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Beast of Gévaudan (La bête du Gévaudan) was a legendary wolf-like creature that terrorised the Gévaudan (modern day Lozère département), in south-central France from about 1764 to 1767. Many attacks took place - between 60 and 100 people were killed - and debate continues as to the Beast's true identity.

Appearance

The Beast was described as being a wolf-iike creature the size of a cow, with a wide chest, a long sinuous tail with a lion-like tuft of fur on the end, and a greyhound-like head with small straight ears and large protruding fangs. The creature was said to have red fur, and a peculiar white stripe that ran down the length of its chest. One survivor of the attack, a young peasant girl, said "It was as large as a cow, with claws the size of a man's hand." ^[1]

First Sighting & Attack

The first attack that provided a description of the creature took place in May/June of 1764. A girl was working on a farm in the Forêt de Mercoire when she saw a large, wolf-like animal emerge from the trees and charge straight at her, but lucky for her it was driven away by the farm's bulls.

The creature's reported method of killing was unusual for a predator, often targeting the head, and ignoring the usual areas targeted by predators, including the legs and throat. Often the head was crushed or removed. It also seemed to target people over farm animals, reportedly having an aversion to cattle; many times it would attack someone while cattle were in the same field.

There were some reports that the beast was seen with another such animal, or with young; others state that the beast was with a man.

Murderous Work

Some accounts put the number of dead at fifteen women, sixty-eight children, and six men (figures of those dead, another 30 wounded or mauled). The Beast's preference towards women and children is perhaps due to their working the country-side farms in pairs or even alone, making themselves easier targets. Men, however, tended to have objects that could be used as weapons, such as sickles, and often worked the fields in large groups.

The hunt for the beast

On January 12, 1765, Jacques Portefaix and six friends were attacked by the Beast; they drove it away by staying grouped together. Their fight caught the attention of King Louis XV, who awarded 300 livres to the men. The King then directed professional wolf-hunters, Jean-Charles-Marc-Antoine Vaumesle d'Enneval and his son Jean-François, to kill the beast.

They arrived in Clermont-Ferrand on February 17, 1765, bringing with them eight bloodhounds which had been trained in wolf-hunting. They spent several months hunting wolves by night (although most of the attacks were at dawn or dusk), believing them to be the beast. However the attacks continued, and by June 1765 they were replaced by François Antoine (AKA Antoine de Beauterne), the king's harquebus bearer and chief huntsman, and who held the title of Great Louvetier (wolf hunter) of the realm. He arrived in le Malzieu on June 22.

On September 21, 1765, Antoine killed a large gray wolf measuring 80 cm high, 1.7 m long, and weighing 60 kg. The wolf was called 'Le Loup de Chazes,' after the nearby Abbaye des Chazes. It was agreed locally that this was quite large for a wolf. Antoine officially stated: "We declare by the present report signed from our hand, we never saw a big wolf that could be compared to this one. Which is why we estimate this could be the fearsome beast that caused so much damage."

The wolf was stuffed and sent to Versailles where Antoine was received as a hero, receiving a large sum of money as well as lands, titles and awards.

However, on December 2, 1765, the Beast attacked again in la Besseyre Saint Mary, severely injuring two children. Dozens more deaths are reported to have followed. The killing of the creatures is credited to a local hunter, Jean Chastel, at the Sogne d'Auvers.

Controversy surrounds Chastel's account of his success. He claimed that, when part of a large hunting party, he sat down to read the Bible and pray. During one of the prayers the creature came into sight, staring at Chastel, who finished his prayer before shooting the beast. This would have been aberrant behavior for the beast, as it would usually attack on sight. Some believe this is proof Chastel participated with the beast, or that even he had trained it.

Explanations

Various explanations were offered at the time of the attacks. They ranged from exaggerated accounts of wolf attacks, or werewolf, punishment from God, or perhaps a demon summoned by a witch. Some authors suggest the attacks were actually those of a serial killer, or group of serial killers, using wolf attacks to cover their own murders. One theory is that the animal may have simply been an escaped captive exotic animal such as a lion.

Yet another theory is that the creature was a specially bred wolfdog hybrid, such as those bred and used by the Spanish in the 16th century. Or perhaps more likely is that the beast was a domestic dog trained to kill by a psychopath, this theory has found support from, Michel Louis, author of the book 'La bête du Gévaudan: L'innocence des loups'(The Beast of Gévaudan: Wolves are exonerated).

Certain cryptozoologists^[believe that it may have been a mesonychid, while other individuals may think it is a creodont. However, it has not been explained how it would have survived until the 18th century without detection.

or this was the land of the ever-memorable BEAST, the Napoleon Bonaparte of wolves. What a career was his! He lived ten months at free quarters in Gévaudan and Vivarais; he ate women and children and ‘shepherdesses celebrated for their beauty’; he pursued armed horsemen; he has been seen at broad noonday chasing a post-chaise and outrider along the king’s high-road, and chaise and outrider fleeing before him at the gallop. He was placarded like a political offender, and ten thousand francs were offered for his head. And yet, when he was shot and sent to Versailles, behold! a common wolf, and even small for that.