Between March and December 1898, two lions known as the "Man-Eaters of Tsavo" killed dozens of railway workers in Kenya — and a new study has now revealed the macabre full story of their diets.
Wikimedia CommonsThe “Man Eaters of Tsavo,” responsible for the deaths of dozens of workers on the Kenya-Uganda Railway in 1898.
Between March and December 1898, two lions dubbed the “Man-Eaters of Tsavo” carried out a brutal killing spree on railway workers near Kenya’s Tsavo River. In the end, the lions killed dozens of people, with some estimates reaching as high as 135.
Their reign of terror eventually ended when British Army Colonel John Henry Patterson shot and killed the two lions on December 9th and December 29th. Since then, this macabre episode has endured as one of the most brazen and bloody series of animal attacks against humans in modern history.
Now, researchers examining hair samples discovered inside the jaws and teeth of the “Man-Eaters of Tsavo” extracted DNA and used it to uncover the diets of the lions, revealing fascinating and horrifying information about exactly what they devoured 126 years ago.
The Grisly Killing Spree Of The Man-Eating Lions Of Tsavo
In March 1898, a British railway project involving the construction of a bridge over the Tsavo River began under the leadership of British Army Colonel John Henry Patterson. Workers, mostly of Indian descent, gathered in several camps stretching across eight miles near the river.
That month, workers reported seeing two lions stalking their camps. Eventually, the Man-Eaters of Tsavo began dragging workers out of their tents at night and eating them. The attacks were sporadic at first but eventually became nightly occurrences.
The camps installed protective measures, including fires, wooden fences, and thorny bushes, but it did not deter the lions from dragging workers into the night.
The attacks became so frequent and intense that workers began fleeing in droves, and the construction project was put on hold until the lions were dealt with.
Even Prime Minister Lord Salisbury commented to the House of Lords about the situation, according to the Chicago Tribune:
“The whole of the works were put to a stop because a pair of man-eating lions appeared in the locality and conceived a most unfortunate taste for our workmen. At last the labourers entirely declined to carry on unless they were guarded by iron entrenchments. Of course it is difficult to work a railway under these conditions and until we found an enthusiastic sportsman to get rid of these lions our enterprise was seriously hindered.”
Toward the end of the year, Colonel Patterson and a hunting crew set up traps and attempted to ambush the lions, but their efforts took surprisingly longer than they had planned.
Finally, on December 9, 1898, Colonel Patterson shot the first lion, and 20 days later, he shot the second lion.
Public DomainThe first of the two Tsavo lions killed by Colonel Patterson in December 1898.
Following the deaths of the lions, work crews returned to the area and finished construction of the bridge in February 1899. However, the “Man-Eaters of Tsavo” have remained a haunting specter ever since. After all, it was extremely rare for such bold attacks on humans to occur.
“Lions don’t normally have much to do with humans at all, if they can help it,” David Western, head of the Kenya Wildlife Service, told the Chicago Tribune.
The most popular theory claims that the lions suffered from dental issues, making it difficult to hunt large prey. Instead, they went for easier, softer prey like humans. Now, a new study has provided a full picture of their diets.
A New Study Examines The Diet Of The Tsavo Man-Eaters
Field Museum of Natural History in ChicagoOne of the Tsavo man-eating lion’s skulls. The hair packed inside the lions’ broken teeth provided vital information about their diet.
In 2009, researchers conducted isotope testing on the bone collagen and hair keratin of the “Man-Eaters of Tsavo.” The study found that one of the lions likely consumed at least 10.5 humans while the other consumed roughly 24.2 humans.
Just this month, researchers dove deeper into the question of the lions’ diets. In a study recently published in Current Biology, the research team discovered that, alongside humans, the lions consumed giraffe, oryx, waterbuck, wildebeest, and zebra.
Currently, the remains of the “Man-Easters of Tasvo” are housed at the Field Museum in Chicago. Collaborating with the museum, researchers analyzed hair samples stuck in the lions’ teeth and created a full picture of their diets and behaviors.
Velizar SimeonovskiAn illustration of Tsavo lions hunting a giraffe.
Meanwhile, the study uncovered other surprising findings, including the fact that the closest wildebeest were 50 miles away from the lions’ territory at the time. So, either the lions were hunting across a wider area than previously believed or historical data about wildebeest territory is inaccurate. However, the reported lulls in attacks on the railroad workers would support the idea that the lions traveled extensively.
Additionally, researchers confirmed that the lions were brothers. The two had each other’s hair in their teeth, confirming grooming behavior often seen between bonded lions.
Naturally, researchers also recovered DNA from human hair. The team may work with descendants of the victims to help identify and inform families of their ancestors’ deaths. However, the brutality of the deaths has convinced researchers to err on the side of caution.
“There are potentially descendants, or a descendant community that may or may not want this type of analysis done, or maybe they do — we just don’t know yet,” study co-author Ripan S. Malhi, an anthropological geneticist at the University of Illinois, told Nature.
This technology may also be used to prevent any future “Man-Eaters of Tsavo.” Hair analysis from predators like lions may help identify environmental and health triggers that would lead to tragic outcomes like the one seen in 1898.
“This type of analysis can give insights into human-lion conflict which is still impacting many communities in the region and broadly in Africa. For example, if lions begin by hunting wildlife but then start attacking domestic animals, and eventually turn to preying on humans, we can develop strategies and recommendations to reduce these risks,” study author Alida de Flamingh told All That’s Interesting in an email.
For now, the team is happy to share their findings and add more context to one of the grisliest chapters in modern history.
After reading about the Tsavo lions’ diets, dive into the true story of the Beast of Gévaudan, an unidentified animal that terrorized the French countryside in the 18th century. Then, read about nine disturbing stories of pets who turned on their owners.
