Basenji Schensi Africa Dog

 

Basenji Information worth knowing

           

 

 

 

 

BASENJI HOMELAND

 

 

 

In 1868/71 the explorer Dr. Georg Schweinfurth discovered dogs in Central Africa in the area Bahr-el-Ghasal.  The Africa explorer Dr. Georg Schweinfurth brought the  reliable first report about Basenjis to the western world and the drawing below. Pure bred basenjis have become very seldom in their homeland. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basenji     

 

 

 

Azande Camp ( Niam Niam )

Basenjis in their natural surroundings

1871 Georg Schweinfurth   Im Herzen von Afrika

 

 

1882 Sir Harry Hamilton Johnston found similar dogs that never barked in an expedition from the mouth of the Congo to Bolobo which he described as the Basenjis as we know it.

 

 

Vegetation Map Africa        Deep Green  Tropic Rainforest

Quelle: R. van Chi-Bonnardel, Grand atlas du Continent africain (Paris 1973).

 

 

In their homeland Basenjis inhabit two different climate zones, the savannah and the rain forest. The coat of Basenjis differs according to climate conditions. Some Basenjis develop a thicker fur than those who do not need it. Through targeted breeding, these differences unfortunately and gradually getting lost.

 

 

 

Savannah                                   Rainforest

 

 

 

The White Nile runs through the Bahr-el-Ghasal region and forms the Sudd swamps. The Nile tributary Bahr al-Arab represents the northwestern part of the border to North Sudan. Sudan is characterized in the north by savannah and arid forests and in the south by the Ituri rain forest. The Azande mainly live on the riverbanks of the Ubangi and Uele in the Ituri rain forest. In both this areas Basenjis were discovered in the 19. century by Africa explorers. 

The savannah is a tropical ecosystem, characterized by open growth ( grass lands )and quite regularly spaced trees. They occupy the transition between the arid Passat winds area and the tropical rain forest region. As a result, the vegetation of the savannah is  between the extremes of dessert and tropical forest. Because of the midyear rainfalls, Savannahs are a mixture of green vegetation in the summer and little growth during the arid times. Evergreen tropical forest developed on all continents on both sides of the equator up to 10. degree of latitude, but, mainly in South America and Oceania, also beyond that. The largest contiguous area is the Amazonas region; it covers about half of all tropical rain forest. Other large rain forest are found in the Congo Basin and Indonesia. Wikipedia  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

 

 

   

 

Natural environment is the Ituri Rainforest. The Rainforest is threatened.

You can help.

wwf.org/ 

  wwf.de/regionen/kongo-becken/steckbrief-regenwald/

 

 

Dzanga Sangha Special Reserve

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dzanga-Sangha_Special_Reserve

 

 

Basenji search. Did you find the Basenjis and one puppy ? 

 cocan.de 

 

 

Basenjis were used by men as helpers and during a hunt occasionally are fed some unwanted bits of meat. They have to be able to independently take care of their food and survival.

 

 

The dwarfs from the Congo   Pygmies   and Basenjis as hunting dogs

1930   Photo P. Schebesta

   

 

 

 Tiki Tiki   Photo  The complete Basenji by Elspet Ford

In 1956 obtained by Dr. Chapin from the pygmies of the Ituri Rainforest

 

 

 

 

W. Uhl  Expeditionen zu den Pygmäen am Kongo Vlg. Pietsch  

  

1986 

 

 

 

Pictures from Schensi Basenjis

Photos courtesy of Jiri Rotter

 

 

schensi.ch/schensis.htm

 

 

1990 imported Schensi Basenjis from Togo of the Efe 

 

 

Hazda hunter,Basenji with hunting success

 

Basenji and a herdsman

savannah hunting dogs with success

 

  

Basenji Schensi Puppies in Africa   Foto A.Bachmann

 

 

Basenjis as helping hunting dogs with wooden bells

 

1972 Photo Armin Heymer

 

 

Basenji and  Efe pygmy

Photos courtesy William F Wheeler 1990

 

 

 

The breeding dog Basenji worldwide today.

Basenjis have all instincts  very well compatible for their natural  homeland  in freedom. But they are not very well conformist to high tech civilization. Cars, streetcars and train are no danger in their mind. He still can provide his own food and find anything edible; look out for poison and spoiled food.  Therefore it's so important to feed them appropriate natural food to the species. Basenjis learn very quickly to do what we want, but then often do  as they like, because they are independent dogs. Take it easy and don’t worry. Start very early by training your Basenji and be consequent. In his natural surrounding the basenji is not accustomed to stay alone because he live beneath the people in freedom. Give the Basenji a chance to learn to cope with modern civilization. These intelligent dog need mental training and a lot of exercise. You should like to learn the  basenji language, that makes the life with Basenjis easy going.

 

The world-famous Basenji expert Miss Veronica Tudor-Williams wrote an article (Journal of the Society for the Preservation of the Fauna of the Empire, Nr.54) on the Basenjis of Central Africa and called them a "living fossils". She wrote: "It would be a tragedy if these canines of such ancient lineage, having maintained their identity over numerous centuries, would now be lost to us forever as a consequence of expanding civilization".

 

I want to add, it is my concern that the Basenjis be not bred with purely optical fashionable or commercial goals in mind.  The first must for the breeder is to have the health in mind.

It is our opinion that the BASENJI is perfect since thousand of years.

 

 

 

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