Man-Eating Lions

As I spend much time in the wilderness, subjects such as man-eating lions interest me. Beyond the mere fascination, there is the self-preservation aspect. I’m a big fan of knowing the realities to mitigate becoming part of the food chain. So, I have, over many years, kept an eye open for tales of animals going into a closed tent (and by closed, I mean the canvas door is closed, not just the netting– especially in a small tent) and damaging its human occupants. Fortunately, I’d like to report back that I have not found one.

Lions are vastly different animals at night. It’s as though the darkness emboldens them. Will lions enter an open tent? Absolutely!! They are more mischievous than most animals and love a good game of “grab what you can and run”. This can end really badly if you happen to be in the tent at the time. But that would be on you for leaving the tent open. I am talking about lions forcing their way into a closed tent to access the humans inside – specifically seeing them as prey. 

Many FB and TikTok videos show lions “trying to get into a tent”. They’re not “trying”, they’re playing, or exploring. If you’ve ever watched a lion kill (anything), you will be in no doubt whatsoever that a lion can access a tent with one swipe of its paw. If you’re in a situation where the lions are “exploring”, please don’t try chase the lion through the flynet… You’ll just exponentially elevated the game – from exploration to “cat and mouse” – virtually guaranteeing the lions will not leave. Close the tent up completely and play dead. Or better yet, don’t leave it open in the first place when you’re in big five terrain with no fences.

Lions have an inherent fear of man. Traditionally they are wary of humans and will avoid them and their camps. The Oxford dictionary definition of a “Man-Eater” is an animal that has a propensity for killing and eating humans. Many encounters are opportunistic, where perhaps a startled lion kills a human. This happens often enough. Continual close encounters of the tourist kind will slowly erode that fear. Which is when a lion becomes dangerous in the extreme, as it is no longer fearful of humans. Often, when a lion is shot for attacking a human who has done something silly, there is a (valid) public outcry. What is not understood by those protesting the lion’s demise is that the lion has irrevocably crossed a line, and thereby discovered what easy prey a human is. Meat is meat, and the next time it is unlikely that the lion would even hesitate. A human is a much easier target than even an impala. Which obviously cannot be tolerated – specifically in a tourism environment (which is why people should think before playing the odds – as even if they survive, the animal will almost certainly be destroyed). So “accidents” can turn ‘normal’ lions into man-eaters.

Some man-eating predators (lions, leopards, tigers) are old or injured in some way, which is why they start hunting humans – simply because they’re easier to kill. There are, fortunately, only very few predators who have made it their business to hunt humans – and this group make my blood run cold. 

In 2010, there was a pride of lions near Mana Pools that killed about eight villagers. 200km to 300km further upriver a Zimbabwean tourist, who was taking a shower in a remote bush camp, was attacked and killed. The entire pride was eventually shot. 

About 15 years ago, stories began coming out of Matusadona about lions attacking people. At the time, I couldn’t find any proof, but when researching for this article, quite a few stories came up. In the articles (detailed in the info box), an attack by an adult lioness and her three subadult cubs took place in 2010, Luckily the man didn’t die, but was saved only by his quick-thinking, bush wise friends. The next detailed attack in 2014 (which resulted in a fatality) was by four adult lionesses. From the various versions, one is tempted to surmise that the 2010 attack was likely a prelude to what happened in 2014 – more than likely the same lions, who would have been adult by that stage. I don’t know this for certain, and if anyone does, I would love to hear from them…

The third video in the info box was filmed by someone I know. They are bush-wise people – luckily. What is truly disturbing is just how little fear this lion has of humans and/or vehicles. Campers, it has been said, put out water or even blood / raw meat to attract the lions – which over time ends up in a situation like this (where the lion has zero fear) taking place. This is SUCH a dangerous thing to do, and eventually either a human, or a lion, or ultimately both, are going to die. 

No story of man-eaters would be complete without mentioning The Man-Eaters of Tsavo. These two large man-eating male lions in the Tsavo region of Kenya would haunt the railway construction camps, dragging workers from their tents, and devouring them. Over a nine-month period up until December 1898, these animals killed at least 135 people (although some say this is an exaggeration).  Lieutenant Colonel John Henry Patterson eventually managed to hunt and kill the pair – which are now displayed in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. He also wrote a book on the subject – The Man-Eaters of Tsavo. What is really strange about these two male lions is that, although adult and extremely large, neither of them had a mane. The most recent movie made about this saga was ‘The Ghost and the Darkness’ in 1996 which starred Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas.

Two interesting theories have been presented as to why these lions became man-eaters, as there was nothing wrong with them physically. The first is that the rinderpest epidemic, which killed thousands of antelope, provided lions with unlimited feasting which caused a population explosion. When the epidemic ran its course, there were more lions than there was available food and so they ate humans. The second theory is that the slave trade, with the hundreds of slaves that died on route, gave the lions a taste for human flesh. We will never have a definitive answer…

It is most interesting that the man-eater of Mfuwe, who was active in the Luangwa Valley in Zambia, was also a male lion without a mane. This lion killed six people over two months in 1991. He even broke into rondavels to get at his victims. Today, the Mfuwe lion is also stuffed and on display at the Field Museum in Chicago. A post-mortem examination of this animal’s remains showed the lion had been suffering from a severe jaw fracture – an injury that would have caused the cat considerable pain and made opening his mouth difficult, thus preventing him from successfully bringing down typical prey. It was also noted that he seldom ate the bones of his victims – behaviour also indicative of his condition…

I have a personal belief that when someone ends up dying, it is seldom only one bad decision that has been made. It is usually a series of poor choices that lead to circumstances from whence there is no return. And your inner voice will often warn you. A good motto is to listen to that little voice/feeling. Your gut. Instinct. Angels. Call it what you want. When it whispers, best you listen. Even if you are making bad decisions, the part of you that is primal, that remembers being prey, knows better. We were once the smartest animal on the savannah. You just have to listen…

Jacqui Ikin & The Cross Country Team

INFO BOX:

Matusadona Lion Attack:Zimbabwe-May 2010:
https://www.kevindthomas.com/post/matusadona-lion-attack-zimbabwe-may-2010

Man-eating lions destroyed – Matusadona National Park, Zimbabwe:
http://vicfallsbitsnblogs.blogspot.com/2014/09/man-eating-lions-destroyed-matusadona.html

Lion Climbs into Campers Tent:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClcO3iT8hnE&t=492s