Leopard of the Central Provinces: Difference between revisions
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The '''Leopard of the Central Provinces''', also known as the '''Devilish Cunning Panther''', was a [[man-eating]] male [[Indian leopard]] believed to have killed and consumed around 150 individuals, all women and children, in the [[Central Provinces]] of [[British India]] during the early 19th century.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-deadliest-man-eating-predators-of-all-time.html|title=The Deadliest Man-Eating Predators Of All Time|website=WorldAtlas|language=en|access-date=2020-04-13}}</ref> At the height of its life, the leopard reportedly claimed one victim every several days, and traversed territory so quickly that many locals were afraid to leave their homes in fear of being killed.<ref name=":0" /> |
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{{Multiple issues| |
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{{no footnotes|date=February 2011}} |
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{{One source|date=February 2020}} |
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The '''Leopard of the Central Provinces''', also known as the '''Devilish Cunning Panther''', was a [[Man-eater|man-eating]] male [[Indian leopard]] which over the course of a couple of years, killed over 150 people, all women and children, in the [[Central Provinces]] of [[British India]] in the early 20th century. The leopard reportedly claimed a victim once every 2–3 days, each time in a different area to the last, with the killings sometimes taking place 20–30 miles apart. The leopard caused such panic that the native communities in its range rarely left their homes alone or unarmed. |
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== Hunting for the leopard == |
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Hearing of the widespread deaths, the British sent a professional hunter in hopes of killing the leopard.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.cracked.com/article_20546_5-true-stories-killer-animals-too-unrealistic-movie.html|title=5 True Stories of Killer Animals Too Unrealistic for a Movie|last=Sargent|first=J. F.|date=2013-10-31|website=Cracked.com|language=en|access-date=2020-04-13}}</ref> The hunter set up camp in a large village and collected reports of the beast's activities, eventually hearing from a young boy that the panther had taken his brother while the two were tending to cattle. After locating the child's corpse, the hunter took cover in a tree overlooking the body, expecting the killer to come back for its prize. |
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An unnamed British hunter set up headquarters in a large village, where he compiled information on the leopard's depredations with the local ''[[Police station|thana]]''. Ten days later, a man entered the hunter's camp one morning, and claimed that the leopard had entered a hut in a village a mile from the camp, and had unsuccessfully attempted to carry off a small girl the previous night. The hunter dressed the girl's wounds and she recovered. The leopard struck again two days later in another village. The hunter searched for the leopard from his camp for three weeks without success. |
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The leopard returned after nightfall, and took refuge in undergrowth to prevent the hunter from finding him. After retreating when the hunter fired a warning shot, the leopard returned several times, though attempts to kill it were unsuccessful.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sickchirpse.com/top-5-deadliest-man-eating-animals-body-count/|title=Top 5 Deadliest Man-Eating Animals By Body Count|last=SickChirpse|date=2014-03-31|website=Sick Chirpse|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-13}}</ref> |
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With the body count rising, the hunter considered moving camp, until a boy from a village four miles away came to him, and stated that the leopard had dragged off his brother when they were driving cattle. At 14:00, the hunter set himself on a tree overlooking the boy's corpse, in the hope that the leopard would return for it. The leopard came at night, though the hunter was unable to get a clear shot due to the darkness, and the canopy of dense creeper vine. The hunter attempted to startle the leopard into coming out for a clear shot, but all attempts failed to intimidate the leopard, even firing in the air had no effect. The shots got the attention of the villagers, but the hunter called at them to clear the area. After a few hours, the hunter fell asleep at 1:00, and upon waking, found the leopard clawing at the foot of the tree. The leopard left after a few moments, but returned three hours later to finish its meal. By sunrise, all that remained of the boy's body were hands, feet and a few bones. The hunter attempted to track down the leopard in case it was still in the area, but after a search spanning one mile, he gave up. A few days later, the hunter moved camp ten miles away, hoping for more success. On the second night of his arrival, the hunter was awoken from his sleep by the leopard scratching outside his tent, though it was driven off by the shouting of the villagers. |
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==Death and post mortem== |
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* [[Leopard attack]] |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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* {{cite book |editor=Bethell, L. A. |title="Blackwood" tales from the outposts |volume=10 |contribution=A devilish cunning panther |accessdate=29 March 2013 |year=1933 |publisher=William Blackwood and Sons |location=Edinburgh |oclc=15652159 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lIhDM6otFKYC&lpg=PA20&pg=PA20#v=onepage&q&f=false |pages=278–291}} |
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| ⚫ | The British hunter eventually abandoned the chase after believing the leopard had begun to stalk his tent.<ref name=":1" /> Three days later, the leopard was killed when it approached a farmer, who used a projectile shot from a gas pipe to mortally wound it. The hunter, before he left for Britain, purchased the carcass and found human hair in its stomach, confirming it as a man-eater. He later noted that the fur and claws were in surprisingly good condition, in contrast with what should have been expected from an older animal. There were no signs of past injuries which could have prevented it from hunting, thus leaving the hunter to conclude that the leopard had probably been fed human flesh as a cub by its mother, a likely man-eater herself.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> |
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[[Category:Central Provinces]] |
[[Category:Central Provinces]] |
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[[Category:Deaths due to leopard attacks|Central Provinces]] |
[[Category:Deaths due to leopard attacks|Central Provinces]] |
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Revision as of 00:00, 14 April 2020
The Leopard of the Central Provinces, also known as the Devilish Cunning Panther, was a man-eating male Indian leopard believed to have killed and consumed around 150 individuals, all women and children, in the Central Provinces of British India during the early 19th century.[1] At the height of its life, the leopard reportedly claimed one victim every several days, and traversed territory so quickly that many locals were afraid to leave their homes in fear of being killed.[1]
Hunting for the leopard
Hearing of the widespread deaths, the British sent a professional hunter in hopes of killing the leopard.[2] The hunter set up camp in a large village and collected reports of the beast's activities, eventually hearing from a young boy that the panther had taken his brother while the two were tending to cattle. After locating the child's corpse, the hunter took cover in a tree overlooking the body, expecting the killer to come back for its prize.
The leopard returned after nightfall, and took refuge in undergrowth to prevent the hunter from finding him. After retreating when the hunter fired a warning shot, the leopard returned several times, though attempts to kill it were unsuccessful.[3]
Death
The British hunter eventually abandoned the chase after believing the leopard had begun to stalk his tent.[2] Three days later, the leopard was killed when it approached a farmer, who used a projectile shot from a gas pipe to mortally wound it. The hunter, before he left for Britain, purchased the carcass and found human hair in its stomach, confirming it as a man-eater. He later noted that the fur and claws were in surprisingly good condition, in contrast with what should have been expected from an older animal. There were no signs of past injuries which could have prevented it from hunting, thus leaving the hunter to conclude that the leopard had probably been fed human flesh as a cub by its mother, a likely man-eater herself.[1][3]
- ^ a b c "The Deadliest Man-Eating Predators Of All Time". WorldAtlas. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
- ^ a b Sargent, J. F. (2013-10-31). "5 True Stories of Killer Animals Too Unrealistic for a Movie". Cracked.com. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
- ^ a b SickChirpse (2014-03-31). "Top 5 Deadliest Man-Eating Animals By Body Count". Sick Chirpse. Retrieved 2020-04-13.