Encounter Atlas
Between 1764 and 1767, something killed and partly ate dozens of people, mostly women and children tending livestock, in the Margeride mountains of south-central France. Witnesses described a wolf-like animal the size of a calf, reddish with a dark stripe down its back, a broad chest and a long tufted tail. It was said to bound across fields at its victims.
King Louis XV sent professional hunters and dragoons. In September 1765 the royal gun-bearer François Antoine shot a very large wolf, which was stuffed and taken to Versailles, but the killings resumed. On 19 June 1767 local hunter Jean Chastel shot another large canine, and the attacks stopped.
One study counted about 210 attacks and 113 deaths. Theories range from one or more large wolves to wolf-dog hybrids, an escaped hyena or a lion. The case is still argued over in France.
What witnesses report
- A wolf-like animal the size of a calf
- Reddish coat with a dark stripe down the back
- A long tail ending in a tuft
- Attacks aimed at the head and throat
Famous cases
- 1764First recorded victim, Jeanne Boulet
Les Hubacs, near Langogne, France - 1765François Antoine shoots a large wolf
Chazes, France - 1767Jean Chastel ends the attacks
Mont Mouchet, France
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