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.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 ?
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
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.
