Wolves Killing People
2. Attacks On Humans
The Beast Of Gevaudan
One of the most extraordinary stories of wolf attack comes from 18th century France. Under the appellation the 'Beast of Gevaudan', a wolf stood accused of killing more than one hundred people, partly eating many of them, and wounding fifty more, in over two hundred attacks.
The Gevaudan wolf affair drew a lot of attention at the time, is one of the most documented historical records of wolf attack on humans, and is revered and embellish in books and films as a jolly good story:
"The grim wolf stalked across the land, a form of death, invulnerable himself, and all his trail was red with human blood." Seton (1937)
Gevaudan
The killings took place in the rural and mountainous district of Gevaudan in the Auvergne region of south central France during three years from 1764 in an area of 700 square kilometres (270 square miles). The local inhabitants were shocked and made afraid by the happenings. Not only did hunters try to track down and kill the wolf but troops were called in to scour the province and even nobility mustered themselves to have a go.
Several wolves were killed in the area over the years but the attacks carried on. Eventually two wolves were killed and both were claimed to be the Gevaudan wolf. They were said to be 'especially large' and had unusually coloured pelages for wolves. Survivors of the wolf attacks identified the first wolf as the Gevaudan wolf by the wounds on the animal's corpse, which they had inflicted when defending themselves. But the body of the second corpse was also identified as the Gevaudan wolf from the human remains found in the stomach.
Controversy
There will always be controversy and speculation about the Gevaudan wolf which will never be fully resolved. Two questions are, was the beast really a wolf, and were all the deaths caused by the same animal or by several animals?
The apparently large size and coat coloration of the two wolves assumed to be the Gevaudan wolf gave rise to notions at the time that they were not 'true' wolves but wolf-dog hybrids: wolves crossed with local shepherd dogs. But could the attacks have been the work of an altogether different animal, perhaps a hyaena escaped from a zoo? Some of the deaths might even have been murders. Was an 18th century serial killer at work?
Many people researching the case over the years believe that the two beasts with unusual pelage were indeed wolf-dog hybrids and that one or more beasts were probably involved in many of the human deaths.
Detection
Accounts of wolf attacks in past times were never thoroughly investigated when they happened nor verified beyond a reasonable doubt. Nowadays an alleged wolf-kill on a human would be treated in the same manner as a criminal investigation. Precautions would be taken at the scene to preserve as much evidence as possible; remains of victims would be autopsied; blood on clothes analysed; nearby tracks and prints measured; foreign hairs found on the victim scrutinised under a microscope; witnesses traced and interviewed to corroborate independently what happened, and a thorough report prepared.
So what can we make of reported wolf attacks when there is no proper documentation? While some historical accounts may indeed be true wolf attacks, others are suspect, and some may be false. Historical and even more recent accounts must be thoroughly analysed and weighed up, otherwise we have little way of telling their truthfulness. Fortunately, two recently published studies have done this for us and stand out as important ground breaking research in their scope and depth:
This is the first comprehensive and detailed research of reported attacks around the world by wild wolves on humans, taking in North America and Europe through to India and touching on China and Japan.
This is a case history of wolf-human interactions in 20th century Alaska and Canada - where nearly half the world's wolf population lives.
Let us review both reports.
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