Where the wild things are

[Ron Caliburn]

This one made it to CNN

Police: Lions eat 20 villagers in Ethiopia
Attacks force people to flee their homes, officials say

Tuesday, September 20, 2005 Posted: 1341 GMT (2141 HKT)

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) -- A pride of lions has killed and devoured 20 villagers, wounded 10 others and eaten at least 70 cattle in southern Ethiopia in the past week, police said Tuesday.

The attacks have forced at least 1,000 people to flee their homes in Hadia Zone, in the Southern Nation and Nationalities People State, 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, according to a police statement.

"The lions are coming from the bush seeking food," in groups of two to four animals, according to the statement.

Lions attack and eat humans in areas where their wild prey has been reduced by over-hunting, deforestation and population growth. Older lions also become man-eaters because humans are a far easier prey than wildlife.

"The 20 people were eaten by the lions while they engaged in their daily activities in their homes and nearby places," according to the police.

"Killing these lions would be the only way to rescue the residents in the area and prevent other casualties," the police statement added.

My bold.

Anybody besides me think it's odd that 1 pack of lions has been responsible for over 100 human and cattle attacks in less than 1 week?

Anybody esle besides me think it's odd that lions would go after people in their homes?

Anybody else think this is more than just lions at work?

[Sidious]

well considering that in Tsavo only 2 lions were responsible for 108 deaths over a considerable period of time a score of 100 for a pride would not be unheard of in a short time.

However the going into homes part maybe mean there are more than just lions at work.

werebeasts, demons, ghouls etc may all account for it however i would concentrate on the more animalistic and predatory of creatures.

anyone investigating this should not leave their silver bullets at the hotel room.

on a similar note i've been noticing an enlargening case of hunter deaths steaming from canada down into the woods of minnisota. Most have been attributed to bear or animal attack after death but the numbers seem to be growing and there does seem to be a pattern.

on a related note a small group of humters in main have gone missing amid reports of a big foot sighting. This has been followed by animal attacks and livestock mutilations (of the non-sugical varriety). This has been happening around a small town in main pretty close to the woods.

I, myself, will be investigating the main local as it is within my region. I'll report more upon my return.

as a word of caution to anyone who enjoys the autum camping season i would reccomend not going out into areas that are "too wild" it seems every year people tend to go missing.

[Elijah Sight]

I would certainly advise the utmost caution. Mokuro-Nybo come to mind, Lion Spirits. Might I suggest bringing along a traditional tribal shield if you decide to investigate?

[Ron Caliburn]

Speakign of strange cat news, apparently a black panther has been spotted on the loose in Southern Ontario, only half a world away from it's natural habitat.

[Sidious]

well there has always been Panther Lake in New York, and sightings of Panthers in Australia and England so i guess Canada is just catching up.

[The Traveler King]

Speakign of strange cat news, apparently a black panther has been spotted on the loose in Southern Ontario, only half a world away from it's natural habitat.

It's entirely possible that this animal may have escaped from a zoo or been let loose by an irresponsible fancier of "exotic pets". This is not unheard of. As to the lions, I don't have enough information in front of me to even postulate what might be going on there, but before we get to ascribing events to the supernatural, let's eliminate all of the mundane possibilities first.

Now your Tsavo lions are residing in the Field Museum of Chicago. If local legend is to be believed, they still stalk its halls after the doors close to the public, along with the ghost of an Egyptian king whose mummy is also on display. About all the lions do is make noise and nothing else, as I have been told.

[Ammendment2]

I wonder if there is something in the history of the town that would trigger an event like this. I have seen cases of Nature itself exacting revenge, for lack of a better term. Perhaps some kind of natural backlash or a Karmic disturbance, like the natural food being depleted. Or something else is leading the lions to a new food source. And where is the local military?

[The_Unicorn]

We know that Lions, once having tasted man, seem to enjoy it.
So, perhaps this was just a natural occurance?

