Beast of Gévaudan

Between 1764 and 1767, an unknown animal killed about a hundred people in the Gévaudan region of southern France. Hunting it down became a matter of state under Louis XV.

What was the Beast?

Starting in the summer of 1764, an animal attacked people in the remote region of Gévaudan, in what is now the Lozère department. Most of its victims were women and children tending livestock. Witnesses described it as wolf-like but larger, with reddish fur, a dark stripe along its back and a long tail. The death toll is usually given as around a hundred, though figures vary.

The hunt

The attacks became a talking point across France and in the European press. King Louis XV first sent dragoons, then professional wolf hunters, and finally his personal huntsman, François Antoine. In September 1765 Antoine shot a large wolf, which was presented as the Beast. But the attacks continued. They stopped only after a local man, Jean Chastel, shot another large animal in June 1767.

Possible explanations

Most historians assume one or more unusually large wolves, possibly wolf-dog hybrids. Other theories point to an escaped exotic animal or a human killer with a trained dog. For people at the time, the idea of a werewolf was also close at hand.