense jungle in the rainy season is a giant swamp containing enormous dense vegetation and deep water filled sink holes that would provide year round camouflage and hiding places for remnant sauropods. The swamp gas alone is enough to keep men out of it. Gene shared with me that he almost lost Dr. Mackal from
Suffocation from this gas.
What Did the Expedition Turn Up?
The expedition did not turn up a live dinosaur, but it did discover a number of facts supporting the possibility:
1. Six month old footprints that could match a dinosaur - The pygmies estimated from their knowledge of tracking animals in the jungle that these tracks were approximately six months old. They were also adamant that the tracks did not belong to hippos or elephant.
2. The discovery of places where the vegetation on the ground was dragged down and the upper canopy torn away as an animal of unusual size was making its way through the jungle to the river and back - Many of the natives say that the creature is so large it frightens off the crocodiles and hippos
3. The testimony of many of the natives to the existence of a number of unusually large and different reptilian animals - These animals have clear characteristics of dinosaurs. When shown pictures of various animals including a sauropod dinosaur, they would point to the dinosaur picture as the unusual animal they have seen. Three of the animals that natives have recognized are named mokele-mbembe, nguma-monene, and mbielu-mbielu-mbielu. Mokele-mbembe means rainbow because of the shape of its long neck in the water.
Missionary Joseph Ellis Gets a Glance at a dinosaur
4. The expedition brought to the public the testimony of missionary Joseph Ellis who in November of 1971 saw an unusual reptilian animal cross the river in front of him. - Joe was in a 30-foot long dugout motoring his way upstream to Mataba to teach the Bible class to the natives. At a place in the river that was about 200 feet wide he saw an animal, which he estimated, was 30 feet long (as long as his dugout) cross the river in front of him. The animal had visible diamond shaped objects down the center of its entire length of its body. It was either swimming or walking on the bottom. (The river bottom was an estimated 15 feet deep.) Most of the animal was submerged and not clearly seen out of the water.
Natives Have Seen the Animal But Fear The Witch Doctor
Upon his arrival, Missionary Ellis excitedly shared the encounter with his Bible class at Mataba. To his amazement there was utter silence. Upon investigation he found that many native had known of the animal and some had seen it, but because of the witch doctor's warnings concerning the creature, no one would talk about it for fear that some terrible thing would happen to them. (This is a clear sign that Satan is trying to keep its discovery quiet.)
5.On one occasion as the expedition was crossing a lake, a submerging animal created a large wave that could not have been produced by any known African animal. - Although this is not proof of anything, none the less a sauropod submerging would most certainly be able to create such a wave.
What Would the Capture of a Dinosaur Prove?
Admittedly the capture of such an animal would have questionable results. The evolutionary world would undoubtedly deny any creation implication. However, there would be some implications for creationists:
1. It would show that over 120 "million years" (a nonsensical time span we most certainly reject) these animals never changed. Yet change should be the law of life if evolution is true. No animal today should have any resemblance in the fossil record. (By the way, the "fossil record" is simply the trapping of animals in the sediment of the Genesis flood that hardened into rocks.)
For example the same chemical agent and radiation that supposedly rearranged the DNA that changed the animal into the turtle is still working on the turtle and eventually that animal should be constantly changing into something else. The turtle should not have a perfect counterpart in the 20th century, yet there are 250 living "species" today. Since the turtles, we are told, were fully developed by the supposed time of the dinosaurs, it has had over "225 million" years minimum to change into a "duddltue" etc. And for the sake of argument if mutational change through the environment brought the turtle into existence, what kept it from changing through the 225 supposed million years of time to the present. After all its DNA is being bombarded constantly by the same agents that brought about its original "mutational form."
We creationists like to bring up the fact of no transitional forms and rightly so, but in reality if the mutation theory is true, everything should be in transition. No animal should exist over time because it is being constantly bombarded by the same chemicals and radiation that supposedly gave rise to its existence.
The Million-Dollar Question
Here's the million-dollar question. - Drums, please. Why did it (the turtle or any other animal that today can be traced to the "fossil record") change to what it became and not change from what it is? Dunt, dunt, dunt, daaaa! And why do we not see any of the changes to what it became in the fossil record (transitional forms.)
2. It would give physical evidence that Noah did take dinosaurs aboard the ark. We don't need such evidence since we have the testimony of the Bible that all land air breathing animals were taken on the ark by pairs, dinosaurs included. It would, however, present a problem for gap theorists that have been indoctrinated by the world's "science" (falsely so called) and therefore, believe that dinosaurs became extinct between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2
3. It would (or should) put serious doubts in the earth history presented by the Geologic Timetable that dinosaurs became extinct 70 million years ago and gave rise to mammals. (In my book I have a chapter to show how this imaginary fairy tale of the Geologic Timetable was constructed. Science had nothing to do with it.)
4. It would be neat to see a remnant of those magnificent animals that God created for His glory.
Conclusion
Let me conclude by saying that I believe very strongly that these animals exist. Supposedly extinct animals are always cropping up. Gene Thomas shared an experience he had aboard an airplane right after his second expedition. On the plane were two professors from major U.S. universities loudly, viciously and openly trying to destroy the reputation of Dr. Roy Mackal and ridicule the expedition. Gene sat for a while and listened and then went back and challenged the men. He said, "I was the interpreter on both expeditions and you don't know what you're talking about."
Then Gene challenged them, "Do either of you know of an animal called an OKAPI?"
They both said, no. This gusty missionary went on to share that this animal was supposed to be extinct and then some Congo natives showed the skin of one to western scientists who immediately said it was a fake. So the natives went in the jungle and brought a live one out. Today there are a number of these animals in major zoos in the United States.
Dinosaurs in the Bible
That men have encountered these supposedly extinct dinosaurs throughout history is a matter of fact. In the book of Job, we have the testimony in chapters 40 and 41 of two descriptions of dinosaurs. Job historically appeared between Noah and Moses. He could not have seen this animal if Noah had not taken them aboard the ark.
Secondly, dinosaurs have appeared throughout the history of men in legends and written testimony to which even astronomer Carl Sagan admitted.
And thirdly, there are testimonies today that these great animals are still alive in the dense jungles of the African Congo.
That Westerners have seen such animals is a matter of fact. In my book Ammunition I have the account of Herman Reguster, a California engineer who testified to five sightings of a "35 foot long animal that was very dinosaur-like in appearance." He saw the animal in the same African Congo that we have been talking about.
A Nugget of Gold in this Article
I believe the largest dinosaurs were seen by those that lived before the flood. One recent fossil was found of a dinosaur at least 170 feet long. Its head would have been about five stories high. In the book of Job God gives this description of leviathan the giant sea creature. "Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?" (Job 41:9-10)
These animals were created to display the wisdom and creative power of God. Brother Gene shared that the wave that hit their dugout was extremely frightening to the natives as they thought of the implications of such a wave. I'm sure these animals before the flood were terrifying. Think of it. If man cannot stand before these animals, how could they stand before the one that created them? Thank God for the blood of Jesus that cleanses us of all unrighteousness and gives us a position in Christ to be able to stand before Him.