[The Watcher In Shadows]

Perhaps the lions are behind the killings. But we must ask, what is behind the lions?
I have heard rumors and found several reports of governments trying to train predators as attack animals. This could be some kind of field test, or perhaps a number of escaped specimens.

Or the answer could be more strange than that. Perhaps a type of possession or something driving the animals to act this way?

Do we know if anything like this has happened before?

[KonThaak]

Now your Tsavo lions are residing in the Field Museum of Chicago. If local legend is to be believed, they still stalk its halls after the doors close to the public, along with the ghost of an Egyptian king whose mummy is also on display. About all the lions do is make noise and nothing else, as I have been told.

I was at the Field museum less than two weeks ago, when they were showing a particularly gruesome travelling exhibit on the destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum in AD 79... My wife and I stopped to look at the exhibit of the Tsavo man-eaters. I sensed no lingering spirits there...and with the escalating number of ghost-stories around the Chicagoland area, I'm not surprised to hear that there're stories about the man-eaters of Tsavo. I'm not so sure of the Egyptian mummy, because my wife and I didn't travel that exhibit... (Too many stairs, and with my wife 3 months pregnant, she's too exhausted to take as many as there are in that place.) I'll try to find the website my wife used to use for us to find places around Chicagoland that are supposedly haunted, and I can point out the ones that we've personally debunked, and a few that are just misunderstood...

Now, as for the other lions...

As a druid, and a person who respects the power that nature and wild animals command, I'll be the first to admit that a pride of lions would have no trouble killing that many people and cows in that short of a time, and probably have no trouble getting into peoples' homes to do it. This is Ethiopia we're talking about, not a nice big house in one of those rich suburbs of Chicago, where people have those big oak doors... Ethiopia is known for being poor to the point that when a person is "well-fed", Americans would still consider it as malnourished. It stands to reason that their homes wouldn't be that well protected, and a hungry lion on the move wouldn't have many/any problems breaking in...

However, if it *is* supernatural in nature, I would most likely assume the presence of shamans, compelling the lions to act out against the injustices done in the area, namely their mention of over-hunting and deforestation. It could be a karmic backlash, nature lashing out at people for these same problems, but these things rarely happen without a shaman, druid, medicine man, or other nature mage in the background...and these nature mages aren't your tree-hugging variety. They tend towards the blood-letting, bitter mages who hate what mankind has done to his surroundings...

[KonThaak]

We know that Lions, once having tasted man, seem to enjoy it.
So, perhaps this was just a natural occurance?

They say the same thing of dogs, which, they also claim, is the reason dogs have to be put down when they've tasted human blood... I can't say for sure that it isn't true; maybe the blood/meat of an omnivore really does taste better to predators. However, it sounds far too much like an old wives' tale to me...

As for the dogs, you'll notice the only time they become a problem is when they taste the blood of a wound they've inflicted... This implies much less about the taste of human blood, and more of the fact that humans, who they (literally and figuratively) look up to, and rely on for food and shelter, are vulnerable...and therefore, can be challenged for position of Alpha. Most dogs jump at the chance for that opportunity, so if they realize that their human owners can be hurt, they often become problematic, seeming to turn on their masters, when in fact they just want to not be pushed around, anymore...

But this is completely an aside. Sorry for straying from the topic; I just wanted to put in my two cents on this subject while it was open...

[Faerie Chaser]

well there has always been Panther Lake in New York, and sightings of Panthers in Australia and England so i guess Canada is just catching up.

Plus there is also such a thing as a black cougar. It's a somewhat rare mutation, but they do exist.

[Faerie Chaser]

and these nature mages aren't your tree-hugging variety. They tend towards the blood-letting, bitter mages who hate what mankind has done to his surroundings...

Actually, the better question is what "good" mage doesn't hate what mankind has done to the surroundings? I mean logically! We should be using the desarts to generate wind and solar energy. Instead we are building nuclear power plants in country that can't afford to feed it's people. Who wouldn't be a wee bit bitter? True, not Ethiopia, but you get what I am saying.

