Man-Eaters

Man-Eaters - Page 1&2:Why Cats Attack | 3&4: The Real Facts | 5&6: Jim Corbett | 7&8: The Sundarbans |
9&10: Dudhwa Tiger Reserve | 11&12: Reducing Attacks | 13&14: Tiger Attack Stories

The true figures for man-eaters:

It is a fact that only three out of every one thousand tigers will resort to attacking people, making their reputation as a man-eater quite inaccurate.

It is also a fact that even this low number of man-eaters has been enough to make the tiger responsible for more human deaths than any other predator.


Snakebite:

Other animals also cause large numbers of deaths; these are just not as well-publicised as tiger attacks:

For every one person killed by a tiger one hundred die from snakebite.

Lion attacks on man:

One of the best-known episodes of repeated lion attack occurred in Kenya in 1898. Rail construction was going on about 40 miles north of Tsavo National Park when two lions began killing the workers. Twenty-six Indians and a similar number of Africans lost their lives before the lions were shot.

In 1932, another famous series of attacks commenced in Tanzania near the southern town of Njombe.

It took until 1947 to kill the final 15 lions from the pride and by this time over 1,000 people had been killed, with some being eaten. The lions of Njombe were a particularly interesting case as there seemed no obvious reason why they should start attacking man; their normal prey was in abundance and the cats were healthy. 

Barren ground grizzly bears:

These animals are noted among Carnivora experts for their ferocity. In the year 2000 there were 10 deaths in Alaska due to the barren ground grizzly.

Though the figure may sound low, this must be considered in conjunction with  the very small human population around this area. 



It is considered that, given the same human population base as the tiger encounters, the barren ground grizzly could rival the tiger for human attacks. Experts think the grizzly does not view man as prey, but simply doesn't like them; this alone provides enough reason for attack.

In the tiger's favour:
    • Tigers are more easily scared away from attacking humans than most lions, especially if they are unfamiliar with people and have not learnt how easy humans are to catch and kill.
    • Unlike the leopard, even established man-eating tigers will seldom enter human settlements.

    Most attacks are still a simple case of someone accidentally surprising a tiger, which then retaliates in self-defence, through fear, or because it has cubs to protect.

    Other attacks come about when a tiger begins hunting domestic stock; often the first human victim is a herdsman protecting his animals. The cat may then learn that people are easy prey.  

     (Continued Page 4)

Man-Eaters - Page 1&2:Why Cats Attack | 3&4: The Real Facts | 5&6: Jim Corbett | 7&8: The Sundarbans |
9&10: Dudhwa Tiger Reserve | 11&12: Reducing Attacks | 13&14: Tiger Attack Stories

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Photography With Thanks To John White (Photos 1-6)
Media Graphics (Photos 7-8)
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