African Lion - Legend Of The Tsavo Man Eaters

” translates to “Place of Slaughter” which isPossible. During the 1890s rinderpest (disease) killed
aptly named if true. Between Lt. Col John Patterson,millions of buffalo, zebra, gazelle and other wildlife in
who was building a railway bridge over the TsavoSub Saharan Africa, so food was still limited and the
River during 1898, who hunted a wide variety ofworkers provided an easy source of food.
wildlife extensively, and the 2 Tsavo lions thatTheory 4: An injury of some sort caused the lion to
allegedly killed and ate over 130 Indian workers theattack humans
name certainly fits the bill.Possible. It is said that one of the lion had a broken
During a period of 9 months the Tsavo lions huntedmolar and an abscess had developed underneath it.
those working on the bridge despite bomas (fencesThat means it would have been painful for the lion to
built from thorn tree branches) built in an attempt toeat the tough skin and meat of wildlife such as
keep the lions out, as well as lighting fires at night.buffalo. The second lion of course, would have been
The attacks came mainly at night when the lionshunting together with the lion who had the abscess.
would enter a tent and drag out the unfortunateTheory 5: Unburied bodies or shallow graves
victim and then proceed to devour him nearby.attracted the lion this area
Work ground to a halt on the bridge when thePossible. Railroad workers who die may have been
workers all fled in fear. Lt. Col John Patterson, afterburied in a shallow grave, or not at all. This would
many attempts, shot the first lion on Dec 9, 1898have attracted the lions to scavenge for an easy
and 3 weeks later the second. The maneless lionsmeal, and then perhaps target live humans. Slave and
measured 3m long from nose to the tip of the tail.ivory caravans heading for Zanzibar also frequently
After the lions were shot and killed the crewcrossed the Tsavo River in this area, possibly also
returned to the bridge and completed the project.dumping the bodies of their dead without burying
Why did these lions become man-eaters? Differentthem.
theories abound, so let’s have a look at someLion are opportunistic creatures, as are the majority
of them.of predators, and when a combination of factors
Theory 1: The lack of manes on the Tsavo lionscome into play, the above scenario is easy to
proved there was something wrong with them.imagine. To this day, where man and predators live in
No, actually Kenya is known for its’ manelessclose proximity there are incidents of lion calling
lions, which may be genetic. One of the theories forhumans. In Tanzania, most of the man- eating lions
the lack of manes in these lions is the incredible heathave been healthy animals living in close proximity to
during the summer season. A thick mane in this heatman and domestic animals such as goats and ducks
could seriously hinder their hunting activity. Thewhich are easy prey for lion. Then add into the mix a
primary reason lion have a mane is to protect itslocal farmer guarding his crops from marauding
neck during fighting for territory with other male lions.animals at night while lion are hunting, and incidents
Theory 2: The Tsavo lions killed for pleasureare going to inevitable.
No, unlike the movie where scores of people wereThe other theory is that hunting humans can be a
killed in one scene, the lion would take a victim and“taught behavior” and the problem will persist
leave to eat. A wild animals prime instinct is foruntil the entire pride is eliminated. What is interesting
survival. Lions may kill enemies such as hyena, oris that man eaters will never return to the same
having fought off the resident male he may kill theplace two days in a row. Lion in Tanzania have been
existing cubs in the pride.known to break through the mud walls of huts or
Theory 3: Scarcity of food caused the lions to seeforce their way through the roof to get to a victim,
humans as preyand then drag them away.