The alleged encounter happened in 1959 while Van Lierde was flying a helicopter over the Katanga Province in the then Belgian Congo. During an interview two decades later on Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World, he described seeing an immense snake, greenish-brown in color, stretching close to 50 feet long.
The creature, he claimed, raised its head 3 meters into the air and appeared to assess the chopper as potential prey. “If I had been in its range, it would have struck at me,” Van Lierde said. The head, he added, looked like “a very large horse,” with a triangular jaw wide enough to swallow a human whole.
Despite the wildness of the claim, Van Lierde’s standing as a World War II veteran and experienced pilot gave the story traction. He insisted his training allowed him to accurately judge size from the air. He even captured a black-and-white photograph of the snake, though the image is fuzzy and lacks reliable scale.
A Photo, a Pilot, and an Oversized Reptile
The myth owes much of its longevity to the aura surrounding Van Lierde. As an officer in the Belgian Air Force, he was a man many found difficult to dismiss. According to IFLScience, Van Lierde told producers that the snake’s head was nearly a meter long and that it “could have easily eaten a man.” These claims, combined with his calm and serious demeanor on air, led viewers and enthusiasts to take notice.
But despite decades of retellings, no second witness, physical evidence, or supporting reports have emerged. The only available image shows a snake-like shape in the undergrowth, but without context, scale, or verification. Even cryptozoologists—who are usually quick to chase extraordinary leads—admit that this particular story rests more on charisma than substance.
The Photographof the giant snake taken by Van Lierde’s companion – © Wikimedia / Wikipedia
No Match in Known Snake Biology
Biologists have identified several large snakes in Central Africa, but none approach the dimensions Van Lierde described. The largest verified species in the region is the African rock python, which often exceeds 3 meters in length and, in rare cases, has been recorded at 6 meters. This is a far cry from the supposed 15-meter serpent.
To date, no reputable field study or herpetological record has reported a snake anywhere near that size, in Congo or elsewhere. The physiology of such a creature would also present significant biological challenges, particularly in terms of mobility, prey capture, and temperature regulation—issues that remain unanswered in the giant snake narrative.
Myths of the Congo Basin Endure
The legend of the Congo snake fits within a broader context of mystery animals said to inhabit the region’s vast and poorly mapped jungles. One of the best-known is mokele-mbembe, a swamp-dwelling beast described as resembling a sauropod dinosaur. These stories are often based on fragmented sightings, secondhand reports, and cultural folklore.
Some scientists speculate that these creatures are likely elephants or rhinos seen through the dense vegetation, misinterpreted in moments of poor visibility or stress. Others suggest these tales may have colonial roots, where European explorers filtered unfamiliar wildlife through the lens of mythology and exoticism.