Maneaters of Tsavo: Follow Up and Questions

[HookMeUpII]

I just finished listening to JH Patterson's Maneaters of Tsavo (and other African Adventures) on Spotify. First off, great book. Seems to go in chronological order of events. The Tsavo happenings are about 30-40% of the book and the rest is Patterson's adventures in-country concurrently and thereafter. Seems like the maneater occurrences happened just as he arrived in country.

So the burning question I have: Were man-eating cats really that big of an issue back in the turn of the 20th century and such? Why don't we have these issues now?

The book addresses the man-eating pair, but in his mentioning after, there were several other problematic lions in various locales. Wasn't like it just the two old, exiled/injured males had their fun.

Interestingly enough, the Indian tiger, Chimpawat, killed about 400 souls around that time in India/Nepal as well. I am currently in the middle of "No Beast so Fierce." Jim Corbett is the savior there. That tiger apparently had a poacher bullet in it which rendered it injured.

I just can't seem to understand how these issues don't present themselves currently? Maybe it was just the influx of Europeans back then was so new and created crowding? Maybe we know enough now? Are we just smarter to not get eaten?

 

[Brent in Az]

There are less then 4,000 tigers left in India. Approx 40-50 people are killed by them every year, excluding any attacks that may not get reported accurately.
There were approx 40,000 tigers back in Jim Corbetts day.

 

[HookMeUpII]

There are less then 4,000 tigers left in India. Approx 40-50 people are killed by them every year, excluding any attacks that may not get reported accurately.
There were approx 40,000 tigers back in Jim Corbetts day.

Makes sense. I assume the same situations with lions?

 

[John Wasmuth]

They do occur, frequently I hear, although it isn’t a grand idea to advertise such shenanigans as getting eaten by any of the assorted wooly buggers in Africa be it lions, crocodiles, hyenas, etc., bad for tourism

 

[HookMeUpII]

They do occur, frequently I hear, although it isn’t a grand idea to advertise such shenanigans as getting eaten by any of the assorted wooly buggers in Africa be it lions, crocodiles, hyenas, etc., bad for tourism

I've sort of come to hear this as well. The one constant in Africa: You should probably stay away from larger bodies of water. Nothing good ever seems to happen on the banks.

The whole not wandering around at night seems like a good idea too.

 

[PerH]

@Hunter-Habib

There is more attacks of them going around in the regions where they occur and not only India have tiger attacks .

 

[Hunter-Habib]

The pages below are from Chapter VI of my autobiography. Hopefully, it will provide some insight into human-wildlife conflict involving Royal Bengal tigers in our part of the world.

It also details the reasons why Royal Bengal tigers become man eaters. The same reasons also apply to lions & leopards in Asia & Africa.

 

[saswart]

Go read up on the man-eaters of Njombe -George Rushby, read “The hunter is death” by TV Bulpin if you want a book on it. By far worse and more people than Tsavo. Patterson and the fact that the Tsavo lions targeted the Indian railway workers, who was building the track for the British, made them more notorious…

Then there are the various man-eaters of the Kruger (all contained in various books of KNP game rangers).

Then there is Mfuwe, and few lesser known. It still happens today, but I believe with modern technology and ease to notify authorities etc, they are quickly killed as PAC animals before it escalates such as Njombo or to a lesser degree Tsavo.

 

[Hunt anything]

One thing to remember about the early 1900’s. Africa was undergoing a huge rinderpest epidemic. Most of the lions and other predators prey was almost non existent. Some claim that only 1 out of 10,000 buffalo survived, they had to eat something. The Patterson story may be before this epidemic I haven’t read it in a while.

I have a book that goes in-depth on the lions of Tsavo, I will find it tonight and get the exact title.

 

[Pablo]

I am about to start reading No Beast So Fierce. I've had it for a while, but haven't had a chance yet.

 

[Datchew]

No beast so fierce was very enjoyable.
One of my buddies in the "whiskey and the wise" book club had that as his choice a few years back.
Loved it.

 

[Sideshow]

As said the rinderpest had just gone through.
But also what a lot of people forget the railway was being built on an old slaving route. The slavers did not even both finishing off anyone that could not keep up with the caravan. They just unchained them and left them. Animals are smart clinking melt would have sounded like a dinner bell. The slaving may have finished in some parts of the world but in others it was still business as usual. So one food source just changed for another. Also it was just outside of Masai land so they were fairly unmolested the lions. It’s not uncommon for lions to gang up brothers to join forces to get pride dominance. I’m sure that’s what these boys where doing.
Forget what Disney has tried to brain wash us with those fluffy puddy cats will eat anyone at the drop of a hat.

 

[John Wasmuth]

As said the rinderpest had just gone through.
But also what a lot of people forget the railway was being built on an old slaving route. The slavers did not even both finishing off anyone that could not keep up with the caravan. They just unchained them and left them. Animals are smart clinking melt would have sounded like a dinner bell. The slaving may have finished in some parts of the world but in others it was still business as usual. So one food source just changed for another. Also it was just outside of Masai land so they were fairly unmolested the lions. It’s not uncommon for lions to gang up brothers to join forces to get pride dominance. I’m sure that’s what these boys where doing.
Forget what Disney has tried to brain wash us with those fluffy puddy cats will eat anyone at the drop of a hat.

