Man Eating Lions??! Oh Yes!

As humans increasingly encroach upon the natural environment the results are not always pretty, especially when it is the territory of lions being invaded. The most famous example of this comes from an area called Tsavo not far from where i will be in Tanzania.

In 1898 two large male lions attacked Indian workers who were building a railway through the region. During the night, these lions would sneak into the worker's encampment and drag the victims screaming from their tents one by one. The workers tried to protect themselves by constructing thornbush barriers called bomas but this was hardly successful. In just nine months these two lions killed and ate over 140 humans!!! Construction of the railway was halted as hundreds of the workers fled for their lives. Eventually, British Colonel John Patterson was able to kill both lions after cleverly devising traps and capturing them. However, the frightening legacy of the "Man-Eaters of Tsavo" lives on.

Personally i can't blame the lions - but don't tell them that. Humans have increasingly moved in on their hunting territories and killed large numbers of the game animals lions depend on for survival. Still, lion attacks make great headlines - below are several recent articles.

Lion Attacks on Rise in Tanzania

Toothache "Made Lion Eat Humans"

Lion Devours Human 'Lovemaker'

But hey, not ALL lion headlines are so bad. Check this one out:

Lions Capture Escaped Cons

And if you have a good sense of humor, check out this fake article:

Lion Mutilates 42 Midgets in Cambodian Ring Fight