The Beast of Gévaudan
For three years a beast in the mountains of southern France killed around a hundred people, and the king sent his best hunters to stop it.
What was reported
From June 1764, a large animal attacked people in the old province of Gévaudan, now the Lozère, in southern France. Over three years it is thought to have killed around a hundred people, mostly women and children watching livestock, and injured many more. Witnesses described a wolf-like creature with a large head, reddish fur and a long tail.
King Louis XV sent soldiers and then his own gun-bearer, François Antoine, who killed a large wolf in 1765. The attacks resumed, until a local hunter, Jean Chastel, killed another animal in June 1767, after which they stopped.
Explanations offered
Most historians think the attacks were the work of one or more large wolves, perhaps unusually bold ones, with the story magnified by the newspapers of the time. Other ideas include an escaped exotic animal or a wolf–dog hybrid, and some have suggested a human was involved. The truth may never be known.
- When
- 1764–1767
- Where
- Gévaudan, Lozère, France
- Witnesses
- Villagers, soldiers and royal hunters
- Status
- Disputed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.