[AdamaGeist]

and these nature mages aren't your tree-hugging variety. They tend towards the blood-letting, bitter mages who hate what mankind has done to his surroundings...

Actually, the better question is what "good" mage doesn't hate what mankind has done to the surroundings? I mean logically! We should be using the desarts to generate wind and solar energy. Instead we are building nuclear power plants in country that can't afford to feed it's people. Who wouldn't be a wee bit bitter? True, not Ethiopia, but you get what I am saying.

Now now, don't rag on Kon-Tiki over this, he's more tree-hugging than you know. But still, you are rather digressing from the point here.

The note has a few intersting point in it, mainly from the viewpoint of someone who notes animal behavior. From the timeframe noted, a pack of Lions, which normaly consists of about 2-5 females, one or two males, and assorted young, are supposed to have eaten 70 Cattle in the course of a week? The humans are nominal in the food note, because of the lack of Muscle Mass when compared to the averadge cow or pig, so eating that many humans both adult and young would be... well glutonus for a pride, but not impossible. But seventy cattle? That's more than just a Pack's worth of Lions.

And as was also mentioned, these attacks happened on people within their own homes, during their normal activities. Which is a bit beyond the averadge Lion behavior, after all. Just the stealth NEEDED For such an act is beyond that of a normal Lion in such an area.

So, while my friend KT can pass around the idea of shamans doing such activities, and others can bring up government sponcered attack animals, I'll just state this. Concidering the volume of missing and presumably digested tissue mass, you are looking at a preditor that needs a couple tons of tissue a day, on average. Even devided up among a grouping of creatures, that exceeds the needs of most natural animals. So unless an army of trained attack weazles started devouring things in the African plains, we are looking at somthing paranormal, and not somthing spectral.

Oh, and on the whole 'Desert power' scheme, the problem with solar mirrors is that of drifting sand. One good sandstorm, and all you have is immoblie junk, as the sand will grit up the gears and drift over the reflective surfaces. Nuclear power is safe and cheap, (Chernobil was an intentional incident, and the safety proticals STOPPED Three Mile Island from going off, and THAT one was thirty years ago.) and concidering that the needs of every third world country are power for modern equipment and food for it's people, we'd be better off going in and slaughtering the warlords and armys of Africa to save the people there than anything. After all, they are the people hording the wealth and food of their nations, and slaughtering millions...

Which reminds me... Concidering the number of mass-killings in Africa due to tribal differences and the whims of warlords, why have we heard so LITTLE about dark things running around there? The release of power in those areas must have drawn at least a few nasty things out from the woodwork. Doesn't that make this Lion story the first siting of the tip of the Iceberg about to hit us?

[KonThaak]

Actually, the better question is what "good" mage doesn't hate what mankind has done to the surroundings? I mean logically! We should be using the desarts to generate wind and solar energy. Instead we are building nuclear power plants in country that can't afford to feed it's people. Who wouldn't be a wee bit bitter? True, not Ethiopia, but you get what I am saying.

Well, if they'd get stricter monitoring of nuclear waste disposal sites, and stricter ordinances as to how they go about doing the disposals, this druid, for one, wouldn't mind *that* aspect... There're a lot of other things for us to get rather bitter over, such as the way people treat each other. There is still a disturbing number of governments in the world which withhold money and food that their population desperately needs...

[KonThaak]

The note has a few intersting point in it, mainly from the viewpoint of someone who notes animal behavior. From the timeframe noted, a pack of Lions, which normaly consists of about 2-5 females, one or two males, and assorted young, are supposed to have eaten 70 Cattle in the course of a week? The humans are nominal in the food note, because of the lack of Muscle Mass when compared to the averadge cow or pig, so eating that many humans both adult and young would be... well glutonus for a pride, but not impossible. But seventy cattle? That's more than just a Pack's worth of Lions.

