The first Basenjis arrived in England in 1936 from the African Congo, where they had been used as an all purpose hunter working by sight and by scent.

However their history extends back to the time of the Pharaohs and paintings in their tombs bear a similar resemblance to the breed. Gazelle like in his elegance and with a stylish, swinging stride, he is catlike in his cleanliness and has no bark which is replaced by a yodelling sound.