Today in History—September 21: The Day a Beast of Gévaudan Was Killed

On this day in 1765, villagers in southern France breathed a collective sigh of relief: The king’s emissary announced that he had killed the Bête du Gévaudan (“Beast of Gévaudan”), the creature that had terrorized locals for a year.

It all started in June 1764. A 14-year-old shepherd girl was found dead with injuries consistent with a wolf attack—albeit an extremely violent one. This was tragic but not unusual. Livestock herding was common in this remote, wooded region, and with livestock came wolves.

Still, more attacks followed, raising concerns that there was something different about this predator. Shepherds began heading out in groups, but even then there were fatalities, mostly women and children (…because that’s who often shepherded).

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People began to whisper about werewolves. Then one of the first instances of yellow journalism happened. The Seven Years’ War was over, and the editor of the Courrier d’Avignon filled his news drought with splashy stories of the Beast of Gévaudan—labeling it, variously, hairy, fanged, devilish, supernatural, capable of walking on two legs, with red eyes, red fur, and a black or red stripe, oh, and also bulletproof and invincible. There were tales from survivors, too, including one enterprising woman who stabbed it with a bayonet. (A statue of her still stands.)

The reporting took the creature from a local monster to a national myth. Even King Louis XV began to pay attention to what was eating his citizens.

Rewards—nearly a year’s salary—were offered. After several high-profile hunters failed, the distressed king sent his personal bodyguard, François Antoine.

Antoine and his troupe returned with the body of a large wolf and claimed the reward. The terror, it seemed, was over.

But two months later the attacks roared back. An additional 30 deaths followed—but with no royal support and no press this time.

The danger wouldn’t subside until 1767. A local man (whom Antoine actually had jailed after he led Antoine’s hunting party astray and into a bog) shot a large wolf with a weird mane. There were no further attacks.

Scientists still debate what the animal actually was. (We’ve largely ruled out werewolves.) The popular theory is that it was actually several wolves. Other reasonable options include escaped imported animals, such as a hyena or lion.

Whatever it was, it stopped. Eventually. Just not today in history.