It’s been observed that lions will, along with most brutes, eat slower people first……..

 

[skydiver386]

Another issue not yet mentioned was that many of the poorest laborers on the Railway had no immediate family close by, and if they died their bodies were buried in shallow graves somewhere along the rail line. Only a few months were needed before predators caught on to this and began to view the rail line as a place for an easy meal. It's not hard to see one thing leading to another.

 

[Hunt anything]

This book goes in great depth on the lions of Tsavo both the maneaters and present day. If I remember it even goes into why many don’t have a mane. The Patterson that wrote it is not related to colonel Patterson.

 

[DLSJR]

Pattersons Bridge, Tsavo District, Kenya, where it happened…

The bridge in foreground was re-built some years ago and the new train bridge above/behind is newer still.

 

[rookhawk]

I just finished listening to JH Patterson's Maneaters of Tsavo (and other African Adventures) on Spotify. First off, great book. Seems to go in chronological order of events. The Tsavo happenings are about 30-40% of the book and the rest is Patterson's adventures in-country concurrently and thereafter. Seems like the maneater occurrences happened just as he arrived in country.

So the burning question I have: Were man-eating cats really that big of an issue back in the turn of the 20th century and such? Why don't we have these issues now?

The book addresses the man-eating pair, but in his mentioning after, there were several other problematic lions in various locales. Wasn't like it just the two old, exiled/injured males had their fun.

Interestingly enough, the Indian tiger, Chimpawat, killed about 400 souls around that time in India/Nepal as well. I am currently in the middle of "No Beast so Fierce." Jim Corbett is the savior there. That tiger apparently had a poacher bullet in it which rendered it injured.

I just can't seem to understand how these issues don't present themselves currently? Maybe it was just the influx of Europeans back then was so new and created crowding? Maybe we know enough now? Are we just smarter to not get eaten?

Great questions. Purely speculation, but I'd assume:

1.) Less cats today = less conflicts with man
2.) In the Victorian era, there was little value on human life. The people were also smaller. Once a cat gets a taste for easy prey, it learns to do it again. In that era, bad cat behavior was left unchecked for longer.

Unrelated to your questions, I definitely recommend you see the lions of Tsavo at Chicago's Field Museum. It's an interesting exhibit for an avid hunter. I'd be remiss if I didn't recommend the movie the Ghost and the Darkness as well!

 

[CBH Australia]

Great questions. Purely speculation, but I'd assume:

1.) Less cats today = less conflicts with man
2.) In the Victorian era, there was little value on human life. The people were also smaller. Once a cat gets a taste for easy prey, it learns to do it again. In that era, bad cat behavior was left unchecked for longer.

Unrelated to your questions, I definitely recommend you see the lions of Tsavo at Chicago's Field Museum. It's an interesting exhibit for an avid hunter. I'd be remiss if I didn't recommend the movie the Ghost and the Darkness as well!

I have read the book. Watched the movie several times. I would like to visit the Chicago Field Museum and see Patterson’s Lions.

My first thoughts went straight to the movie.

@HookMeUpII if you enjoyed the book you might enjoy the movie.

 

[Altitude sickness]

Golam, since you are the only one here with a lot of experience with both Tigers and Male Lions.

Which is more dangerous 1 on 1. Not a pack of lions but one on one.

 

[Hunter-Habib]

Golam, since you are the only one here with a lot of experience with both Tigers and Male Lions.

Which is more dangerous 1 on 1. Not a pack of lions but one on one.

There are many variables here, @Altitude sickness

An African lion weighs heavier than a Sundarbans Royal Bengal tiger. The heaviest of the three man eating Royal Bengal tigers which I’ve ever hunted, weighed 352 LB. Out of all the African lions which I’ve shot, two so far have exceeded the 500LB mark (albeit with a belly full of food at the time I shot them).

Now, on the flip side… A Royal Bengal tiger is far more cunning than a lion. And also far faster. Unlike a lion, he does not fall victim to artificial baits (or live ones for that matter). You may go to the Sundarban mangrove forests for ten years without even catching a glimpse of a tiger but wherever you go… you’ll see pug marks of the tigers nearby. During the two terms while I was posted as the DFO of the Sundarbans (1981-1983 & 1986-1989), I only saw Royal Bengal tigers a grand total of 14 times (barring the times I saw them swimming in the river while trying to cross the islands). The only surefire way that you can even catch a glimpse of one on land, is to wait for him discreetly when he returns to feed on a natural kill which has been temporarily abandoned between the tiger’s first & second meals.

Colonel Kesri Singh in India wrote an excellent book called “One Man & A Thousnd Tigers”. He records pitting lions & tigers against each other by putting them in enclosures. He recorded the tiger as the winner on most occasions. But it must be remembered that the Colonel was using the much heavier Central Indian tiger & the much lighter Asiatic Girilal lion.

My good Indian friend, @Bapu also hunts man eaters (Asiatic leopards) and hails from Gujrat (where the Girilal lions are distributed). His insight would be greatly valued & highly educational too.

So to answer your question:
One on one in an enclosed space- Lion wins
One on one in the forest where both can stalk each other- Tiger wins