Gef the talking mongoose... real or hoax?

We humans like to flatter ourselves that through our understanding of science, we can unlock the mysteries of the natural world. Mysteries that our ancestors once attributed to supernatural phenomena can now be explained away by the moon's orbit or movement of tectonic plates deep underground or the action of microorganisms that are invisible to the naked eye. Of course, despite our increasing mastery of science, many mysteries continue to elude us. Gef the Talking Mongoose is one example. 

In 1931, a wild mongoose turned up at the home of a poor English family. He was reciting nursery rhymes. Apparently this is unusual behavior for a mongoose, or any other small carnivorous mammal, for that matter. The family began feeding him, and he stayed. He also expanded his repertoire beyond nursery rhymes to include normal conversation and, when he was in a bad mood, swearing. The family called him Gef.

There were some witnesses to Gef and his verbal outbursts, including one research who claimed that Gef communicated with him. There were many more people who visited Gef's alleged home but didn't see or hear the mongoose. Paranormal researchers also visited, which perpetuated the idea that the voice wasn't actually coming from a talking mongoose but from a ghost.

Today, nearly a century later, those fascinated by Gef continue to speculate about the talking mongoose. Was he the real deal – an animal that somehow managed to learn and repeat human speech? Or was he nothing but a hoax? Alternatively, as some have suggested, was he the product of the imagination of the family's young daughter? Of course, there are still those who insist that Gef was a supernatural phenomenon caused by the possession of an animal or a ghost.

If you're interested in Gef and other tales of the unexplained, you might want to check out Ghosts, Apparitions, and Poltergeists: An Exploration of the Supernatural through History or if you're looking for a perfect gift for the child in your life who can't get enough of the spooky stuff, try There's Something Under the Bed: Children's Experiences with the Paranormal. If Gef were alive today, he'd probably tell you that truth is stranger than fiction.