Kooloo-kamba

Kooloo-kamba (or koola-kamba) is a species of hominid, compared to the chimpanzee (P. troglodytes), which was said to exist in central Africa in mid-nineteenth century reports from the mountainous regions of the upper Ovenga (Doubanga) River, in what would become the French Congo in subsequent decades, and is today part of Gabon. The species is so-called for its distinctive cry of "kooloo," as described by Paul B. Du Chaillu in his book Explorations and Adventures in Equatorial Africa (1861).

Accounts

 * "'The cry of the kooloo-kamba,' says Du Chaillu, 'is very different from that of the T. calvus and Chimpanzee, resembling the syllables 'Kooloo,' which I have heard, and from which it derived its name among the natives, — 'Kamba' meaning 'to speak' among one tribe; other tribes give to the animal only the name of 'Kooloo.' 'This Ape was killed by me in the Ashankolo mountains. As I was returning to our camp, I heard the cry of 'Kooloo Kooloo,' and asked my guide what it was; he said it was a kind of 'man of the woods,' which I had not seen before called 'Kooloo-Kamba.' It was then too dark to go in search of the animal, but a little before day light next morning we got up and went toward the place where the Ape had retired for the night. Daylight had nearly appeared, and I began to fear that the animal had left, when I was suddenly startled by the cry of 'Kooloo, Kooloo!' I looked above and saw the animal on the tree on which it had spent the night, and there killed it. 'It is very seldom this animal comes so near the coast, and as we brought it to the camp it was a great object of wonder to the men. It is said to live in the country much farther toward the mountains of the interior. The stomach contained nothing but vegetable food.'"