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/fac ... os/et.html I looked this up in reference to this thread... Two of the biggest environmental problems that Ethiopia faces are deforestation and desertization...and groups of animals that normally don't band together have been known to do so when their collective survival is threatened...so while a normal pride normally has, at extreme, 40 members, this particular "pride" could've had quite a few more.

And as was also mentioned, these attacks happened on people within their own homes, during their normal activities. Which is a bit beyond the averadge Lion behavior, after all. Just the stealth NEEDED For such an act is beyond that of a normal Lion in such an area.

They wouldn't really *need* stealth... See the above link; a good half the population lives under the poverty level, and more than that rely on food aid from outside sources just to eat. If these villages were armed, they wouldn't be in such dire straits for food, because they could use their weapons to hunt what's in the area...

So, while my friend KT can pass around the idea of shamans doing such activities, and others can bring up government sponcered attack animals, I'll just state this. Concidering the volume of missing and presumably digested tissue mass, you are looking at a preditor that needs a couple tons of tissue a day, on average. Even devided up among a grouping of creatures, that exceeds the needs of most natural animals. So unless an army of trained attack weazles started devouring things in the African plains, we are looking at somthing paranormal, and not somthing spectral.

It's possible...but shamans *are* a kind of nature mage. They could have compelled the lions to exact revenge for the problems in the area. Though I still say there's a good possibility that it's not paranormal at all. As those that died in this would undoubtedly tell you, it is foolish to underestimate the power of a starving predator...

[The Watcher In Shadows]

I believe that we simply do not hear about "dark things" in Africa because it is harder to notice. A few hunters disappearing in the woods in a tribal group or a number of people vbeing killed in a warzone are much less unusual than a citizen of a large city disappearing in broad daylight.

As for the lions, I believe that we may be making a mistake as far as listening to the reports. A person in my position gets to see the difference between the reports important people get and the "Official" reports that are distributed to the press. Unless the police have proof it was lions, and even if they do, we must keep up the possibility it could be something much more insidious. Either supernatural or manmade.

[The_Unicorn]

We know that Lions, once having tasted man, seem to enjoy it.
So, perhaps this was just a natural occurance?

They say the same thing of dogs, which, they also claim, is the reason dogs have to be put down when they've tasted human blood... I can't say for sure that it isn't true; maybe the blood/meat of an omnivore really does taste better to predators. However, it sounds far too much like an old wives' tale to me...

That's not why they put dogs down.
They will put a dog down if they can't learn the command word that caused it to attack(if it's a trained attack dog that was following it's orders).
IF it wasn't a trained attack dog following it's orders, theyw ill follow the wishes of the vitimcs or their loved ones, which are usually to put the dog to sleep.

[Last Moon]

Tank you for posting this article Mr. Caliburn, plus the news of a panther citing in Canada.

Unusual animal attacks are of particular interest to me.

[Ron Caliburn]

Your welcome.

I've been monitoring those things for a long time now. Usually they are a good early warning to something unnatural going on.

[Last Moon]

Well my rule of thumb has always been that unusual animal attacks aren't.

[Ron Caliburn]

We obviously think very alike.

I think we'll get along just fine.

[Last Moon]

I certainly hope so.

[Gotham Witch]

Exactly how many 'unusual animal attacks' happen in the United States every year, if I might ask? It's not a statistic I've paid much attention to - but I was also never much of a stats person.

[Last Moon]

Well it depends on your threshold of unusual. A well set up Google Alert will find a few dozen new items a month, however the vast majority can be discarded due to obvious mundane explanations.

[Ron Caliburn]

I had a friend named Karl who used to track those sorts of things for me. Regrettably I lost him, his information feeds and the database he had created for me.

[Last Moon]

That is most unfortunate Mr. Caliburn.

The loss of such researchers only furthers my belief that therianthropes are organized and actively seeking to suppress research into their kind. I admit this made me very hesitant to disclose my research here, but the presence of a number of like minded individuals has convinced me that the opportunity is worth the risk.