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Man-eaters
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  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Quote:5 m and 580 kgs Tomistoma eaten 10 years old child in Arut River, Mendawai Seberang village , West Kotawaringin regency, Central Kalimantan province, Indonésia, 25 Nov 2023  *This image is copyright of its original author Quote:Real shark incident at South Padre Island this summer  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Quote:On November 27, 2024, a resident of South Sulawesi was swallowed by a giant python about 7 meters long. It is reported that the deceased was an adult man named Peco, 30 years old, a villager of Malimbu village, who was killed while working in a palm plantation. Villagers went to the crime scene four kilometers away and took his body out of the snake's stomach.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author Quote:New photos from 2024 from the women eating by one 5 m reticutaled python in Pitu Riawa District of Sidrap Regency, Sulawesi, Indonésia, 7 June 2024  *This image is copyright of its original author TTable with crocodiles attacks from 2000 to 2022 in Brazil  *This image is copyright of its original author Quote:Table with attacks by specie in Brazil details from 2000 to 2022 
ABOUT A MAN-EATING WHITE LION IN THE FORMER NORTHERN RHODESIA (now Zambia)
In the lead post of this thread, I said relations between humans and big cats have always been tense. The main reason is big cats can be dangerous. Every now and then, a big cat develops into a man-eater. When I was in Suriname and Guyana, I heard stories about man-eating jaguars. Although some hunters wrote about man-eating jaguars, books with good information are few and far between. This is not the case for leopards and, in particular, tigers. Jim Corbett and Kenneth Anderson wrote about their adventures in what used to be British India. They were not the only ones writing about man-eating big cats, but their books caught the attention of the general public. Although those who invested a bit of time in getting to an overview agreed tigers in particular have a well-deserved reputation in this department, lions are not to be underestimated. I read quite many books about man-eating lions. Although they operated in some regions more often than in others, there are reliable reports about man-eating lions from most parts of Africa. The video below (16:30 in length) was posted a few days ago by 'Wild World'. The title is 'Chiengi Charly: The man-eating white lion'. Here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kv3H9tpff8A The main character, an oldish light-coloured male, operated near the village of Changi. This village, located in a remote part of what used to be 'Northern Rhodesia' (now Zambia), had quite a reputation on account of those involved in witchcraft. Not a few District Commissioners, also as a result of the isolation, had to be replaced because of serious mental problems. In the first decade of the previous century, a villager was killed, and consumed, by a male lion. Those who saw the lion noticed his remarkable size and colour. Although he roamed over a quite large territory, he often returned to the village of Changi. One Commissioner, Dunbar, actually tried to hunt him. One time, he was able to follow him to a kind of depression. It had a lot of tall grass and large boulders, offering the lion a lot of cover. Dunbar tried to organise a beat, but the villagers, also as a result of superstition, declined. Some time later, Dunbar was transferred to another station. In spite of that, he continued to visit the village every now and then. The last time he did, he offered the villagers a bit of advice when he left. That same night, three men in a hut made of mud heard a loud thud. They quickly understood the lion was trying to enter the hut. When the hole he had made was large enough to get his head in, he was struck by a spear and left. Unfortunately, it wasn't the start of a change. A few days later, the lion returned with back-up (...). The coalition was determined to get a result and a result they got. In the end, to make a long story short, the coalition of three male lions was destroyed by a trapgun. That is to say, two males were killed. One of them was the old man-eater. Today, many assume, the situation is no doubt different. I mean, the number of lions sharply decreased, the number of people sharply increased and rifles are everywhere. True, but big cats still kill, and consume, people. I'm not only referring to India, Nepal, Sumatra and, as of late, some districts in the Russian Far East. In some parts of Africa, lions still kill dozens of people every year. The best way to protect wild big cats, and humans, apart from large, well-stocked reserves and anti-poaching teams, is to relocate villages. Humans and wild big cats do not mix. They are able to coexist to a degree for some time, but when a disease, a crop failure or a poacher strikes, things can change quickly. Not every big cat that killed and consumed a human will develop into a man-eater, but some will continue to turn to man when problems erupt and starvation strikes once again. That's still without big cats that survived the bullet of a poacher. The comments say 'Wild World' posted different videos about man-eaters. I didn't see them, but can tell you this one isn't bad. In order to progress, however, more detailed information, more (reliable) sources and more time are needed. It always is about the details in the end. To finish the post a few remarks about 'witchcraft' and 'superstition'. Although they may appear to be casual, they're not. Far from it, in fact. I'm, to be sure, not involved in religion and do not consider myself as a 'believer' of any kind. Furthermore, I do not read books about the occult. In spite of that, I've seen, and experienced, way too many things strongly suggesting life is much more complicated than many assume. A result of visiting wild places and talking to those who lived there for a long time? To a degree. But in my experience it isn't very different in the western hemisphere. There's a lot of 'unknown' knowledge. As a result of the conditions we created, we only use a fraction of it. Most of it is difficult to capture in words, let alone understand. But it's there. No question. Jim Corbett knew and acted accordingly. |
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