The Man-eater of Mfuwe was active within the
Luangwa Valley in
Zambia, an area which is home to the country's largest population of
lions.
August 1991 The first attack took place whilst two local boys were travelling along a road at night. While one of the boys was able to flee to safety, the second was mauled to death, with only scant pieces of his clothing and fragments of his skull left behind. The second incident involved an adult woman, whom the lion attacked after breaking into her home situated at the edge of a village. The third incident occurred once again at night when a young boy, travelling alone to meet a friend, was set upon by the lion. The attack was interrupted by a game ranger who managed to scare the lion off by firing his gun into the air, though the boy later succumbed to his injuries. Likely due to the
lack of a prominent mane, it was initially believed that the lion was a female, with the lionesses of "L-pride" being blamed for the killings. One lioness was killed initially in hopes of ending the spree of attacks.
Causes of the attacks Post-mortem examination of the Man-eater of Mfuwe's remains showed the lion to have been suffering from a severe jaw fracture in life, an injury that would have caused the cat considerable pain and made opening his mouth difficult, thus preventing him from successfully bringing down typical prey such as
zebra and
buffalo. As well, dental microphotographs of his teeth showed the lion had been avoiding consuming the bones of his victims, something indicative of his injury. == Hunt ==